A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Saudis bolster Islam in Muslim-hating Greece |
|---|
| lucid9 |
| 07/29/03 at 07:55:51 |
| [i] The Saudis do some things to really help muslims. Here is one really good example where they help Muslims in Greece. If you don't know it, Greeks hate Muslims. They were very sympathetic of the Serbians when the Serbs massacred and mass raped zillions of muslims in Bosnia. Also they deeply opposed the bombing of Serbia as a a tactic to prevent the same kind of massacre from happening in Kosovo. . [/i] Greek mosque plans cause friction By Richard Galpin BBC, Athens The small Greek town of Peania nestles in the hills north of the capital, Athens, close to the new international airport. It is an unremarkable place, and an air of boredom hangs over the central square. [quote] Athens has had no mosque since the early 19th Century But not for much longer. [/quote] If the Greek Government has its way, the town will become the focus for tens of thousands of Muslims living in the capital with the construction of the first proper mosque in the Athens area for almost 200 years. The Foreign Ministry is pushing hard for a large mosque and Islamic cultural centre to be built before the Olympics get under way in just over a year's time. [quote] It's a very bad situation, they are violating our human rights - we must have a right to practise our religion and it must be in a proper mosque Mohammed Ashad Pakistani immigrant [/quote] More than 30,000 square metres of land have been set aside for the buildings which will be paid for by Saudi Arabia at a cost estimated at millions of dollars. The Greek Government is acting partly out of shame, particularly with the approach of the Olympic games which are already putting the country under the international spotlight. "Athens is the only capital in the European Union without a mosque," Foreign Minister George Papandreou admitted in a recent statement. Makeshift mosques It is an extraordinary fact that not a single mosque has operated officially in the capital or its immediate surroundings since Greece gained its independence from the Muslim Ottoman empire in the early 19th Century. Makshift mosque Mosques have been set up in apartment blocks The growing number of Muslim immigrants in Athens from Albania, South Asia, Africa and the Middle-East pray at so-called "underground" mosques which are not properly licensed. Dozens of these makeshift mosques have been set up in the capital in apartments, shops and garages. "It's a very bad situation, they are violating our human rights," says Mohammed Ashad, a Pakistani immigrant who has lived in Greece for six years. "We must have a right to practise our religion and it must be in a proper mosque." Mohammed was speaking after completing his prayers at an underground mosque in the city centre. It is in a dingy, run-down apartment block with a staircase which stinks of urine. The room which masquerades as a library, is too small for the busiest prayer-time of the week on Fridays when people spill out into the hall and down the stairs. "It's very strange because Greece is inside the European Union and will be in the centre of Europe with the inclusion of 10 more countries," says Mohammed, "and yet there's no official mosque." Plan rejected Ambassadors representing Arab countries have been trying to persuade the Greek Government to build a proper mosque for almost 30 years. They are now certain they have succeeded. [quote] Almost 100% of the population here is opposed to the mosque - we were never asked if we wanted it and this region is not suitable Paraskevas Papakostopoulos Mayor of Peania [/quote] "All the preparations are complete, " says Abdullah Abdullah, the Palestinian representative in Athens. "The Greek Government gave its approval, the Arab side is ready for the construction and the Greek church has given its blessing." But back in the town of Peania where the mosque is to be built there is fury amongst the local population. The town council has rejected the plan and mayor Paraskevas Papakostopoulos has appealed to the courts to block the building of the mosque, arguing it is illegal to use the land for construction. "Almost 100% of the population here is opposed to the mosque," he says. "We were never asked if we wanted it and this region is not suitable." Historic fear The mayor is particularly concerned that the mosque will be seen by visitors as they land at Athens airport. "This is a problem for us as the first impression visitors will have will be something not representative of Greek culture. They will feel they have arrived in a Muslim country." Officially the Greek Orthodox Church, which dominates the country's religious life, has said it does not oppose the new mosque. But amongst the clergy in Peania there is a very different view. "I cannot conceive of this mosque being built here," says parish priest Father Antonios Milakis. "At the Islamic centre they will train and ordain Muslims and they will try to convert people of other faiths." It seems this fear of Islam is rooted in history. "Greece and the Greeks link Islam or Muslims with the Turkish occupation of the country [which lasted] for centuries and this resentment is still there," says Abdullah Abdullah. But ironically even the Muslims themselves are opposed to the mosque being built in Peania. The town is 20 kilometres from the centre of Athens and most say they will not be able to go there for their daily prayers as it is simply too far away. |
| Re: Saudis bolster Islam in Muslim-hating Greece |
|---|
| timbuktu |
| 07/29/03 at 09:18:51 |
| [slm] brother insha'allah, this will become a centre for dawah & the spread of islam in Greece. don't worry about the resistance to Islam. The message will make its own way into the hearts of people. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |