60 mosques in Athens, Greece shut down In the first phase !

Crackdown on illegal mosques in Greece due to Pakistani and Bangladeshi jihadi Muslims !

Athens (Greece) – Due to the increasing terrorist activities, the Greek government is on a drive to close the illegal mosques in the capital Athens. In the first phase, the authorities have decided to close at least 60 unauthorized mosques in the capital and expel those who run those mosques out of the country.

According to the Greek authorities, the crackdown is against unauthorised mosques that had become a haven for terrorists, many of which were built without the mandatory permission required under Greek law. Law allows only registered institutions led by citizens of Greece or the European Union to apply to build or operate places of worship.

1. Investigations by the Greek government have revealed that many illegal mosques were being run by Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals who had migrated to Greece in recent years.

2. The authorities allege that these places were being used to propagate extremist ideology and that their uncontrolled expansion was a threat to the city of Athens, which has a history of more than 3,000 years in Europe.

3. The Muslim population in Greece is about 5 percent of the country’s total population, the majority of whom are of Turkish descent. Officials say that this is not a matter of religious practice but of illegal construction and activities that disturb social harmony. The construction of unauthorized mosques had led to an increase in crime in those areas and  made the mosque area unsafe for women at night.

4. This decision of the Greek government has been taken after a series of violent incidents related to terrorist elements, including the bombings outside government offices in Athens in February and April 2025. The officials also pointed to three terrorist attacks in the year 2024 as evidence of the growing security challenge.

5. The Greek authorities said that those running illegal mosques would be prosecuted, imprisoned and eventually deported.

6. The Greek authorities have reiterated that the action is aimed at upholding the rule of law and safeguarding national security.

Editorial Perspective

It is shameful that despite 35 years of Jihadi terrorism and the alleged misuse of mosques for such activities, no comparable action has been undertaken in India.