Muslim prayer site in Athens opens

[Tsontos]

ATHENS -- Immigrant organizations on Friday opened the first official Islamic prayer site to operate in Athens since the end of Ottoman rule more than 170 years ago.

Government plans to build a mosque that would serve tens of thousands of Muslim immigrants living in the capital have stalled, and the downtown cultural center was funded by businessmen from Arab countries.

"This is the first time in all the 35 years I've lived in Greece that we have a proper place to pray," said Naim El-Gandour, the Egyptian-born head of the Muslim Association of Greece. "It's hard for be to describe what's happening - I am overcome with emotion."

Most Muslims in Athens currently use makeshift mosques for prayer, including sites prayer set up in basements, apartments, and converted coffee shops.

For weddings, funerals and other religious ceremonies, they often travel more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) to the northeastern region of Thrace, which is home to a 120,000-strong Muslim minority which is mostly Turkish speaking.

More than 1,000 mostly Arab immigrants gathered at the center for its official opening.

El-Gandour said the 1,800 sq. meter (19,500 sq. foot) site had been converted from an old textile factory to become a cultural center that would also be used as a prayer site.

He said he was not aware of the cost of the new facility, which included large refurbished prayer rooms, with flat-screen televisions and uniformed volunteer stewards.

Men in traditional Islamic dress squatted beside immigrants in overalls to attend prayers.

Representatives of Muslim organizations in Europe traveled to Athens to attend the ceremony. Also present were representatives of the Iranian and Saudi Arabian embassies in Athens, senior imams from Muslim countries, and a representative of Greece's Orthodox Church.

"This is a very big day for us. This is a clean place where we can pray properly," said one teenager who identified himself only as Ibrahim. "We've been waiting for this for a very long time - since before I was born."

Previous plans to create a mosque had been unpopular, through their association with centuries of rule by the Ottoman Empire. Some 97 percent of Greece's native-born population of 11 million is baptized Orthodox Christian.

A proposal to build a mosque outside Athens before the 2004 Olympics was blocked because of objections by residents, and opposition from Greece's powerful Orthodox Church, which disagreed with the location and plans for funding to come from Saudi Arabia.

But last year, the government promised to spend US$20 million for a new mosque in Athens by 2009.

The Education and Religious Affairs Ministry will set up a committee to chose the head imam of that mosque, but has said individual communities will be allowed bring their own imams to the site.

International human rights reports, including a 2005 report on religious freedom issued by the U.S. State Department, had previously criticized Greece's government for failing to create an official site for Muslims to pray in Athens.

AP

[terastios]

Den mas ftanane oi papades thaxoume kai tous moulades twra!

[Victor]

I dont like Iran and Saudi Arabia involved in this!

[Orphic_Hymn]

International human rights reports, including a 2005 report on religious freedom issued by the U.S. State Department, had previously criticized Greece's government for failing to create an official site for Muslims to pray in Athens.

WTF? since when is "freedom of religion" defined by the amount of money any government spends to satisfy an individual's needs for the practice of his religion?? "Religious freedom" is the right of being able to practice your choice of it without oppression or persecution within the society you live in and not for it to be funded by the government.

If you want your church, your mosque, your synagogue or whatever the hell you call the place of practicing your religious beliefs to be built, put your damn hand in your pocket and cough up some dough.

Anyway, if the Turks or the Saudies (who note do not only NOT fund the building of any non-Islamic temple but the second forbid it) that are striving to promote the building of a mosque actually cared about the believer's interests and didn't want to turn this into some stupid propaganda victory in which Islam prevails over western civilization.
They would have agreed to any simple old place for it to be situated and we wouldn't be seeing the first demanding the Old Mosque under the Akropolis and the second right next to the airport so that its the first thing anyone comes accross when entering the country is a Mosque bearing the above mentioned symbolizm.

[terastios]

With out being a religious person my self i have to say that i'm angry!
If Saudia Arabs allow one (!) Christian church in Riant its ok with me to have a mosque in Athens!

[HellenicPride]

I think its the most disgusting thing to have a mosque build in anywhere in Greece. I dont know what else to say its a shame that the government bends over backwards like that.

[Ehetlaios]

Originally Posted by HellenicPride

I think its the most disgusting thing to have a mosque build in anywhere in Greece.

Why?

[Melbourne]

I have no problem with them having a mosque, after all, there are many thousands of Muslims in Athens and they have the right to have a place of worship.

[akritas]

Originally Posted by Melbourne

I have no problem with them having a mosque, after all, there are many thousands of Muslims in Athens and they have the right to have a place of worship.

Agree.
I Know Muslims (Palestinians, Pakistani and Egyptians) since 80s and for me is nothing to do with the known rhetorical delemma ....why they do not built church in Mekka and they want mosque in Athens?


But I am against in the opinion ....to the Greek State to built mosque in Athens!!!

The above are personnal opinions only!!!!

[Tsontos]

Originally Posted by Voulgaroktonos

But last year, the government promised to spend US$20 million for a new mosque in Athens by 2009.

gia fantastheite pws 8a htan ean h kybernisi mas 3odepse MIA FORA tetoia xrimata na polemisei thn skopiani propaganda Telos.