Athens to Open First Mosque in Sept.

Greece will open officially the first Muslim mosque in September after the vote of Greek lawmakers in 2016 which approved its building. The mosque had suffered innumerable delays as a result of the opposition from far-right and religious groups.

Greece’s minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Costas Gavroglou officially opened the mosque yesterday in Votanikos. He said that the mosque will allow Greek citizens, migrants, refugees and Muslim visitors to practice their religion freely. He added, “The right to religious freedom does not depend on how one ended up in our country. It’s like the right to education and health care. It is non-negotiable human right."

Furthermore, the mosque’s imam Sidi Mohammed Zaki described Islam as "a religion of peace, brotherhood, a religion of unity and unification, and nobody stands out."

"We thank the Greek people for accepting us as Greek citizens and Muslims, and I thank the Greek state for helping us set up this space,” he added.

The call for prayers are not allowed in the mosque since it does not have a minaret nor a loudspeakers. However,The space is not large enough to embrace the whole Muslim population in the country.