Authorities in Greece have announced a major operation to identify and shut down all illegal mosques in the Municipality of Athens, alongside deporting the foreign nationals operating them.
The initiative was confirmed by Greece’s Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, during a parliamentary committee meeting discussing a legal immigration bill.
The crackdown follows a recent case in Agios Nikolaos, where a Bangladeshi national had his legal residence permit revoked for running an unlicensed place of worship. The site was sealed by police, and the individual was sentenced to prison for operating the mosque without authorization. Plevris stated that
what happened in Agios Nikolaos will happen everywhere.
According to the minister, those who fail to comply with Greek law will be automatically removed from the country. He further noted that the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum is coordinating with relevant authorities to activate summary procedures for revoking residence permits in such cases.
Reports indicate that nearly 60 illegal places of worship still operate in Athens, ranging from basements and apartments to warehouses or parking lots, often lacking basic safety and hygiene standards such as ventilation and toilets.
