The first official mosque in Greece will be led by a Moroccan imam

Greece’s first official mosque, which is currently under construction, will be led by a Moroccan imam, the National Herald reports.

An administrative committee, assigned by the Greek government to run the mosque, chose Moroccan-born Zaki Mohammed to be an imam for the new mosque. The latter has been an imam «at one of the five makeshift prayer rooms in Athens», recognized by the Greek Education Minister Costas Gavroglou.

The Moroccan imam was selected after a «panel checked his qualifications and conducted a personal interview» with him, the same source added. Zaki Mohammed has been living in Greece for 25 years. The father of two children is fluent in Arabic, French and Greek and has a theology and mathematics degree.  

Located in Athens, the mosque in question is the first Muslim place of worship to be built in the Greek capital since the end of the Ottoman occupation. The mosque will open its doors on April 28th, just days before the start of Ramadan.