Saturday, March 31, 2012

A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS WAITING FOR MOSQUE AND CEMETERY




"Islam is a way of life," she says a Muslim, to give me to understand what is the importance of prayer for them and why give up everything at noon, to hear again the words of the Koran. But, from what it seems, about 5,000 Muslims in Thessaloniki following hurdles religious path chosen.


Five private rooms are scattered Muslim prayer in the city and hidden from the eyes of the heathen people. They open their doors usually on Fridays and religious holidays. Most open only to men, because in Islam women do not ever pray with the male population. They have their own balcony, away from the "evil" look. In Thessaloniki, but the spaces are rented for various ethnic groups are unsuitable for worship and small to create a special room (only SS on the Thrace have created single space). For Muslims, the city still is a serious issue lack cemetery. The dead are carried on leased vehicles in several cities in Thrace, and nobody but the efforts have not yet been remedied for burial.
 
Thus the debate is the last time for religious communities from the newly elected mayor Yiannis Boutari believe should have been done for years.

They ask the Alatza Imaret
 
"We live near here 40-50 years. Our children are educated and work in Thessaloniki, were married here. We simply want to freely express our faith and our religion. 
 
We are not asking anything unreasonable. Mosque there. The Alatza Imaret in Kassandra. Let us give it, "said Osman Ismailoglou, president of the Muslim Educational and Cultural Society of Macedonia-Thrace, one of the groups that maintains space Tyroloë prayer in the square, behind the dodekaorofes condominiums. In the greater Thessaloniki area and adjacent counties according to the club about 4,000 Muslim residents (800 families), originating from Thrace. In 600 the same religion are calculated from Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan, Africa, and unknown is the number of Albanian Muslims, who so far have not shown much interest in religious matters. All of these, depending on ethnicity-share in five places of worship have been created informally, ie the square Tyroloë, the Arab League, the Theological Faculty, Students and the Railway Station.
 
The request for finding space in order to create cemetery has been filed since 2007. As Mr Ismailoglou have endless memos sent to ministries, municipalities, municipality, but referred back to them one body to another. A few months ago the Home Office replied that charge them for that matter are the municipalities. So last June Vasilis Papageorgopoulos as chair of LUCC accepted the request, but since there was nothing new. The site probably still sought.

They pray to Allah ground of Theology
 
Shortly after 2 pm Friday, the 1st familiar but strange voice "disturbs" the Theological School of Aristotle University. The Imam calls on Muslims everywhere the foundation for the standard prayer. For nearly 20 years (formerly the SS had been given space on the roof) the basement of the school has become a prayer room for Muslims, not just students.
 
The contrasts are stark. On the one hand to welcome the Christian icons and the candles and the other a few feet below show the Muslim symbols of specially designed rooms, which for decades has given the school's administration to Muslims students. An act that proves that at least they know their religions to respect each other. "How do we open the Orthodox churches in Istanbul, if we do not do the same? The Theological years makes the debt in interreligious dialogue and good relations with other religions," noted Michael Dean of the School Third.
 
In the basement of the school have already reached the first to pray. The Anis Tarn from Palestine is a graduate student, Department of Chemistry, and Abdel Rahman from Sudan student in the department of Electrical Engineering. "This space for us is very important. We solved the problem. Special thanks to Dean for the help they gave us, "they say. Then, as expected, the debate goes to the Muslim world need to create Thessaloniki mosque. It is certain that there will be reactions, but do not understand why. "In Palestine we are Christian people and churches. I never heard reacted to the Palestinians. Unfortunately in Greece the associate Islam with Turkey. But it is a universal religion and does not belong to any nation, "supported by Anis.
 
A little later on two professors from the University of Science and Technology in Jordan.Chairentin Abdullah and Saokat Chelat found in Aristotle as a visiting professor at the Polytechnic School and the Veterinary respectively. Aristotle is of course familiar, as studied in this 30 years ago and remember the place that had given it from the Theological School on the ... roof. "For us, Greece is second home. I just do not understand why not let up mosque.Jordan did not distinguish Muslims from the Christians. " But he had come the hour of prayer.And then everything stops.

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