Permission for Eid prayer in the historical New Mosque (Yeni Cami) in Thessaloniki denied again this year

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu: “No allocation by the Municipality of Thessaloniki of the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) for Eid prayer under the pretext of the ongoing exhibition there has once more revealed that our country Greece is quite far from fulfilling its commitments as regards of freedom of religion and worship.“

The Municipality of Thessaloniki denied the permission for Eid prayer in the historical Ottoman New Mosque (Yeni Cami) on the grounds that there was an „ongoing exhibition in the mosque“. According to the daily Birlik, the Education and Culture Association of the Macedonia-Thrace Muslims has recently applied to the Mayor of Thessaloniki Yannis Boutaris for the allocation of the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) for Eid prayer on the first day of the Ramadan Feast. However, the reply received to the application was again negative this year.

Also in the previous years, the Western Thrace Turks living in Thessaloniki applied for Eid prayers in the New Mosque (Yeni Cami), of which usage right belongs to the Municipality of Thessaloniki. As these applications were denied, the Eid prayers had to be carried out in the prayer room with limited capacity within the Education and Culture Association of the Macedonia-Thrace Muslims

“The Greek authorities denied again this year the single permission for Eid Prayer in the New Mosque (Yeni Cami) which has been used as an exhibition space by the Municipality of Thessaloniki. There is no mosque open for worship for thousands of Muslims living in Thessaloniki, the second largest city of our country Greece. The permission for the construction of a mosque in the capital Athens has not been given for many years. Therefore, the statements of the Greek President and the Greek Foreign Minister that all the Greek citizens enjoy freely and in equality their religion and perform their religious duties in Greece do not apply to the truth. If a state has failed to reach the 21st century, it is then our country Greece which does not fulfil and make any effort to fulfil its commitments as regards of freedom of religion and worship“ said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).