Observers theorize that the Greek government has bowed to thinly veiled threats of violence by the thousands of Muslims living in Greece who have demanded a mosque.
In a decision by the Greek government that has stunned natives, especially those who recall centuries of Islamic rule under the Ottoman Empire, a mosque will be built in Athens at taxpayer expense. The Greek Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Networks announced last week that it has chosen the builders who will erect the mosque. The worship center will cover 6,500 square feet and cost Greek taxpayers some $1.3 million. Work will commence at the beginning of the New Year.
The project involves the renovation of an existing government-owned building on a former naval facility in the Votanikos district near the center of Athens. The mosque will accommodate 500 worshippers, but will not have minarets.
Critics of the mosque say that no taxpayer should have to pay for a mosque when Greece, which is bearing a huge foreign debt, is relying on foreign aid to stay afloat. Currently, Greece’s economy has hobbled along during six years of recession. Indeed, it shrank by another 3 percent during the third quarter of 2013. The unemployment rate has surpassed 27 percent overall, while young people under 25 are seeing an unemployment rate of 60 percent.
[…]
