Athens' first official mosque in two centuries to open by autumn

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Athens' first official mosque since the establishment of the Greek modern state two centuries ago is set to open by this September, Greek Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs Kostas Gavroglu said on Friday during a visit to the site.

The construction of a mosque has been a constant request of Muslims living in overwhelmingly Christian Orthodox Greece for decades, but conservative circles raised obstacles many times.

Following a marathon battle with Greek bureaucracy as officials noted on Friday, the mosque was eventually constructed in a central district of the Greek capital.

It has been fully funded by the Greek state.

"The Greek state has done anything possible to safeguard the right of all people to pray in sites of worship of their choice," Gavroglu told media on Friday after inspecting the place with representatives of the Muslim communities in Greece.

"Almost all parties in the Greek parliament voted in favor of its construction. Democracy spoke and her wish was respected," he said, pointing to far-right extremists who objected the construction and vandalized the site recently.

Greek Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs Kostas Gavroglu (L, Front) and Zaki Mohamed (R, Front), imam of the Athens' first official mosque, are seen at the entrance of the mosque in Athens, Greece, June 7, 2019. /Photo via Xinhua News Agency

"We have been waiting for many years. At last the mosque has become reality. We wish peace for Greece," Zaki Mohamed, the mosque's imam said.

Although the construction has been completed, there are still pending minor technical issues for the safe operation of the mosque, members of its governing body explained.

"We are in a pre-election period and [under Greek law] procedures for the hiring of civil servants needed for the mosque, have stopped," Haider Asir explained speaking to Xinhua.

"It will take a little more time so that we are entirely ready for the launch of the mosque's operation," said Nelly Papachela, Vice Mayor of the Municipality of Athens.

"We are feeling very proud. This is a historical day," said Sayed Mohammad Jamil, president of the Greek-Pakistani Cultural Welfare Society, "There are more than 250,000 Muslims living and working respectfully in Greece."

So far Muslims in Greece, the population of whom have increased in recent years due to migration and refugee flows, had been praying in dozens of unofficial mosques. There are more than 60 operating across Greece but are for the Pakistani community only, Jamil told Xinhua.

Gavroglu said on Friday that the Greek state is trying to accelerate the procedures also for the construction of a Muslim cemetery at a Piraeus port suburb.

(Top image: People are seen at the entrance of the first official mosque in Athens, Greece, June 7, 2019. /Photo via Xinhua News Agency)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency