With the Greek government moving ahead with plans to build the country’s first official mosque, Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus, known for his provocative views, has appealed to the country’s highest court to block it as unconstitutional.
He told the Council of State that the plans violate Article 13 of the Constitution, which stipulates freedom of religious conscience. He said the construction of a mosque should be preceded by an impact study on ethics and public order, the newspaper Kathimerini reported.
Seraphim, known for his anti-Semitic remarks, also told the court that he believes go against the constitutional principle of equality, as religious minorities wishing to erect a place of worship in Greece have so far had to apply for a building permit from the authorities.
“Building a mosque in the center of Athens will not only damage public order and the morality of Greek society but also trigger a series of events which will, with mathematical certainty, dismantle the cohesion of the Greek nation as a Christian Orthodox people,” he said earlier.
The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party is also said to be against the mosque and critics of the plan said they don’t want reminders of the 400 years of Ottoman Occupation hovering over Greece again and don’t want to see the presence of the Muslim places of worship, although the plan now does not call for a minaret.
Tbe Bishop’s appeal was backed by a philosophy professor at the University of Athens, two doctors at the Athens Naval Hospital, a cultural association in Votanikos, where the mosque is set to be built, and five residents.
Athens city officials and Mayor George Kaminis, who said the opening of the first official mosque could lead to dozens of others being built, defended it and said Muslims in Greece are using makeshift places of worship, such as basements and garages. There are an estimated 120 in Athens alone.
Kaminis told the newspaper that, “It goes without saying, every resident of this city ought to have a place for worship. There is no room for prejudice. It’s a question of common sense, of respecting constitutional order and of complying with our conventional obligations.”
The 750-capacity mosque in a converted naval base garage has been budgeted at 846,000 euros, some $1.09 million and will be paid by the Education Ministry, which is cutting back on essentials for Greek schools during a crushing economic crisis.
That has further ired opponents who said if a mosque is allowed that it should be privately funded and not financed by the state especially when Muslim countries won’t allow churches and Turkey is still keeping closed the Halki Seminary after 42 years.
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