Athens: Parliament approves mosque plans

Athens: Parliament approves mosque plans

(An extreme rightwing party poster, which reads ‘Mosque in Athens: Nowhere and Never,’
in front of Muslims attending outdoor prayers at Attiki square in Athens)


Via al-Arabiya:

Greece’s parliament on Wednesday approved the construction of a new mosque in Athens to satisfy a long-standing demand by thousands of Muslim residents, a government source said.
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The project to build the Greek capital’s first official Muslim place of worship in decades was supported by 198 deputies from the centre, right and left (out of 300) against the objections of 16 nationalist MPs.

The mosque plan was included in an environment ministry bill regulating illegal construction, another long-running concern in Greece.

It calls for the renovation of an existing state building -- a disused military base -- in the run-down Athens industrial district of Elaionas.

(source)