Muslim Cemetary
Published by deviousdiva March 9th, 2008 in Religion.Last week, I wrote about the fact that there is still no crematorium in Athens (the only European capital city without one), two years after permission was granted. Today I read in Kathimerini that the go ahead has also been given for a Muslim cemetery. It should be noted that it might be some time before the cemetery is started. The proposed mosque which was agreed in 2006 has not yet happened. On this date, two years ago, I wrote about the non-existent mosque. I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
Archbishop Ieronymos has given the go-ahead for the creation of a Muslim cemetery in Athens, Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis said yesterday after talks with the new Church leader.
“His Beatitude Ieronymos was already prepared and told me that we should move forward and realize (the project),” Kassimis said following his talks with the archbishop.
The move signals the desire of the Orthodox Church “to communicate and embrace all of the country’s residents irrespective of their religious persuasion,” the deputy minister enthused.
The Church has donated 3 hectares of land, worth an estimated 13 million euros, for the creation of a Muslim cemetery in western Athens. In July 2006 the Greek government approved the building of a mosque near the center of Athens although works have yet to begin.
Technorati: greece, muslim cemetery, crematorium, mosque
Quite why it is appropriate for the government to beg the permission of the Greek Orthodox Church in order to respect the legal rights of other religions nobody seems to discuss. Personally, I think it stinks. Furthermore, we know that the Saudis offered money to pay for the mosque (and probably would offer to buy land for a cemetery) so this gesture of largesse is more about political control than anything else.
Still, is a step forward. Good to see this small step towards tolerance.
=Z=
Xenos
You got it wrong here!
There is NO cemetery for Muslims in Athens. NO one made the effort to create one. Then the Church offered land but the state still did not proceed -a sthye have not proceeded with the mosque either. Now the new Archbishop tells them parctically why are you so behind? What is wrong with that?
Yes it would have been better to have some municipality offer the land but they are so busy offering land to relocate Roma and asylum-seekers that they cannot cope…
Panayote: I haven’t followed this issue, so thanks for the correction. I had assumed that the problem was one of permission to create a Muslim cemetery. If, as you say, the Greek Church is actually pressuring the state to do something, then this really is progress!