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| Europe | |
| First âProperâ Mosque To Be Built In Athens In 200 Years | |
| 2003-07-29 | |
| EFL Ashamed of being the only European capital with no mosque for Muslim citizens and immigrants, the Greek foreign ministry is pushing hard for the construction of the first proper mosque and an Islamic cultural center in Athens vicinity in almost 200 years. "Not a single mosque has operated officially in the capital or its immediate surroundings since Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th Century," the BBC News Online said Tuesday, July 29.
The small Greek town Peania, north of the capital, will become the focus for tens of thousands of Muslims living in the capital with the construction of the first proper mosque, reported the broadcast. Drew the short straw, did you? More than 30,000 square meters of land have been set aside for the large mosque compound which will be paid for by Saudi Arabia at an estimated cost of millions of dollars. Who else? The grand mosque is expected to be built before the Olympics get under way in just over a yearâs time, putting the country under international spotlight. Of course, they need a base of operations for the "tourists" coming to the games. Ambassadors representing Arab countries have been trying to coax the Greek Government into building a proper mosque for almost 30 years. They are now certain they have succeeded. "All the preparations are complete," says Abdullah Abdullah, the Palestinian representative in Athens. Iâll just bet they are. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #13 We'd apologize to the Trojans but we can't find any to apologize to! ;-) |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-7-29 5:56:59 PM |
| #12 Or maybe the Greeks should apologize for invading Turkey in the 10th century BC. Over and over again :-) |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-7-29 4:18:15 PM |
| #11 Athens, huh? Bet this place moves right up the charts on the "holiest place in Islam" list. They gotta establish a foothold, right? And with that security sieve of an airport nearby, this place could become real popular, real quick. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-7-29 4:11:02 PM |
| #10 Or maybe the Greeks should apologize for invading Turkey in the 20's? |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2003-7-29 3:35:02 PM |
| #9 How about a deal with the Saudis. For each mosque you finance in Europe, one church to be built in Saudi Arabia? Hmmm I guess that won't work. Christians aren't even allowed to set foot into the two "holy cities". Tolerance works both ways, right? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-7-29 2:44:26 PM |
| #8 Abdullah Abdullah? Wasn't there one of those in Afghanistan? Was that Dr. Death? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-7-29 2:31:18 PM |
| #7 mhw> Given how Greece and Turkey have modern-day grievances, (e.g. Cyprus, e.g. Aegean) it seems rather silly for you to be speaking of what occurred in the 1700s. And suggesting that we demand an official apology? We are currently demanding the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus. Which is rather more important than any kind of mostly meaningless apology about the century-old doings of the former Ottoman Empire. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-7-29 1:56:00 PM |
| #6 Here's a rope, go hang yourself! Why, thank you, Saudi Arabia, for your kindness. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-7-29 1:29:13 PM |
| #5 The Turkish occupation of Greece left a lot of bad feelings that still haven't healed. One of the worst Turkish practises was to take Greek boys away from their parents and send them to Turkey to be raised as Islamobots. I would have thought Greece would have demanded an official apology and restitution for this but maybe they need the construction dollars so bad they are willing to do without it. |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-7-29 12:52:16 PM |
| #4 Constantinople has a number of churches and is still the seat of the Eastern Orthadox Church. Now what I'd like to see is a Christian church( any denomination )or a Jewish House of Prayer in Mecca or Medina. That would really put the twist in the fundo's undies |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-7-29 11:28:30 AM |
| #3 What I'd like to see is a new church in |
| Posted by: Spot 2003-7-29 10:53:28 AM |
| #2 Constantinople has a number of Mosques. That should be enough. Peer pressure is no rational for big decisions. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-7-29 10:51:07 AM |
| #1 There goes the neighborhood. Have you ever experienced a "Call to Prayers" at 3:30am? Not to be forgotten... nor forgiven. Peania will be 100% Muslim within months, if not already. Saudi petrobucks. Of course... who coulda doubted it? |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-29 9:43:14 AM |