Movie review: Waiting for the clouds

The movie, Waiting for the Clouds, depicts the story of an elderly woman named Ajshe, who was a survivor of the turbulent 1920’s that reshaped the Balkans by war, genocides, evictions, forced population exchanges, new nation formation/expansion, political ideological clashes and nationalistic fervor on all sides. 

Ajshe never though forgot her childhood identity and memories which she kept hidden deep inside her for many years.  At a very young age she was one of the victims of those turbulent times when she, known then as Eleni, was given by her father, after a difficult march from their native Mersin (southern Turkey) to a Muslim family from the Black Sea region (Pontos-Karadeniz) who promised to protect and rear her as their own. 

Eleni’s family roots were Rum (Christian).  There in Pontos Eleni (Ajshe) lived for many years yearning especially to reunite with a long lost brother who got caught up in the great population exchange between Muslims from the areas newly acquired by Greece and Christians from the newly formed state of Turkey known as the Laussane Treaty of 1922.

The movie was interesting as it was based on some true elements in history that surrounded the Communist movement taking place in Turkey in the early 1970s.  Apparently, it seems that Ajshe’s father, in the early 1920s, may have been a communist who were seen by the Turkish state as sympathizers with communist Russia and therefore traitors.  Russia was one of the powers who dreamt at a piece of the pie after the dismemberment of the Ottoman State and dreamt of the incorporation of Turkish land into her nation.

As history tells us, the Pontians (Karadenizler) mainly live in Northern and North Eastern Turkey most of whom for various reasons chose to convert to Islam during the Ottoman period, although quite a few remained Christian, and so you will see that their language is a mix of an old Hellenic form and Turkish. A fraction of Pontians (Christians) were forcefully expelled to Greece in the 1922 exchange of populations and were settled into lands and homes of Muslims forced out of Greece.

Even though the movie had some religious elements to it, it was mainly focused on political ideological struggles and to a lesser extent ethnic ideas and conflicts and therefore, I do not recommend watching it to gain anything Islamic out of it since there were some folklore practices mentioned that have nothing to do with Islam but with local practices that predate Islam and perhaps even Christianity.

But, if you’re just looking for an emotional movie filled with human tenderness and beautiful scenery, and just a slight insight into political/ethnic tensions this just might be the movie for you.

Mosque and cemetery: too much to ask?

This an article by our brother and head of the Muslim Association of Greece, Naim El-Ghandour,  published with IslamOnline.net.

In an ancient region called Thrace, North East of Greece, a Muslim community of about 120, 000 Muslims is based. Historically, the population of this city was exempted from applying the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne VI, 1923; a treaty which aimed at applying an obligatory exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey following World War I. This Muslim minority is composed of three ethnic groups, in which the element of homogeneity is absent. More specifically, 50 percent of Thrace’s Muslims are of Turkish origin, 35 percent are Pomaks [1], and 15 percent are Roma people [2]. Each of the aforementioned groups has its own language and traditions. They have their own muftis, imams, mosques, cemeteries, schools, etc. But they are all united, mainly, in their strong connections with Turkey, such as joining Turkish universities, migrating into Turkey for work, etc.
Besides the first Turkish Muslim group there is another group of Muslims in Greece which includes immigrants who had settled in Greece during the last 40 years coming mainly form Arab countries and partly from other Islamic ones. These Muslims are doing all kinds of jobs all over this European country, not only as low-profession workers who are estimated at 90 percent of the total immigrant percentage. Some of these immigrants have better opportunities and work in high-professions, so there are doctors, scientists, professors, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and importers.
The last smallest group of Muslims consists of the converted Greek Muslims who embraced Islam after studying it, or after getting married to Muslims whereby they had the chance to meet Muslims and interact with them. Those were the three Muslim groups living in Greece with different characteristics and cultures and are estimated at 830,000.

Muslim Associations in Greece

The Association of Muslims in Greece (AMG) was established in 2003. It is the organization that brings together all Muslims from all over Greece. It is located in Athens, where about 700.000 Muslims live. The Association of Muslims in Greece exerts efforts to defend the Muslims’ rights in several fields, like having an official mosque and a Muslim graveyard, etc. Many Muslim citizens contribute to the AMG’s efforts including permanent residents who pay taxes to the Hellenic State, the legal immigrants, the university students, and also the political refugees. Even Sunnis and Shiite are united under the umbrella of the AMG while having the same demands for an official Hellenic Mosque and a common Muslim cemetery.

The History of Greek Mosques

Surprisingly, there is no official mosque in Greece up to the moment. However, there are some unofficial mosques in Greece which totally depend on the private efforts of the Muslims there. The first mosque in Athens was built in 1985 by the Sudanese Dr. Munir Abdelrasul in Goudi, a neighborhood of Athens; the second in 1989 by myself, Naim El-Ghandour, at Piraeus district; the third in 1989 by the Egyptian Mohiy Eldin in the center of Athens; the fourth in 1993 by the Palestinian Mazen Rassas at Neos Kosmos in Athens. Many mosques were established then and Greece now has 67 Islamic places for worship in Athens only. These mosques attract all Muslims from both Arab and non-Arab backgrounds, like the Persians, Greeks, Albanians, Sub-Saharan Africans, and European Muslims. The Greek State did not raise any objection against the private efforts of Muslims in building mosques as there is no other place for them to practice their religion.

Financing Mosques in Greece

The fundraisers of the places for worship are the owners and Muslims who spend a lot of money to cover the rent and other expenses. At Friday prayers, Muslims usually give alms to the mosque. In fact, sometimes the charity money is enough to cover the mosques’ expenses and sometimes it is not. All mosques in Athens are self-funded except for only one mosque which is funded from abroad since it belongs to the Federation of Islamic Organization in Europe (FIOE).

Efforts With the Governments

Few years ago, the Association of Muslims in Greece had many attempts to approach the government for the official mosque and the cemetery. Muslims communicated with the Ministry of Education and Religions and conducted several meetings regarding the needs of Muslims in Athens. Greek Muslims were mainly concerned with the following issues: how would a mosque in Athens operate harmoniously with all different nationalities and languages, and the demands of a mosque. Finally, the state greatly appreciated our proposal and we had a very satisfactory law that describes the Athens Mosque as a mosque built by the Greek state in cooperation with Greeks and EU funds. The government also stated that the mosque’s imam should be certified by an authorized university, like Al Azhar, to be considered officially as a civil servant with a two-year contract.

A Far-Fetched Dream

Unfortunately, after all these efforts and achievements, the Minister of Education and Religions was deposed in a ministerial change. So the whole project was delayed due to lack of information, another ministerial change, and a national need for the money dedicated to the mosque. Muslims’ claims are well known to the public, since they are always hosted in many TV and radio programs and ncluded in the coverage of all online and printed newspapers.

Muslims’ Gathering Events

Feast Prayer at Olympic Stadium
Twice a year on both Islamic `Eids, members of the Arab Muslim community gather in the Olympic stadium of Athens (OAKA) where they perform the `Eid prayers together, often headed by a famous imam from abroad. Greek Muslims of Pakistani origin also go to the SEF Stadium, another big Greek Stadium, due to the different languages, but once the Hellenic mosque is ready, Muslims from different backgrounds agree to meet there no matter which language will the majority adopt.

A Cemetery as Well

Muslims have been trying to achieve this goal since 2005. At that time, the former Archbishop Christodoulou announced that the Church of Greece donated a piece of land for Muslims to build their own cemetery on. The Association of Muslims in Greece got in contact with the Church, which is connected to the government, to proceed with this project. Many months followed, but the archbishop passed away, a new one was elected, and Muslims had to send new letters. The matter was no longer in the hands of the church but in the state’s. Many meetings were held where Muslims reassured their desire to have the cemetery very soon. When they felt that there were no steps taken, they addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos and asked to meet him as Muslims consider this a matter of human dignity.

And Muslims’ efforts still go on…
Are you a Greek Muslim or a Muslim living there? What do you think of the Muslim status in Greece? How do you think Muslims can integrate into the Greek society while maintaining their Islamic identity?

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[1] An indigenous population that initially lost its native tongue and subsequently espoused Islam during the Ottoman occupation. They are also said to be a Bulgarian-speaking Muslim population group native to some parts of Bulgaria, specifically southern Bulgaria, and the adjacent parts of Greece and Turkey.
[2] An ethnic group with origins in South Asia who are widely dispersed with their largest concentrated populations in Europe.

Sources:

Hellenic Resources Network: Miscellaneous Greek News Sources. The Muslim Minority of Greek Thrace. April 1996.

Greece – at least 15% Muslim

According to this youtuber, at least 15% of Greece consists of Muslims.

Islam in Greece

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mjTmH31PKU

Note: Turn down your speakers.

Author’s Note:

At least 15% of Greece’s population today is Muslim. This number includes indigenous peoples whose ancestors were part of this land before it ever required its present name as well as immigrants who have migrated to Greece.

 At one time the land Greece now occupies was inhabited mostly by Muslims with large populatons of Christians as well as Jews. The background of these Muslims was rich and diverse but at the same time quite assimilated. Their common thread was Islam.

Unfortunately, an after effect of the Renaissance movement in Europe gave birth to the idea of nationalism. The Balkans too succumbed to this disease and the start of their decline took way. The beautiful rich cultures and pluralistic societies were destroyed and lines were drawn — all in the name of nationalism.

Since the Muslims owed their allegiance only to Allah and to his Deen Islam, not to a certain color or ethnic group of people, they were eradicated—they were massacred or converted to Eastern (later Greek) Orthodox Christianity. The ones who remained were later exchanged during the biggest population exchange known in the history of man.

The treaty that forced this act was the Treaty of Laussane. Muslims from Albanian, Greek, Turkic, Roma, Arabic, Slavic, Circassian and various other speaking groups were exspelled, and Eastern Christians who spoke Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Roma but predominatly Turkic language came in their place and inhabited the land.

As much as Greece has tried to eradicate the Islamic heritage of the land it now occupies it must not forget the land’s 600-800 years of history under the Islamic Caliphate. Truth always wins and surfaces in the end despite the exhaustive propaganda efforts of man.

This, my little effort, is just a small call from the grave reminding the world.
Thank you and Peace be upon you all.

Source:  Youtuber alipashaofjanina2

The only place in the EU where women cannot visit

What do I have in common with the people who live here? We both think that we have “a particular calling [and] a very special way for a man to serve God and Humanity” as they put it.  But unlike myself who chooses to integrate with society to spread God’s message, these Greek Orthodox monks live in an area called Mount Athos in Northern Greece, a place that can only be visited by boat and you need special legal permission just to enter.

I have to admit, it’s quite fascinating to take a virtual walk through their living quarters or see panoramic views of the beautiful Aegean Sea and the remnants of their castles that were erected to fight off enemies throughout the centuries.  It’s interesting to see that despite constant defense against various rulers, when the Ottoman Empire conquered that area, they admit that the Ottoman Sultans gave them independence and administrative autonomy as long as they pay a tax (for military protection under Muslim rule).

Of course, as a Muslim, the part I don’t agree with is the need for isolation and marital abstinence in order to reach God.  From what I see on their website, they do the acts of worship like pray, fast and seek solitude, which are acts that we seek as well but the solitude we encourage is temporal solitude like setting aside time for prayer five times a day, waking up for prayer in the middle of the night or even doing I’tikaf, spending the last 10 nights of Ramadan in the mosque in solitude. 

Allah rebukes monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone) as a man-made practice that is not divinely prescribed as shown in this ayah,

…we sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that they did not foster as they should have done… (Qur’an 57:27)

Once, one of my relatives (who is non-Muslim) was doing some soul searching and asked me if he should visit this area.  He was expecting me to tell him to stay far away and to follow Islam but you know, in reality, I told him to go because if you are looking for God and the truth and are sincere about it, pray to God to show you that truth and He will definitely show you, wherever you are in the world.

It’s just too bad that I can’t go visit this area because I would have liked to have a peaceful observation and discussion with the monks there.  Too bad I’m a woman.  Apparently, there was an incident in the 1930s where Aliki Diplarakou, the first Greek beauty pageant contestant to win the Miss Europe title, shocked the world when she dressed up as a man and sneaked into Mount Athos.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I can do something like that!