ATHENS, Greece: The Greek parliament gave the go-ahead to plans for the first mosque in Athens since Turkish rule under the Ottoman Empire.

Immigration has brought hundreds of thousands of Muslims to the Greek capital over recent years.

There are mosques dating from Ottoman times in the old part of Athens known as Plaka. The Fethiye or victory mosque dates back to 1458. But today these buildings are for tourists not for Muslim prayers. One is now a museum of Greek folk art.

Athens is the only EU capital without a purpose-built place of worship for its Muslim population.