Recently in Greece Category

But anyone who suggests that the Islamic religion might have something within it that incites violence will be charged forthwith with "bigotry," "racism" and "Islamophobia."

Video thanks to Benedict.

Why did Abet Hasman think he had to keep his conversion secret? Could it be because of Islam's death penalty for apostasy that Muslim spokesmen in the West routinely deny exists? People who grow up in Muslim lands, such as Abet Hasman, know better.

"Abet Hasman: A Crypto-Christian in Greek Politics," from Mystagogy, May 16 (thanks to Clark):

Abet Hasman, the deputy mayor of Patras and head of the municipal social services, left a secret revealed only in his obituary, read at his funeral by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras - that he was secretly baptized an Orthodox Christian. Abet, who was born a Muslim and came to Greece from Jordan to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Thessaloniki and finally settled in Patras in 1985, was baptized secretly by Metropolitan Chrysostomos when he was 57 years old. According to the Metropolitan: "He did not say it anywhere. But one day he approached me and asked me to baptize him. He chose the name Alexander, and we baptized a little while later his son. I baptized him in the Chapel of St. John the Theologian of the Diocese." He goes on to mention that he was married in the Church of Saint Andrew, and his son was also baptized with the name Alexander at the Church of Panagia of Paralias. He loved Greek history and especially Alexander the Great, which is why he chose the name for himself and for his son.

The Genocide of the Ottoman Greeks: Studies on the State-Sponsored Campaign of Extermination of the Christians of Asia Minor (1912-1922) and Its Aftermath: History, Law, Memory, edited by Tessa Hofmann, Matthias Bjornlund, and Vasileios Meichanetsidis.

A forgotten historical episode reexamined. From the publisher's website:

Studies on the State Sponsored Campaign of Extermination of the Christians of Asia Minor (1912-1922) and Its Aftermath: History, Law, Memory

Edited by Tessa Hofmann, Matthias Bjørnlund and Vasileios Meichanetsidis

hardcover; 512 pages, 37 photographs, maps

The period of transition from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to the foundation of the Turkish Republic was characterized by a number of processes largely guided by a narrow elite that aimed to construct a modern, national state. One of these processes was the deliberate and planned elimination, indeed extermination, of the Christian (and certain other) minorities. According to demographic studies, the numbers are stark: In 1912 the areas of Asia Minor and Thrace were inhabited by about 4-5 million Christians and 7-8 million Muslims; by 1923 only 250-300,000 Christians remained.

Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who introduced the term genocide into international law, formulated his early ideas on the definition of this war crime by studying the destruction of the Christians of Asia Minor, while the distinguished Turcologist Neoklis Sarris has noted that the annihilation of the Christian minorities represented an integral element in the formation of the Turkish Republic. As the editors of this volume note the recent resolution by the International Association of Genocide Scholars recognizing the Greek and Syriac genocides suggests a wider range of victim groups. This volume therefore represents an effort to provide an outline and a direction of a more extensive study of the deliberate destruction and elimination of a Greek presence that spanned over three millennia, in the space that became the Turkish Republic.

The last two decades have seen a massive amount of research of the genocide of the Armenian population in the Ottoman/Turkish space; our publishing house has produced a number of works, most notable of which was the eyewitness testimony of the Leslie A. Davis, US Consul in Harput (The Slaughterhouse Province: An American Diplomat's Report on the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1917). Much less scholarly work has been done on the genocide of the Greeks of Asia Minor and Thrace; there are many reasons for this, including the fact that Turkish governments have been successful in intimidating diplomats in the context of Turkish-Greek relations of the last generation, and of subverting academic integrity (inducing some scholars to make a career as denialists supported by international NGOs, all in the name of countering nationalism).

The volume includes article contributions on the areas subtitled: Historical Overview, Documentation, Interpretation; Representations and Law; Genocide Education; Memorialization; Conceptualization; and a very extensive Bibliography.

Read a review of this vitally important book here.

Hands off the koulori, Ozdemir

"The pretzel was widely known before Christ, and became popular in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Thessaloniki (now part of Greece) in Byzantine times" -- that is, long before any Turks got to the area. Cultural Appropriations Update: Claiming Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln and Leonardo DaVinci as Muslims is one thing, but the koulouri? Now that's a bridge too far! Next thing you know, we'll be hearing that the Palestinians invented matzo ball soup.

"Turkey- Greece: Simit (or koulouri) pretzel in dispute: Istanbul wants patent to snatch it from the Greeks," from ANSAmed, April 6 (thanks to Insubria):

(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, APRIL 6 - Even a pretzel can bear witness to the deep roots linking Turkey and Greece, united under the Byzantine and Ottoman empires to then become rivals over the Aegean Sea, and now forced to engage in dialogue due to the current economic crisis. The pretzel in question is the sesame-seed-covered in 'simit', which - known under a variety of names such as the Greek 'koulouri' - is also widely consumed in Serbia, Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans and Middle East, such as Lebanon.

Its spread went hand in hand with the conquests of Levantine empires and renders its culinary and national connotation uncertain. Now, in order to snatch it away from an attempt at appropriation by the Greeks, Istanbul's vendors association has requested an international patent on the pretzel. This was reported by the Turkish daily Hurriyet, which underscored that the move has given rise to resentment in Greece, where another newspaper (Eleftheros Typos) spoke of a new stage in the debate over the origins of foods, as seen in the tooth-achingly sweet dessert baklava. However, this time it has also brought back up an age-old, territorial-nationalistic issue: that of the two small islands of Kardak (Imia) from the mid-1990s. In warning that they are taking action alongside the Turkish Culture Ministry, the chairman of Istanbul simit vendors association, Zeli Sami Ozdemir, said that ''Greeks want to appropriate the simit, and we have decided to take possession of it'' before they get to it.

However, the simit/koulouri has shared roots which are tricky to follow back to their source, as it has been eaten for centuries and enjoys an almost mythical character. The Greek newspaper quoted by Hurriyet noted that in the Roman province Epirus mothers hoped their sons would become simit vendors in the metropolis looking out over the Bosporus. The pretzel was widely known before Christ, and became popular in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Thessaloniki (now part of Greece) in Byzantine times. As well-known, however, the Ottoman Empire which cemented this tradition also meant Turkish domination over Greece and painful deportations from both sides: first during the Balkan wars and then with the foundation of modern Turkey by Kemal Ataturk. The division of Cyprus and territorial disputes over other Aegean islands have often brought the two countries to the verge of war, averted solely by mutual membership in NATO. Due to conditioning and fostered by incendiary speculation, concerns have been sparked over the recent military exercises in the Mediterranean and hydrocarbons exploration in disputed waters over the past few months. But greater in number are the official statements and the initiatives indicating that the two countries are growing closer, especially due to the economy, with Greece's in the depths of a serious crisis and Turkey's prospering at a confirmed growth rate of 8.5% last year, the second strongest in the world after China's and despite a 5.3% slowdown over the last quarter. In line with the conciliatory statements made by the two countries' prime ministers in autumn, last month Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said that trade with Turkey would save Greece's future. (ANSAmed).

What could go wrong? In recent years we have seen mosques used to preach hatred; to spread exhortations to terrorist activity; to house a bomb factory; to store weapons; to disseminate messages from bin Laden; to demand (in the U.S.) that non-Muslims conform to Islamic dietary restrictions; to fire on American troops; to fire upon Indian troops; to train jihadists; and so we know they're places of peace, and anyone who suggests otherwise is a greasy Islamophobe.

And the Germans must be so pleased that the Greeks are using their bailout money as jizya to build a state-funded mosque. Actually, they probably are.

"Greece to Build First Official Mega-Mosque in Athens," by Soeren Kern in Hudson NY, September 12:

The Greek Parliament has approved a controversial plan to build a taxpayer-funded mega-mosque in Athens.

The move comes amid thinly veiled threats of violence by thousands of Muslim residents of the city who have been pressuring the government to meet their demands for a mosque or face an uprising.

The September 7 vote to speed up construction of the first official mosque in Athens –- the only capital in the European Union without a state-funded mosque -– was supported by 198 out of 300 deputies from the left, right and center.

The mosque plan was included in an environment ministry bill regulating illegal construction. The plan calls for renovating an existing state building –- on a disused navy base- – in the industrial district of Votanikos near the center of Athens.

The plan commits the Greek government (by way of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs) to pay for the construction of a temporary mosque which will be built within the next six months. A larger 1,000 square meter (3,300 square feet) mosque with enough space for 500 worshippers at a time will be built in the same area by the end of 2012, at an estimated cost of around €16 million ($21 million).

The announcement comes as massively indebted Greece battles a growing recession that has left nearly one million Greeks out of work. Greece recently needed a €110 billion ($146 billion) three-year bail-out package to rescue the embattled economy from bankruptcy....

And no one, of course, will vet what is taught there. To do so would be "Islamophobic."

"Building To Be Reconstructed Into Mosque For Muslim Community In Athens," by Penny Koutourinis for the Greek Reporter, July 23 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

The Greek government will finance the reconstruction of building structures into mosques for the Muslim community in Athens. Estimated to cost less than 15 million, the existing plans for the mosque will serve 500 faithful Muslims.

The building of the former Naval Base in Botanikos has been chosen and once it is renovated and converted, it will operate as an Islamic mosque in Athens. According to the amendment tabled in parliament it will be incorporated in a bill being debated by the Ministry of Environment Energy and Climate Change which governs energy issues.

The Steering Committee of the mosque consists of five Greek government officials and two Muslims from recognized associations in Athens. The Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community will be appointed after approval by the Minister of Education.

Of course. Since Hamas is involved in organizing this War-Is-Deceit jihad flotilla (see here and here), of course they're upset that their deceptive plans are becoming known.

An update on this story. "Hamas slams Greece for barring Gaza aid ship," from AFP, July 1 (thanks to all who sent this in):

DAMASCUS — The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Friday denounced Greece after its coastguard intercepted a US vessel which tried to sail to Gaza to break Israel blockade of the coastal strip.

In a statement issued by its political leadership in Damascus, the militant group described the action as "inhumane" and said Greece had played into Israeli hands.

"This is inhumane action, is contrary to international regulations and norms," said the statement by Hamas, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

"Barring this aid from reaching the Gaza Strip is done as a result of pressure imposed by the Zionist occupiers," referring to Israel.

Hamas also called on the EU parliament and human rights organisations "to put pressure on the Greek government" to allow a planned flotilla of aid boats to set sail from Greece to Gaza....

A small victory for the resistance to the jihad.

Hamas connection to the flotilla here and here. "Greece bars boats leaving Greek ports for Gaza," from AP, July 1 (thanks to Joshua):

Greek authorities issued a ban Friday on Greek and foreign-flagged ships heading to the Gaza Strip from leaving Greek ports. A flotilla of nine vessels and several hundred activists have said they want to break Israel's sea blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory....

Aid to the Palestinian jihad, that is.

Going way beyond Gregory III, and without any kind of gun to his head, the execrable pro-Hitler hyperdhimmi Metropolite of Piraeus Seraphim echoes the most bizarre claims of Islamic antisemitic conspiracy paranoia.

"Leading priest blames Jews for Greece's problems," from the JTA, December 22 (thanks to all who sent this in):

ATHENS, Greece -- A high-level priest on the morning show of the largest television station in Greece blamed world Jewry for Greece's financial problems on Tuesday.

The Metropolite of Piraeus Seraphim also blamed world Jewry for other ills in the country during his appearance on Mega TV.

Mixing Freemasons with Jewish bankers such as Baron Rothschild and world Zionism, the Metropolite said that there is a conspiracy to enslave Greece and Christian Orthodoxy. He also accused international Zionism of trying to destroy the family unit by promoting one-parent families and same-sex marriages.

Thirteen minutes into the program the Greek host asked the Metropolite, "Why do you disagree with Hitler's policies? If they are doing all this, wasn't he right in burning them?"

The Metropolite answered, "Adolf Hitler was an instrument of world Zionism and was financed from the renowned Rothschild family with the sole purpose of convincing the Jews to leave the shores of Europe and go to Israel to establish the new Empire."

Jews such as "Rockefeller, Rothschild and Soros control the international banking system that controls globalization," the Metropolite also said....

Stella L. Jatras comments on recent developments in Greece and Southern Europe.

Yesterday I received a call from my friend in Ottawa who said that one of the Greek publications wrote that Greece's Muslim population at one time was at 1%. Today, it is at 10%. Within three to four decades, the Muslim population will have achieved 30 to 40%.

Not only is the Greek government (past and present) not doing anything to stop this insanity, but they appear to be facilitating the job of the Islamization of Greece by having granted Saudi Arabia authorization to build a mosque in Athens. I understand, and I may be wrong, that they will be building their mosque near the Athens airport which would give the incoming flight passengers the impression that they were landing in an Islamic country instead of a Christian one. Furthermore, the present government has given permission to build an Islamic Center in Athens. The Greek government is undoubtedly aware of the accusation that Greece is the only Western country that does not have a mosque in their capital and has bowed to pressure, but that excuse would be letting them off too lightly.

What is it about reciprocity the Greek government doesn't understand? For that matter, I can include the U.S. government and other Western nations as well. The Greek government, if it had any gumption at all, should have said, "You can build your mosque in Athens when we can build our church in Riyadh," the capital of Saudi Arabia. This same Canadian friend sent me the following quote many years ago:

"Yugoslavia is only the beginning of the latest phase. What the enemies of Christendom want is another 1914, or another 1939, or something more horrific and devastating. For the Mediterranean region, their aim is to destroy the Christian physical presence from the Danube to Cyprus. In the Caucasus, their aim is to annihilate the Christians from the Northern Caucasus to Armenia; in East-Africa, their aim is to physically demolish the Christians from the Southern Sudan and Northern Ethiopia to Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

I add,

"I wish I could take credit for those words, but I cannot. They come from a friend in Ottawa who shares my frustrations and the pain for what Islam is doing to Christians, specifically Orthodox Christians, and the destruction of our culture and religion. It took the Greeks 400 years to throw off the Islamic yoke; it took the Serbian people almost 500 years. The poor Albanian Christians are still living under Islam after 600 years and it took the Armenians even centuries longer than that to rid themselves of their Islamic masters. Sensing that the time is ripe, armed with the wealth provided by oil and encouraged by nearly a century of fratricide among the Christian nations, the Islamic Horde is once again on the march against Christianity; this time there may be no salvation.

It was this Ottawa friend who called me at 2:00 a.m. to tell my husband and me that the Croats were driving out Serbs from their native Krajina. He kept saying over and over again, "This is the worst possible news. This is the worst possible news!" and I could hear the anguish in his voice.

And he was right.

Why are the Palestinian MP's doing this? Because the Greeks are thought to have sold land to (gasp) the Jews! From AFP, with thanks to Charles Martel:

ATHENS (AFP) - The Greek government said it will defend the historical character of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, following Palestinian calls for its "Arabisation."

In Ramallah, on the West Bank, Palestinian MPs -- furious at the alleged sale of Jerusalem land to Jewish investors by the Greek patriarchy -- voted Tuesday for Arab Orthodox Christians to secede from the Greek patriarchy.

They passed a resolution urging the Palestinian Authority to no longer recognise the authority of the Greek Orthodox patriarchy over the Orthodox Arab community.

Denials of the alleged land sale, issued by Greek Patriarch Irineos I in Jerusalem, fell on deaf ears.

A Greek government spokesman, Evangelos Antonaros, said here that the Greek Orthodox patriarchy in Jerusalem had a history spanning centuries, and he believed most of the flock would not want to abandon it.

An investigation into the matter is under way, assisted by Greek foreign ministry experts who arrived in the Old City on Monday.

"Taking the results of the investigation into consideration, we will decide on steps that will defend the patriarchy's historical characteristics," Antonaros said. ...

This could be a great opportunity for some anti-dhimmitude: a chance to raise awareness of the historical realities of jihad and dhimmitude. It's a Symposium for Remembering Victims of Genocide (thanks to Sparta and RB):

Jewish, Serb, Armenian, Greek, Roma people,

For centuries, generation after generation of our people are subject to genocide. Let us unite in our demand that suffering of our peoples be finally recognized. Join our effort to organize symposium on this subject.

The symposium will be held in Belgrade on April 22-24. Send your experts, participate.

Now Turkey's entrance into the EU is completely assured. Have the Greeks forgotten their history? From AP, with thanks to David Russell:

Greek political leaders have displayed rare consensus in encouraging Turkey's EU aspirations, which face a crucial test at a two-day EU summit beginning Dec. 16.

Greek support has self-interest in mind: the belief that the EU carrot would help resolve quarrels such as divided Cyprus, disputed Aegean airspace boundaries and broader rights for the spiritual center of Greek Orthodox Christians in Istanbul.

Of course, the Turks have been very clear in ruling all that out, so the Greeks are just indulging in wishful thinking.

I thought this was very funny -- but I hope the security measures in Greece aren't actually this lax. Unfortunately, when it comes to Islamic terrorism, the attitude of officials all over the non-Muslim world seems to be: "I say let the horse in. What's the worst that could happen?" From the Borowitz Report, with thanks to Sparta:

Olympic security officials in Athens, Greece conceded today that they had failed to notice a giant wooden horse that had been wheeled to within meters of the Olympic stadium sometime late last week.

The sudden appearance of the gigantic horse, which was said to measure over one hundred cubits in width, has raised fresh concerns that the security around the Olympic complex might be more porous than originally thought.

"When you're spending over $1.5 billion in security, quite frankly, somebody shouldn't be able to wheel a giant wooden horse right up to your stadium," said one U.S. official today.

But Thanasis Kyriakou, who is coordinating the security efforts for the 2004 Olympics, said that the horse, while of unknown origin, posed no serious security threat to the Games, which are set to begin in three days.

"If anything, this gigantic horse is only bringing more attention to the Olympics," he said. "I see this horse as a tremendous gift."

Sharply disagreeing with Mr. Kyriakou is NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, who said that the unplanned presence of a gigantic horse could ruin his network's coverage of the Games.

"It's wrecking all of our camera angles," Mr. Ebersol said. "Everywhere you look, there's that dopey horse in the background."

For his part, Mr. Kyriakou believes that the enormous horse could enhance viewership of the Olympics and has even recommended wheeling the mysterious wooden structure into the stadium itself.

"I say let the horse in," he said. "What's the worst that could happen?"