ACG Institute Discusses Implications of Islamic Presence in Greece

The Institute of Diplomacy and Global Affairs of DEREE-The American College of Greece organized a public discussion with security analyst Andreas Banoutsos on the implications of growing Islamic influences in Greek society for the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom.

The discussion revolved around two central themes:

• Defining the presence of Islam in Greek society while reviewing the implications for Greece at it works to absorb and integrate this religious minority, with its unique social normative and value system. How can Greece best manage and understand the presence of Islamic sects which do not co-exist harmoniously?
• Reviewing the implications for terrorist activity in Greece, with its traditionally European socio-political and more secular foundations.

The discussion was even more pertinent in light of government proposals for large-scale naturalization of immigrants who have entered Greece over the past 20 years. It is estimated that approximately 10% of Greece’s population of 11 million were born outside of Greece. Every week thousands of new immigrants from Central Asia and the Middle East cross the border between Turkey and Greece, seeking asylum.

The discussion took place on Thursday, January 21, 2010, at the College’s neoclassical building in Plaka, which is the Institute’s administrative center. The director of the Institute of Diplomacy and Global Affairs is former minister and parliamentarian, Andreas Andrianopoulos.