Greece: First official mosque to open in Athens

The first official mosque in Athens, the capital of Greece, which took about 14 years to build and caused great controversy, will be put into service in October, Euronews reports. The transformation of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul into a mosque after 86 years brought questions about whether the mosque would be opened or […]

The first official mosque in Athens, the capital of Greece, which took about 14 years to build and caused great controversy, will be put into service in October, Euronews reports.

The transformation of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul into a mosque after 86 years brought questions about whether the mosque would be opened or not.

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The construction of the mosque in the Votanikos neighborhood of Athens was delayed for a long time due to the protests in Greece, where the majority of the people are Orthodox Christians.

A local church donated 10 acres of land for the mosque.

Speaking to the Kathimerini newspaper, a government official said that the personal decision taken by Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Miçotakis in June was to finish the mosque.

The mosque, which is approximately 850 square metres and has a capacity to host 350 people, does not have a minaret.

Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa Mosque will be shut for three weeks due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf announced on Wednesday.

“Worshippers and visitors will not be received at the mosque as of Friday for a three-week period due to the virus outbreak,” Hatem Abdel Qader, a member of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, told Anadolu Agency.