Mosque Plans
Published by deviousdiva June 2nd, 2006 in Religion.The Greek government has approved plans to allow the building of a mosque in Athens, the only European capital without one. There has not been an official mosque in the city since the 19th century and the Muslim community has had to meet in basements or warehouses for worship. The head of the Pakistani community in Greece said
work on securing a license to build a new mosque would start soon after the assembly effectively revoked a veto power held by the Church of Greece over construction of non-Orthodox places of worship
The amendment to the law means that non-orthodox religions can build places of worship without having to seek approval from the Church of Greece. They will be able to apply for a licence directly from the ministry of education and not through the church authority, who have vetoed applications in the past. National Human Rights Committee president Aliki Marangopoulou said
Granting licences must be a matter for the state and not for the Church of Greece
One word from me: Finally.
Via Reuters
zardoz says:
i wont believe it ,, until i see it ,,
and which ministry of the goverment will be responsible .?
perhaps the ministry of education and religions (actual translation)
which half of its personnel belong to paracclisiastical orthodox
groups,, which play the role of minions for the authentic
greek orthodox church so they can infeltrate any positive actions
taken on this subject ,,,and ….well use your imagination…….
I THINK I’LL WAIT AWHILE ON THIS ONE…
=Z=
ZARDOZ SAYS :
RECENTLY i’ve heard that there is actually a EYROPEAN COMMITEE
ON RELIGIONS…(PLURAL)
And they have a new boss ,,,anybody…?
should they have a say so ..?
<blockquote>They will be able to apply for a licence directly from the ministry of education</blockquote>Zardoz has a point. The Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs has a long way to go until it can assure that it’s sincerely concerned about facilitating any other religion than the national one: Greek Orthodox. It’s a good thing the European Commission is keeping Greece on its toes but I’m afraid that we won’t be hearing the end of this (i.e. the actual building of the mosque). I’ve stressed it before in earlier comments and I’lld do it again, at the risk of sounding repetitive: The Greek State must finally be separated from the Church. The rights of some faith believers should not interfere with rights of all citizens.
The Muslim press has hailed the recent decision by the Greek government to allow religious groups to build places of worship without getting the approval first of the Orthodox Church in Greece. In fact, the wire story in the Turkish Weekly blithely puts forth the sentence, “Decked with minarets two centuries ago, Athens has not had a functioning mosque since the end of Ottoman rule in the early 1800s,” while failing to mention that the Athens that was “decked with minarets” was not a free Athens, but rather one occupied by an imperial power that no doubt built many of those minarets.
Well, Athens is free today, and right-thinking people do believe that people of all religions should be able to pray in a free city. Jewish leaders in Greece also seek the right to build synagogues. And the Greek government, it seems, has come to the realization that as a modern democracy, it needs to do a better job of tending to the rights of all of its citizens. After all, what is it that Muslims, Jews and in fact members of all religions want but the right to pray freely in their own houses of worship?
Which brings me to the quixotic quest of Chris Spirou regarding Agia Sophia, which was reported on these pages last week. (”Free Agia Sophia Council” announced, Greek News Blog, http://www.johnmetaxas.com, Thursday, June 1, 2006)
In a recent visit to Athens, Turkish prime minister Erdogan lectured the Greeks on the need for an Athens mosque, saying Turkey was working to open some closed Orthodox churches. Why not begin with Aghia Sophia? It’s an audacious question, but one that Chris Spriou has had the audacity to ask. All that Spirou’s movement seeks is the same thing that Muslims want in Greece — the right to pray freely, in what in this case is the most important house of worship to Orthodox Christians around the world — Aghia Sophia.
What makes Spirou’s quest quixotic is the realization that Turkey has no intentions of letting this happen. And the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in no position to support any such effort, as it has more pressing issues than the reopening of Aghia Sophia, namely its very survival in a country and society that remain hostile to it.
Still, Spirou has asked an important question. Let us see what kind of attention and support, if any, his effort gets. — John Metaxas
I Have one question to present.(Why isint Saudi Arabia allowing Christians to built churches?) Think about that for a moment….
In Saudi Arabia Islam is the state religion and all citizens must be Muslim.They have formed an organization called the (Matawwa"in) The religious Police!! public and PRIVATE practice of any other religion is ristricted….Non Muslims can be arrested lashed and deported.The wearing of religious christian symbols are banned..The printing possesion importing of any religious material is officially BANNED!!!!
There must be a good reason why the greek goverment has refused the builing of a Mosque!!!! this will change Greece forever and not for the better.
’Does the first image of Greece a foreigner sees [as he gets off a plane] have to be a Muslim mosque?’ Now thats sadtizens must be Muslims. The government believes it has a sacred responsibility as the guardian of the two holiest shrines of Islam, Mecca and Medina. As a result, they desire to remove all non-Muslim influences. Towards this end, they have formed the Mutawwa’in, the religious police. rights.
The Greek state should never be seperated from the church.Greece is a Christian country and athens does not want a Mosque.We worry about the erosion of our culture. At the Islamic centre they will train and ordain Muslims and they will try to convert people of other faiths."We have a history and culture to preseve.A mosque is out of the question.
I could not have said it better myself
This is Islamaphobia at its worst, Why does everyone single out just Saudi Arabia, there are many Muslims countries which have churches and synagogues. There is a brand new church opening in Qatar and nobody has opposed that (the sheikh is also paying for it too).
This just displays double standards and bigotry from the west, they expect Muslims to be free and tolerant yet won’t let them build their own places of worship. Anyhows how do two wrongs make a right?
Nina, why should the Greek state never be seperated from the church ? The Greek culture was not founded on Christianity, so why should you worry about erosion ? I do not understand this way of thinking.
I cant stand that idiot in thessaloniki who wants to press charges over the burning of the Turkish flag during Armenian demonstration in Athens in April. Did any official press charges on the clowns anarchists who constantly burn Greek flags. The Turks must be laughing at Greece. Now these officials allow a muslim cultural centre to be built. promising also to fund a Mosque. How many Muslim Countries are willing to fund a Greek Orthodox Church. The Turks who want to enter EU does not allow Agia Sophia to be used again as a Greek Orthodx Cathedral. The Muslim world is laughing at Greece. Reps from Saudi Arabia and Iran were present at the inauguration of the Muslim Centre. These same countries forbid any type of Christian churches to be bult in their countries. Greece is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the Muslim world! What a Joke!