Greek hospitality is put to a religious test

[rug]

Refugees and migrants wait to be registered at the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, on Nov. 5, 2015. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

By Alexandra Markovich | 10 hours ago

ATHENS, Greece (RNS) Abdul rose just before sundown on one of the last days of the holy month of Ramadan. The 17-year-old refugee from Afghanistan was keeping odd hours, eating breakfast in place of dinner and passing the day in slumber.

Abdul, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy as a juvenile, lives in a shelter for underage refugees who arrived in Greece without parents. For many, this was their first Ramadan away from their families, and it was a lonely one.

“In Afghanistan, our father, mother, sister all fast. All people are doing it. Here, it’s different,” Abdul said. “It will be difficult for us, but we will not forget our religion.”

Abdul and his friends find themselves in one of the most homogeneous Christian nations in the world. Greece, which is 98 percent Orthodox Christian, hosted 1 million migrants on their way to other European countries. The vast majority of those passing through were Muslim.

http://religionnews.com/2016/11/02/greek-hospitality-is-put-to-a-religious-test/