KNews.id- The Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, Ieronymos II, has been criticized after issuing statements insulting Islam. The archbishop of Greece is said to have a fanatical mentality towards Muslims, when he made a statement that removed spirituality from Islam and described it as a mere political ideology meant for war.
He said Islam was not a religion, but rather political parties and pursuits, and its followers were people who fought.
“They are scattered people, this is characteristic of Islam,” he said in a televised address, referring to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, as reported in TRT World, Tuesday (19/1).
Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, took over Istanbul in 1453 from the Byzantine Empire. His comments came ahead of Turkey and Greece’s decision to resume talks aimed at reducing tensions between the two neighbors on January 25, 2020.
The talks will follow an invitation from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusuglu to Greece to restart talks aimed at resolving their dispute. The archbishop’s speech took place on the centenary of the Greek uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. The bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church also called Muslims an “expansionist” people.
His remarks have sparked massive criticism around the world and people from all walks of life, including Turkey. Even senior members of non-Muslim groups in Turkey regretted the statement.
Speaking with TRT World , a senior member of the orthodox community in Turkey who did not wish to be named said the momentum of Ieronymos’ statement was unfortunate. As a non-Muslim in Turkey, he also criticized the bishop’s remarks.
“The violence has nothing to do with any religion, this is happening at a time when relations between Turkey and Greece are getting better. It’s sad, I totally disagree with what was said, “he said.
The head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, Ali Erbas, on Sunday also criticized the Archbishop’s remarks that insulted Muslims and Islam. He appealed to Christians against this kind of sick mentality.
He said the most important ministerial task, which strives for peace and tranquility, must contribute to a culture of coexistence.
“The Christian world has to fight this sick mentality. This discourse that aims to marginalize Muslims feeds racist perspectives against them, and leads to attacks on their lives and places of worship, “Erbas said.
Erbas also said the comments provoked the public, which had the potential to spread hatred, enmity and violence against Islam. He then called Islam a religion of peace.
According to him, Islamic civilization has always allowed people to live together for centuries, regardless of their beliefs, religions and cultures. The Greek archbishop’s words were also criticized by Muslims living in Greece.
They say a more “constructive” rhetoric is needed to build a peaceful environment, especially in this pandemic-ravaged contemporary era. In a statement shared on social media platform Twitter, the Muslim organization in Greece, the Western Trakia Turkey Minorities Consultative Council (BTTADK), said they hoped more peaceful language was used than anti-Islamic discourse in difficult times like this pandemic.
In addition, the Xanthi Turkish Society of Society, which is one of the three most important organizations of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, which was founded in 1927, called the statement an attack of Islamophobia as well as a hate crime.
On their website, the group says the fact that the statement filled with insults comes from the number one name in the Greek church could escalate the situation. They then urged Ieronymos to apologize.
“We see this move as one of the typical examples of rising Islamophobia and xenophobia in Greece in recent years,” he added.  (Ikh)
Source:Â https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/greek-archbishop-insults-islam-says-it-is-not-a-religion-43359
