Plans for mosque in
capital back in motion
Stalled project revived after mass prayers
Debate about the construction of
an official mosque in Athens, the
only capital among the European Union’s original 15 members
that does not have a state-sanctioned place of worship for Muslims, was revived this week after
thousands of migrants congregated in city squares on Tuesday
to mark a major Muslim festival.
The Athens War Museum is due
to hand over to the Hellenic
Public Real Estate Corporation a
1.6-hectare plot of land in
Elaionas, where the mosque is to
be built. Meanwhile, the Athens
News Agency reported that authorities are to launch an international competition early next
year to find an architect for the
project. Several architects are
said to have expressed interest in
the project already, including
the internationally acclaimed
Iraqi-born Briton Zaha Hadid.
The cost of the project was estimated at 15 million euros by the
previous conservative government in 2006. The budget is likely to be revised by the current government due to the debt crisis.
Tuesday’s prayers were somewhat marred by minor protests
by locals and extreme rightwingers. On Wednesday night,
two Bangladeshi Muslims were
attacked outside a makeshift
mosque in Aghios Panteleimonas,
a district of Athens where ultranationalist have attacked migrants in the past.
This article belongs to AthensPlus a Weekly newspaper published by The International Herald Tribune & Kathimerini SA • No126 • Friday, November 19, 2010
