As the Greek government readies to build the country’s first official mosque, the hard-line Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus has gone to the Council of State to appeal the decision, saying he doesn’t want Muslims in Greece to have a sanctioned place of worship.
Seraphim, already known for his anti-Semitic opinions, has described a 2006 law paving the way for the creation of the mosque as “a disgraceful and humiliating sacrilege.” He defended his action as a bid “to protect the religious rights of Greek Christians.”
The Bishop’s appeal has been backed by a philosophy professor at the University of Athens, two doctors at the Athens Naval Hospital and a cultural association based in Votanikos, where the mosque is to be built, and five local residents. Muslims in Greece have been left to pray in makeshift mosques, such as basements and garages while awaiting a new one that would be officially recognized by the state.
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