Greece Announces Massive Closure Operation of 60 Illegal Mosques in Athens Operated by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis
The Greek government has launched an exhaustive operation to identify and shut down all illegal mosques in the municipality of Athens, estimated at around 60, most managed by immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
This initiative, announced by the Minister of Migration and Immigration, Thanos Plevris, includes the simultaneous deportation of foreigners operating these sites, emphasizing that those who do not comply with Greek law will face automatic expulsion.
The operation is activated following a landmark case in the Agios Nikolaos area, where the residence permit of a Bangladeshi citizen accused of running an illegal mosque was revoked.
This individual was sentenced to prison for operating a place of worship without permission, and the site was sealed by the authorities. Plevris, during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on legal immigration, stated that «what happened in Agios Nikolaos will happen everywhere,» promising the closure of all irregular places of worship along with the revocation of legal documents of their operators.
The measure is part of a broader effort to combat illegal trafficking and promote legal migration, with cooperation between ministries to seal these spaces and deport those involved.
Athens has only one legal mosque, but estimates indicate that nearly 60 unauthorized sites are operating, converted into basements, apartments, warehouses or parking lots without basic specifications such as ventilation or adequate sanitation.
These places, mostly frequented by Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, have proliferated in the last decade, with previous figures exceeding 100 in Attica.
The conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has prioritized national security and border control, contrasting with left-wing policies that, in the past, have allowed the expansion of illegal immigration, overburdening resources and generating risks for social cohesion.
This massive purge represents a blow against migratory irregularity, aligned with previous efforts such as the deportation of hundreds of Pakistanis who infiltrated illegally by sea in 2025.
Greece, the main gateway for illegal immigrants in Europe, faces an unauthorized population of up to 2 million in a country of 11 million inhabitants, many coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The temporary suspension of asylum applications for arrivals by sea from North Africa, implemented in July 2025, underscores the firmness against uncontrolled flows that include nationals from Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh.
The focus on legality and deportations resonates with conservative demands to protect Greek cultural identity, avoiding the forced Islamization that lax left-wing policies have fostered in other European countries.
Greece prioritizes its sovereignty and strict compliance with the law.
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