JNN 14 July 2012 Athens : “All the other religions in Greece — Jews, Buddhists — they have a place but we do not,” Osama al-Najjar, 48, a petroleum industry supervisor, told SETimes on Wednesday, July 11.

“If we want to observe our religion, we have to do it underground. “We are not doing anything wrong,” he said. Greek Muslims have long called for building a grand mosque to accommodate the religious needs of the growing Muslim minority.

Despite objections from its powerful Orthodox Church, Greece had pledged to build a mosque in Athens to serve the city’s growing Muslim minority.

But the crunching economic crisis, coupled with public enmity associating mosques with the Ottoman presence, has prevented the pledge from being translated into action.

This has left Greek Muslims with no other option but to use basement apartments, coffee shops, garages and warehouses for worshipping.

“Who could come here and pray five times a day?” asked Naim Elghandour, 57, chairman of the Muslim Association of Greece, which claims nearly 18,000 members.

“All these makeshift mosques are not legal.” Decked with minarets two centuries ago, Athens has not had a functioning mosque since the end of Ottoman rule in the early 1800s.

About 130 windowless, airless basements or warehouses in Athens currently serve as makeshift mosques for an estimated 200,000 Muslims in the Greek capital.

Tens of thousands of Muslim immigrants perform prayers in private homes and have had to travel hundreds of kilometers to northern Greece for weddings, burials and other ceremonies.
The Orthodox Church has for years insisted that Greeks were not ready to see a minaret in downtown Athens.

The condition in Greece reflects the rule of the Ottomans , who were invading land in the name of Islam , to acquire their personal wealth , And it is because of these rulers , that today Islam is called the Religion of Sword , while Basically Islam is Based on the Rules of Nature, that is love , Harmony , Patience as preached and practiced by the Last Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and his Ahlul Bait , But Since his death the Ummayad’s , Abbasid’s , Ottoman’s and all the Rulers , who knew that with the name of Islam they can gather big forces and can conquer, Big areas they have Used Islam , for their Personal gains and instead have created a Bad Name for Islam, But any one who do a little research on Islam , can clearly distinguish that actually all these rulers were Munafiqeens , who defamed Islam.

And if we go back in History , Hazrat Imam Hussain a.s , in the Battle of Karbala have clearly categorized Yazeed his fore fathers  , and his followers to come that they are Not True Muslims , but are Munafiqeens , who are using Islam to Acquire their personal wealth and Power in the name of Islam .

And now in the Latest and the Present scenario , the Ale Saud and their created and sponsored Taliban and the Al Qaida is following the foot steps of their Predecessor Munafiqeens like Yazeed, L.A , Ummayad’s , Abbasid’s and the Ottomans , Who are defaming Islam , and Using Islam to acquire Wealth and Power , for their Personal gains.

It is a conspiracy from the day one with Islam , that these Munafiqeen who dress themselves like Muslims , but in fact they are the worst enemies of Islam , and the amount of loss ,these Munafiqeens have caused to Islam is far more greater than the loss done , by the open enemies of Islam.

Today the Perception of Islam in the West and the Non Muslims is that Islam is the Religion of the Sword , and it has attained due to the force , while the true essence of  Islam is the Name of winning hearts and Souls , as preached by the Last Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and his Ahlul Bait .