Religious and political leaders are denouncing Turkey’s decision to turn Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, known for its Christian origin and as the most popular tourist site in the secular Muslim nation, into a mosque.
Built as a Greek Orthodox church almost 1,500 years ago and converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453, the Unesco World Heritage site became a museum in 1934 under the founding father of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Today, it attracts more than 3.7 million visitors a year.
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Last week, however, a Turkish court ruled that the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a museum was illegal and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the building to be a mosque once again, reports the BBC.
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
“Like all of our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims,” Erdogan said at a press conference, noting that the Muslim prayer will begin on July 24.
On Tuesday, Greece, home to large numbers of citizens who revere the 6th century building as the focal point of their Orthodox Christian faith, called it a “petty” movement.
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“With this backward action, Turkey is choosing to cut ties with the western world and its values,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The decision was also criticized by the World Council of Churches and the Church in Russia, home to the world’s largest Orthodox Christian community, and the leader of the Catholic Church.
Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) indoors captured with fisheye lens. Warm tone given. Unrecognizable people visible. See more Istanbul
“My thoughts go to Istanbul. I think of Hagia Sophia and it hurts a lot,” the pope said during a service at the Vatican.
Unesco said its World Heritage Committee will review the state of the monument.
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According to an Arab Facebook post, Erdogan stated that “the rebirth of Hagia Sophia is a sign towards the return of freedom to the al-Aqsa mosque” in Jerusalem, reports CBN News.
The move comes as the United States faces protests calling for the demolition of monuments and symbols. People around the world are concerned that Islamists will try to reclaim other sites after the move from Turkey.
The Israel-based Genesis 123 Foundation called it “a direct attack on Christians and Christian heritage in the Middle East” in a petition to “save Hagia Sophia from Islamic extremists.”
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“We call on the government of Turkey to reverse its decision and keep Hagia Sophia as a world heritage site open to all. We call on world governments to implore Turkey that they must reverse this action,” Jonathan Feldstein, President from Genesis. 123 Foundation, he wrote.
Aykan Erdemir of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies said Erdogan is “once again affirming Islamic supremacism and the dominance of Turkey’s ethnic and religious minorities.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
