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Athens set to build its first mosque
Muslims living in and around the Greek capital are due at long last to get their first mosque — but in this overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian country the question of exactly where to put it has become a political football. Athenian Muslims, who include immigrants from nearby Albania and elsewhere in the Balkans but also considerable numbers of Nigerians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, Indians and Sudanese, were first promised a formal place of worship over 20 years ago. But it has only been with the approach of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, to be hosted by the Greek capital, that the idea has moved to the top of the agenda. Although the sites for the Games will have their own worship facilities for different religions, the government would certainly like to boost its credentials with Muslim countries by opening the mosque while the world spotlight is on Athens. The promoters of the project, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia, are therefore hoping that the Games will provided the needed impetus to get the building up, but the mayor of the suburb selected has in effect declared that he doesn't want it in his backyard.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-07-13 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=16445 |