Papandreou added that a temporary official facility for Muslim services would be provided until the completion of a proper mosque, which he said his father had first promised when he was prime minister 25 years ago."It is a disgrace that for 25 years, maybe more, since Andreas Papandreou promised the creation of a mosque in the greater Athens area, we have been unable to create such a building," he told parliament."We have moved these procedures quickly. There is wide consent on the project," Papandreou said, adding that Muslims had "a right" to a mosque.Thousands of Muslims from Arab nations, Africa and the Indian subcontinent live and work in Athens without official prayer sites or a cemetery, despite years of promises by successive Greek governments.Muslims have crafted mosques out of rented flats and disused warehouses which are often targeted in racist attacks.A staunchly Orthodox Christian state with bitter memories of nearly four centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule, Greece currently offers approved Muslim religious sites only near its northeastern border with Turkey, where a Muslim minority of Turkish origin lives.Earlier this month, top-selling Ta Nea daily said the government would likely pay to build the temporary mosque within six months in a disused navy base in Elaionas, an industrial district near the city centre.A larger place of worship with enough space for 500 people is to be built in the same area by 2012, Ta Nea said.Earlier this month, Muslims holding an open-air prayer near the city centre to celebrate Eid al-Adha, were harassed by local residents who threw eggs at them and blared loud music from windows.Anger towards migrants has increased in recent months as the debt-hit country battles a growing recession that has brought thousands of job layoffs.ATHENS: AFP