An attempt of right-wing politicians to ban the construction of mosques in Athens failed. The Council of State, which is also the Supreme Court of Greece, recognized that such measure would be unconstitutional, undermining the basis of equality and violating the right to freedom of religious expression. Mosque for €1.1 million can be built in the Athens district of Votanikos in six months, reports ee24.com.
Athens is the only major European capital without officially working mosques, largely due to the position of the far-right party Golden Dawn. There are about 120 thousand of Muslims living in the Greek capital. With the court decision, the question on the construction of the mosque, which could not be resolved since 2000 under pressure of politicians, local residents and the Orthodox Church, has finally got off the ground. Developer (a project is financed by the private consortium) did a favour to the majority of Athenians, simplifying the project and doing without minarets. The construction is planned to be finished within six months after its start.