Prayer space granted to Muslims for Eid al-Fitr

In view of the preparations for Ramadan, the Yeni Mosque, an Ottoman monument in Thessaloniki which hosts various cultural activities, will for the first time be granted to Muslims for prayers during Eid al-Fitr on April 10. The Suleymaniye Mosque on Rhodes will also be given for Eid prayers. 

The decision was announced on Wednesday by the General Secretariat of Religious Affairs.

In Attica, apart from the Athens Mosque in Votanikos, there are 15 licensed mosques. Unofficial ones are estimated at 55 to 60. There are some 300 mosques operating in Thrace, and one each in Kos, Rhodes, Thiva and Thessaloniki.

Muslim Greeks number about 125,000 and live primarily in Thrace. In Attica, Muslim refugees and migrants are estimated at 250,000.

Organizations in areas where there are no Muslim prayer spaces can apply to the local municipalities to be granted closed spaces on April 10.