ATHENS, GREECE — Death is the only certainty in life that is often difficult to accept. Despite being a natural part of the life cycle, the passing of a person leaves grief, questions, and deep reflection for those left behind.
For many Indonesians, working or living in a foreign country is part of life. However, when death comes in a foreign land, especially in a country with a non-Muslim majority, various challenges arise in the process of handling it.
That is what Indonesians in Greece are experiencing. On Tuesday morning (11/03/2025), we received news that an Indonesian citizen had died of asthma in a hospital in the city of Athens. The head of the Indonesian Family Harmony Association (IKKIY) Islamic Student Organization, Hening, said that the body was still at the hospital.
“Currently the body is still at the hospital and has not been washed, because they are waiting for information from the Bangladeshi Mosque which is currently being renovated,” he said.
The only mosque in Greece that can be used by the foreign Muslim community for handling the deceased is the Al Jabbar Mosque, more commonly known as the Bangladesh Mosque. Meanwhile, the Al Ikhlas Mosque, which is an Indonesian community mosque, cannot be used due to limited space and licensing restrictions.
Three days later, on Friday (14/03/2025), we finally received the long-awaited news: Al Jabbar Mosque was willing to provide a place for the handling of the body, even though the building was still undergoing renovation. At 5:00 p.m. Greek time, the body arrived at the mosque and was immediately washed and shrouded. We, together with the friends and relatives of the deceased Mrs. Mardiyah, prepared to perform the funeral prayer.
At that time, I was entrusted by the Head of Rohis to be the priest and lead the funeral prayer. The funeral prayer was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Greece, Dr. Bebeb Djundjunan, and other staff of the Indonesian Embassy.
After the prayer was over, I asked one of the Rohis administrators, “Where will the body be buried?” He replied, “Insha Allah, it will be sent back to Indonesia, Ustaz”.
I asked again, “Is there a Muslim cemetery here?” He replied, “Yes, but it is located far from the city and requires a huge amount of money, almost the same as the cost of repatriating the body to Indonesia”.
The body is scheduled to be repatriated to Indonesia on Thursday (20/03/2025), because it has to take care of the lengthy administrative requirements and wait for a flight schedule available to transport the body and only Qatar Airways has that service. That way, the family of the deceased Mrs. Mardiyah will have to wait 10 days until they can meet the body of the deceased upon arrival in Indonesia.
Hopefully in the future the Greek government will provide a special cemetery for Muslims that is not far from urban areas and residential settlements, like the Orthodox Christian cemetery in the city. This is very necessary because some foreign residents want to be buried here. Hopefully the process of arranging for the funeral can be easier and faster, so that the bereaved family does not have to wait too long. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Dai Ambassador for Greece, Ustaz Abdul Ghafur
Editor: Ronna