After nearly 14 years of wrangling and bureaucratic delays, the first mosque has finally opened in the Greek capital, Athens, local media reported Tuesday.

With the restrictions associated with the Coronavirus followed, the first prayer was held in the mosque on Monday evening, in the presence of a small number of
worshipers, and a greater celebration is expected to open the mosque after the end of the epidemic.

"The opening of the mosque sends a clear message about democracy, religious freedom and respect for religion," Katimirini newspaper quoted the Minister of Religious Affairs, Giorgos Kalantzis, as saying.

The opposition of the Greek Orthodox Church caused a delay in the opening of the mosque since 1979.

The mosque was built on a land belonging to the  Greek Navy, with an area of ​​850 square meters and a capacity of 350 people, and it does not have a minaret.

It is noteworthy that the first imam of the Athena Mosque, a Moroccan-born Greek named Zaki Muhammad, studied the basics of religion and mathematics and speaks Arabic, Greek and French.