“Respect for places of worship is a non-negotiable value for Greece”, emphasizes the Secretary General of Religions G. Kalantzis – Condemnation by the Diocese and the Mufti of Xanthi
To the public prosecutor of Xanthi is driven, today, a 64-year-old man, who was arrested yesterday afternoon for damage to sacred objects, in a mosque in the settlement of Therme. The 64-year-old – according to his statement a French national – entered the mosque and allegedly tore up, among other things, a Koran.
With his statement, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs George Kalantzis condemns the event, characteristically stating that “respect for the places of worship of every religious community is a non-negotiable value for Greece”.
“The ungodly actswhich took place in a Mosque in the wider area of ​​Xanthi, are absolutely condemnable without asterisks, they cause particular sadness to all of us, but, at the same time, they steel our will to continue on the same path of absolute respect for the religious freedom of our Muslim fellow citizens of Thrace, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of Greece”, emphasizes Mr. Kalantzis and congratulates the Greek Police for their immediate intervention and the arrest of the perpetrator.
The Mufti of Xanthi also issued a statement condemning the incident, which expresses the certainty that “the Greek Justice will do its duty just as the Greek Police did””. The announcement also states the following: “It is with disgust and deep sadness that we were informed that this afternoon a A French citizen entered the Baths Mosque in Thermes of Xanthi, where he vandalized sacred objects. We pray that the Most Merciful Allah forgives this man and enlightens him to realize his mistake. In Thrace, Muslims and Christians respect each other, wish for each other’s joys and sympathize with each other’s sorrows. This uniqueness, which is a model for the whole of Europe, will be defended by all of us together.”
The “disrespect shown towards the place of worship in the Mosque of the settlement of Therme by a foreign visitor of the akritic region” is also condemned by the Holy Metropolis of Xanthi and Peritherio. “We declare to everyone that Xanthi and Thrace are a global model of peaceful coexistence of peoples with different religions, which is based on practical mutual respect and we do not allow this balance to be disturbed”, the relevant statement underlines.
Source: Skai
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