Mosque

Athens' first mosque will officially open its doors on Friday after numerous delays, though it is not expected to start operating immediately as its administrative committee has not been appointed yet.
Education and Religious Affairs Minister Costas Gavroglou is expected to attend the opening in the Votanikos district at noon.

People across Turkey on Tuesday celebrated the first day of Eid al-Fitr with many mosques packed for early morning prayers and people hosting friends and families at their homes.

Turkish-Muslim association IGMG has called for a complete and thorough investigation into suspected arson attack on May 25 at a mosque in the western German city of Hagen.

The Australian man accused of killing 50 Muslim worshippers in gun attacks on two mosques in Christchurch will face 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges, New Zealand police said on April 4.

A marble fountain is seen on the plot in Votanikos where the capital's first state mosque is expected to start operating in May. Works on the exterior areas have been completed and the finishing touches are being made, Kathimerini understands. The mosque's mihrab - a niche in the wall indicating the direction of Mecca, toward which all Muslims pray - is in place.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Istanbul's Hagia Sophia should be re-titled as a mosque instead of a museum after Sunday's elections, but did not say whether the status of the landmark site would be changed.

The Greek government voiced opposition Monday to the suggestion from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Istanbul's Hagia Sophia — a Byzantine-era cathedral that now serves as a museum — could be reconverted into a mosque.

Smelling of fresh paint, the two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch where a gunman killed 50 worshippers last week reopened their doors on March 23, with many survivors among the first to walk in and pray for those who died.

The Muslim call to prayer sounded out over Christchurch and around New Zealand on March 22, as thousands gathered to remember the 50 people killed by a lone gunman at two mosques a week ago.

New Zealand on March 22 reassured Muslims living in the country they would be "safe and secure" despite the deadly attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.