Athens, MINA – Muslims in Athens, Greece were finally able to perform Friday prayers in congregation at the mosque on Friday, the first mosque in the city which was inaugurated a few days earlier on Monday.
The first Friday prayers were held at the only mosque in Athens to implement social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. This was quoted from Anadolu Agency.
The Friday Prayers are limited to 12 people, with details of nine Muslims and three Muslims, all wearing masks.
The Friday sermon recited in Greek emphasizes the importance of the mosque at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
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Apart from places of worship, mosques also function as centers for community activities.
With the opening of the mosque, Athens finally lost its notorious reputation as the only European capital city without a mosque.
The mosque’s first imam was Zaki Mohammed, 49, a Greek national of Moroccan origin.
The decision to build a mosque in Athens was first made in 2006, with a budget of 887,000 euros (around Rp.15 billion), but bureaucratic obstacles, protests by far-right groups and lawsuits hampered the process.
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To date, half a million Muslims in the city still have to go to a dirty and unsanitary basement to meet and offer prayers. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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