Mosques in Contemporary Athens as a topical Issue

Abstract

On 2^nd November 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, the new Mosque of Athens in the Votanikos district opened its doors. In this article, I explore the historical development of Athenian Islam in light of the Treaty of Lausanne and waves of migration from Asia and the Middle East since the 1970s. Athens was the only European capital without an official mosque to meet the needs of the many Muslims who had settled there. This led to the creation of many improvised mosques. In the absence of an official mosque, the emergence of informal mosques in backyards, apartments, basements or open spaces undermined the socio-economic integration of Muslims in Greece. I provide the first systematic record of informal mosques and draws extensive evidence from interviews and ethnographic documents in metropolitan Athens. Furthermore, the new Mosque of Athens provides a new basis for improved Greek relations with the Islamic world.