Athens' first official mosque allowed to reopen for holiday season
Athens' first mosque
This is the season of being merry and Athens has finally received its Christmas gift as thefirst official mosque got permission to reopen for the holiday season.
The Greek capital's first official mosque was forced to close down within days of itsinauguration in November. However, as Greece relaxed its nationwide lockdown — which was imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus — the Muslim community was allowed to return to the mosque.
As the holiday season came closer, the government decided to let the faithful return to their religious place, but with a cap on maximum attendees allowed. "We’ve decided, without discrimination, that every place of worship can conduct services and prayers as long as congregations are limited to 25 people," Giorgos Kalantzis, the secretary-general at the ministry of education and religious affairs told a media house.
The decision has been welcomed by the community and themosque’s government-appointed imamMohammed Sissi Zaki, who had been negatively affected by the sudden closure. "When we finally opened in early November it was for five days and just one Friday prayers," said Zaki. "After the lockdown this is a big, big blessing."
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"It is with great happiness, satisfaction and relief that we can say we are here at all," the 55-year-old imam said upon reopening of the mosque.
The first official mosque has opened in Athens after years of repeated requests from the community — some of whom claim the mosques were wiped off from the country almost200 years following the withdrawal of Ottoman forces from the city.