Hagia Sophia from Turkey and the battle to turn it into a mosque | News

From a symbol of Christianity after its establishment by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, to an emblem of the Muslim ottoman empire‘Due to its great influence, the church of Saint Sophia has been at the heart of centuries.old Ideological and political battle.

After Fatih Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 and brought the city: which later became known as Istanbul: in the fold of Islam, he converted Hagia Sophia from a cathedral to a mosque

For hundreds of years, Muslim faithful from around the world flocked to the city‘s red color architectural gem to perform your daily prayers as it stood out their imposing gray dome and towering minarets.

But in the early 1930s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, closed the mosque and turned the building into a museum as part of his attempt to secularize and modernize the country.

Since then, calls to reconvert Hagia Sophia, also known as Ayasofya, into a mosque have been on the rise.

Getting stronger in recent years, the demand came mainly from Turkey‘s religious and nationalistic districts, many of which regularly demonstrated at the gates of Hagia Sophia every May 29, anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

But such Greece and the United States have vehemently opposed the calls, which argue that the heritage site – recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1985 – should remain a museum out of respect for the country‘s Christian minority and world history.

‘Aura of legitimacy’

Thursday turkey‘s Supreme court called to decide the status of Hagia Sophia after a request from a private association to examine the validity of Ataturk‘s Decree of 1934 that turned it into a museum.

The State Council evaluated the case and is expected to announce its decision within 15 days.

Although previous demands to change the state of the museum have failed, Lawmakers say a court decision is only symbolic.

“The court’s favorable decision could provide an aura of legitimacy for the museum’s conversion into a mosque, but it is not a prerequisite, “said Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and former parliamentary.

The former Turkish legislator added that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s The opinion on the matter was, on the other hand, key to the final state of the building.

Ozturk Yilmaz, an independent member of the Turkish parliament and former ambassador, agreed: “This is not a legal matter. If the government wants to turn the museum into a mosque, it only requires a presidential decree. The ruling of the high court simply adds legitimacy.” .

Political ploy

Although sympathetic to the cause in his youth, Erdogan has remained largely silent about the public debate on the status of Hagia Sophia since he took office 18 years ago. He even reluctantly opposed the calls. in one occasion, telling defenders to fill out the Ottoman construction Blue Mosque next door instead.

But since 2019, his rhetoric has changed, with Erdogan publicly endorsing the conversion twice. The first time came just before the March 2019 municipal elections, when fears were high that his Justice and Development government (AK) Party would lose Istanbul to the opposition‘s Ekrem Imamoglu – now the mayor of Turkey‘s cultural capital.

Erdogan told his supporters at the time that he planned the conversion in response to the President of the United States, Donald Trump.‘s recognition of Israel‘s movement to make Jerusalem its capital.

Observers saw Erdogan‘Recent endorsements as a political ploy to distract the country’s attention.‘s weakened economy, the coronavirus pandemic and his own ebb popular support for.

The timing of Erdogan’s two calls suggests a strong link between internal political considerations and the instrumentalization of Hagia Sophia.

Aykan Erdemir – former Turkish MP

“The timing of these two calls suggests a strong link between internal political considerations and the instrumentalization of Hagia Sophia,“Erdemir said to Al Jazeera.

Erdogan appeared on a big screen in Haiga Sophia to deliver a virtual speech on May 29 as part of the 576 anniversary celebrations. of the Ottoman capture of istanbul.

That same month, he rebuked Greek anger at the possible change in a television interview, saying: “They dare to tell us not to transform Haiga Sophia into a mosque. Does Turkey rule or us?”

Framing the issue as a matter of national sovereignty, advocates have garnered broad support among most Turks, who regardless of their ideological views view the state of the building as a purely domestic matter.

“This decision is a national matter. International players should not be involved,” said Yilmaz, who is also a member of Turkey’s leading Republican Opposition Party (CHP), which was established as a pro-secular party by Ataturk.

Erdogan has reportedly given additional instructions to his advisory council to hold the first prayers at the Hagia Sophia church on July 15 to mark the fourth anniversary of the failed 2016 coup attempt against his own government.

It is not a domestic controversy

For Hamdi Arslan, a Hagia Sophia, a longtime Turkish academic and advocate of the cause, has “both a religious and symbolic significance,” she told Al Jazeera, as she recalled the times when she demonstrated alongside Erdogan at her door in the 1970s. .

“For 50 years, I have been waiting for the shackles to be removed around the Hagia Sophia church and its original identity as a mosque to be restored. We will not give that up,” he said.

AAccording to Galip Dalay, a Tukey specialist and Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy, The potential move has not been controversial at the national level, but rather on the international stage.

“The controversy is not within Turkey, but between Ankara and the EU [European Union], Greece or even the United States. Neither political party is opposed to the idea of ​​opening Hagia Sophia as a mosque, “said Galip.

“That is because most of the parties support this movement or do not want to give Erdogan another tool to polarize society because they know that the majority of Turks are in favor.”

A poll published last month found that 73 percent of Turks were in favor of the conversion.

‘Easy targets’

Faik Ozturk, the spokesman for Turkey’s main opposition party CHP, warned Erdogan last month against exploiting the measure.

While Turkey’s opposition and religious minority groups have not come out strongly against it, Erdemir explained that it has been “almost impossible for Turkey’s religious minorities and pro-secular constituencies to publicly oppose the conversion of Hagia Sophia They would become easy targets for charges of religious and national treason. “

He added that the potential conversion would damage Turkey’s image “in the eyes of two billion Christians worldwide”, and “alarm the religious minorities and pro-secular constituencies of Turkey.”

Last month, the Greek ministry appealed to UNESCO over the possible decision, claiming that such a move would violate international conventions.

The convictions also came from UNESCO itself and from the US ambassador., While Ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew, who represents the Orthodox Christian world, said he was “sad and shocked” by concerns that possible conversion would be a cause of division.

Despite the potential international backlash, Yilmaz, the Turkish legislator, said: “It is time for the reconversion to occur so that this problem can no longer be politically exploited by Erdogan or anyone else.”

Hagia Sophia from Turkey and the battle to turn it into a mosque