VZCZCXRO6663
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW
RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #1922 2680657
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250657Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0340
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ATHENS 001922 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R; EUR FOR GRAFFY; EUR/PPD FOR ALTMAN-WINANS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KISL KPAO OIIP GR
SUBJECT: EMBASSY ATHENS HOSTS RAMADAN IFTAR 
 
REF: STATE 112013 
 
¶1.  Charge hosted Embassy Athens?s annual Ramadan Iftar on September 
 
¶19.  Some 50 Arab and Muslim Ambassadors, Greek Orthodox church 
officials, Muslim community representatives, academics, selected 
journalists, and other post human rights contacts attended.  Father 
 
Thomas Synodinos, the seniormost deputy to ailing Archbishop 
Christodoulos, now in Miami for a liver transplant, represented the 
 
Greek Orthodox church. 
 
¶2.  At sunset, guests paused to listen to the Muslim call to prayer, 
 
movingly chanted by Naim Elgadour, president of the Association of 
Muslims in Greece.  During the meal, after brief opening remarks in 
 
Greek and Arabic, Charge spoke of the 50th anniversary of the 
Islamic 
Center in Washington, DC, noting that the White House, State 
Department, and U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide now host 
events 
to mark the Muslim holy month.  He also noted that several Embassy 
Athens officers in attendance had previous service or family ties in 
 
the Arab and Muslim world.  Egypt's Ambassador to Greece Hamdi Sanad 
 
Loza then rose spontaneously to give a short reply of thanks. 
 
¶3.  Embassy's Public Affairs Section co-produced this year's Iftar 
with 
the Political Section.  Post IRC produced place cards for each guest 
 
using an image of the Islamic Center in Washington and text from 
USINFO.gov about its 50th anniversary, including the reference to 
the 
Greek Orthodox cathedral in the Embassy Row area.  We also thank 
Embassy Riyadh PAO for her assistance with Charge's Arabic language 
 
opening remarks. 
 
¶4.  Consulate General Thessaloniki is planning another Iftar for 
early 
October, to include Greece's predominantly Turkish-origin Muslim 
community.  COUNTRYMAN