After Hagia Sophia, Turkey has converted the ancient Byzantine Chora Church—used as a museum for 79 years—into a mosque.

Some Orthodox Christians expressed disappointment but suggested focusing on unity rather than division over the conversion.

Muslim worshippers celebrated the mosque’s rededication as a national achievement for Turkey.

Recent videos show fragments falling from Hagia Sophia’s dome, highlighting preservation concerns.

A new tourist entrance to Hagia Sophia now exists in front of the Topkapi Palace Museum.

According to the Turkish ministry, starting January 15, tourists can visit Hagia Sophia Mosque without disrupting prayers.

Christian leaders in Turkey are interested in a new law regarding the management of religious foundations, which is crucial for local Christian communities.

The Turkish Greek community administers 77 religious foundations, the highest in the country.

The Chora Church, built in the 5th century by the Byzantines, is a significant historical structure.

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also reopened the Ayasofya Mosque’s Fatih Madrassa, Istanbul’s first Ottoman religious school.

The conversions of Hagia Sophia and Chora have provoked debate over religious freedom and the changing use of World Heritage Sites.

Christian communities and Western leaders have voiced concern about the religious implications and the preservation of these sites’ multicultural legacies.

Critics argue the mosque conversions serve political purposes for Erdogan, aiming to solidify nationalistic and religious support.

There are ongoing discussions regarding the balance between tourism, preservation, and religious practices at these significant historical locations.

The controversial reconversions have shifted access and use while raising questions about cultural heritage management in Turkey.

After Hagia Sophia, Turkey has converted the ancient Byzantine Chora Church—used as a museum for 79 years—into a mosque.

Title:

Content: After Hagia Sophia, Turkey converts a second ancient Byzantine church into a mosque

Hundreds of worshippers filled the narrow streets of Istanbul's Fatih district on Friday to hear the sounds of Friday prayers ringing out from the newly inaugurated Kariye Mosque.

Once known as the Chora Church, the site spent the last 79 years as a museum. But it is now the latest structure to be converted back into a mosque by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following the conversion of Hagia Sophia in 2020. While viewed as a triumph by many Turkish Muslims, the Greek Orthodox Church has decried it as an "ill-advised decision" that "makes a mockery of the Turkish government's commitment to religious tolerance and religious freedom."

Chora's conversion was announced shortly after Hagia Sophia's, but its opening for prayer was delayed by years of restoration work.

The showing for the first Friday prayers at Kariye was relatively quiet compared to Hagia Sophia, which drew hundreds of thousands who filled the streets with prayer rugs for blocks and blocks away from the building. By contrast, the crowd on Friday was relatively average for a mosque in one of Istanbul's more religiously conservative neighborhoods, where Friday worshippers frequently spill out onto the streets.

Both the Chora Church and Hagia Sophia are 4th-century Byzantine constructions. They spent nearly a millennium as Christian holy sites before being converted to mosques by the Ottomans after their conquest of Constantinople in the 15th century. Despite their conversions, they remained revered by Orthodox Christians. After the founding of a secular Turkish Republic in the early 20th century, the decision was made for both to be neither mosque nor church but simply museums.

"Both Hagia Sophia and Chora embodied Byzantine and Ottoman pasts, and they became symbols of co-existence and multi-faith living practices. Their conversion fundamentally implies a hierarchy, prioritizing the Islamic past over all other layers, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish, Syriac, et al," Dr. Özgür Kaymak, a lecturer and researcher on minority rights at Istanbul's MEF University, told Religion News Service in an email.

Rededicating the sites as mosques is more than just a status change. According to Islamic tradition, artwork of human figures are forbidden in places of prayer, while in Orthodox Churches, icons of Christ, saints and other biblical figures are a defining feature.

In Hagia Sophia, the mosaics of Jesus and Mary have been covered with curtains since the conversion. While Erdoğan promised Hagia Sophia would remain fully accessible and free to all visitors, Turkey reneged on that earlier this year, reimposing an entrance fee on tourists and relegating them to the upper level, while the main floor is exclusive to Muslim worshippers.

Observers have also criticized the Turkish Directorate of Religion's caretaking of the site, noting damage that did not exist when it was under the purview of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Though Chora is significantly smaller than Hagia Sophia, it is home to some of the best-preserved examples of late-Byzantine art, including mosaics, icons and frescoes, and is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"For us it's a very important place because it remembers our culture and our traditions here," Father Evangelos Markantonis, an Orthodox priest who was leading a group of theology students to Chora on Friday, told Religion News Service.

"Though we cannot venerate as Orthodox Christians, we have to try to find things we can be united on. Only with dialogue and good deeds can we continue our lives," Markantonis, who is also a professor at the University of Athens, said when asked about the controversy.

Erdoğan had long refused calls from his right to convert churches like Hagia Sophia and Chora, telling supporters in 2018 to fill the nearby Sultan Ahmet Mosque (also known in English as the Blue Mosque) before they talked about needing to pray in Hagia Sophia.

Nonetheless, he made an about-turn in 2020.

"My dear nation, the conquest of Istanbul and the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a Mosque are among the most glorious chapters in Turkish history," Erdoğan said at the time in a speech inaugurating the Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

"This is the most honorable day that Islam has been looking forward to, Greek Constantinople has become Turkish Istanbul," he added, quoting the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet.

"The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque. The resurrection of Hagia Sophia is the footsteps of the will of Muslims across the world to come out of the interregnum," Erdoğan said in his concluding remarks.

Chora's opening as the Kariye Mosque comes just weeks after Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered its largest electoral defeat in two decades during Turkey's nationwide municipal elections.

"The recent conversion of Chora into a mosque may be due to Erdoğan's many problems, including his geopolitical power politics, his appeal to religio-nationalism to revive his electoral popularity after the March elections or his tactic to divert attention from Turkey's economic downturn," Kaymak said.

Many analysts have attributed the loss to AKP bleeding votes to the more Islamist-leaning New Welfare Party, which has pressured Erdogan over his response to the Israel-Hamas war and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Muslim worshippers at the mosque on Friday said they viewed its rededication as an Islamic site to be a national win for Turkey.

"This mosque is one of the symbols of the Conquest. We are proud and happy. There are very beautiful frescoes inside. They were also nicely renovated before they were closed. May it be good for our country and our nation," a bystander, Ahmet Öteyüzoğlu, told Turkish media.

"Thank God for these days. Not everyone has the opportunity in their lifetime," another bystander named Mehmet Çelik told the Turkish news service Anadolu Agency, in reference to having been able to pray at both the rededicated Hagia Sophia and Kariye Mosques.

However, Greece, the U.S. State Department and Orthodox Christian institutions worldwide have all criticized the decision to revert the structure into a mosque.

"I want to publicly express my intense dissatisfaction, interpreting the feelings of all Greek women and men, for the completely unnecessary conversion of a historic Byzantine temple, the Monastery of Chora, into a mosque. It is, I believe, an action that offends the rich history of Istanbul itself as a crossroads of cultures," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said shortly before leaving for Turkey for a planned meeting with Erdogan.

"We encourage the Turkish government to preserve and ensure access to sites and buildings that have hosted different religious communities in a way that respects their diverse histories," a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from Greek media.

"The Turkish government's appropriation of both as the property of one faith group not only constitutes yet another sign of that government's contempt for Turkey's rich Orthodox Christian heritage but further imperils the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians of that land," the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate said in a statement.

© Religion News Service

Some Orthodox Christians expressed disappointment but suggested focusing on unity rather than division over the conversion.

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Muslim worshippers celebrated the mosque’s rededication as a national achievement for Turkey.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

What kind of domestic reaction did Erdogan's reconversion of Hagia Sophia receive?

Recent videos show fragments falling from Hagia Sophia’s dome, highlighting preservation concerns.

Title:

Content: [ditty_news_ticker id="27897"] Video Shows Fragments Falling from the Dome of Hagia Sophia - Orthodox Christian Laity

Video Shows Fragments Falling from the Dome of Hagia Sophia

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Source: Greek Reporter

A still from a recently released video shows visitors rushing to take cover as fragments fall from the dome of Hagia Sophia. Credit: Daily Motion/BirGün

A video from 2022 that came to light recently shows fragments falling on visitors from the dome of Hagia Sophia, the former epicenter of Christian worship at Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.

The footage released by the Turkish newspaper, BirGün, raises serious questions over the safety of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral, now a mosque.

BirGün notably quoted officials as saying that “pieces are falling from the roof, due to the humidity created by the crowd, but no precautions are being taken”.

The president of the Turkish Art History Association, Serif Yasar, argued for restoration of the monument as soon as possible, suggesting that “If Hagia Sophia is not restored, it will collapse with the first earthquake.”

The monument was restored as a mosque three years ago after serving as a museum from 1935-2020 and has since received 21 million visitors, according to Turkey’s tourism and culture minister.

Yasar added that when the church was a museum, the scientific council overseeing it urged that groups of no more than 25 people should be allowed to enter the building at any one time.

This enormous lift in visitation has likely brought to the forefront the need for repairs and it was indeed reported in September that the Turkish government had decided to start long-term maintenance of Hagia Sophia.

Turkey to implement visitor management policy at Hagia Sophia

In early October Turkish historian Ilber Ortayli expressed fears that the large number of visitors to Hagia Sophia could lead to a catastrophic structural failure if not addressed immediately.

Writing in the Hürriyet daily, Ortayli said that the monument, which attracts three million pilgrims annually apart from tourists, has undergone significant damage since its conversion into a mosque.

He asserted that even a modest number of 20-30 thousand people annually, including scientists, historians, archaeologists, representatives of the Muslim religion, politicians, and public officials, could be considered excessive for the endurance of the monument.

In June 2022 a number of tiles of the ancient marble floors in Hagia Sophia were damaged by heavy machines used to clean the site.

In April 2022, The Turkish Association of Art Historians stated that the historic Imperial Gate in Hagia Sophia had been badly damaged.

The group posted a picture clearly depicting the damage to the oak wood of the 15-century-old gate.

Turkey unveiled plans in late October for a visitor management policy at Hagia Sophia, including charging foreign tourists with an entrance fee to be implemented starting Jan. 15.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that extensive restoration work is underway in various sections of Hagia Sophia, now a mosque, with plans to progress to other parts upon their completion.

He emphasized that, based on UNESCO’s recommendations, a visitor management plan would be enforced to enhance the quality and safety of visits while preserving the historical significance of the site.

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Officials argue for repairs to Hagia Sophia after footage shows fragments falling from the dome – Neos Kosmos

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A new tourist entrance to Hagia Sophia now exists in front of the Topkapi Palace Museum.

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Content: Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia mosque to charge $28 entry fee for tourists

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Turkey’s Hagia Sophia mosque began charging tourists nearly $28 on Monday for entrance to the landmark site.

The UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its blue-tiled interior, will no longer allow free admission to foreigners, the Turkish tourism ministry announced.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The former museum-turned mosque has a new entrance in front of the Topkapi Palace Museum open for tourists.

Tunnel entrance at Turkey's Hagia Sophia. (File photo)

The Hagia Sophia was a museum space from 1934 until 2020 when Turkey decided to change it to a mosque. Various historical reports say the mosque with byzantine architecture was an Orthodox cathedral decades ago.

“With the new application that will start on January 15 at the Hagia Sophia Mosque, tourists will be able to visit the mosque without disturbing the prayer environment,” the ministry said in a statement.

The entrance to the mosque will be “provided in a controlled manner through the tunnel and entrance ramp where visitors will be transported to the gallery floor and exited via the ramp in the northeast direction,” the statement said.

“Tourists who come to the gallery section will be able to see the sanctuary floor of the mosque and the Ottoman Period annexes, pass through the heaven-hell gate, and examine the Byzantine Period mosaics in this section,” it added.

Security cameras, fire detection and emergency announcement systems were reportedly installed in the mosque along the tour route. Cleaning and conservation work on the marble coverings and wooden railings on the gallery floor of the mosque was also carried out by restorers and conservators.

Visitors will also have access to a headset guide with QR codes where information on the sight is available in 23 languages.

People visit the Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 10, 2020. (Reuters)

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According to the Turkish ministry, starting January 15, tourists can visit Hagia Sophia Mosque without disrupting prayers.

Christian leaders in Turkey are interested in a new law regarding the management of religious foundations, which is crucial for local Christian communities.

Title:

Content: >
December 9, 2021

Christian leaders look forward to Turkey's new law on religious foundations

This is an issue of vital importance for local Christian communities whose places of worship are entrusted to and managed by their governing bodies

Religious minorities in Turkey are looking forward to the increasingly Islamo-nationalist government making good its promise of outreach to non-Muslims by giving them freedom to establish and run their religious and social institutions.

The Turkish government is preparing to issue a new regulation on the administrative management of foundations linked to non-Muslim faith communities, which have been paralyzed for years by a legislative impasse that blocks the renewal of their governing bodies.

This is an issue of vital importance for local Christian communities such as Armenians and Assyrians, whose places of worship – many of them historic --, other real estate and public institutions are entrusted to and managed by foundations.

Burhan Ersoy, head of the state-run Directorate of the Foundations, has confirmed that the plan for the drafting of a new regulation concerning the elections for the assignment of offices within the foundations has come into being, Fides reported.

The draft of the text has been drawn up, taking into account requests and proposals from the various minority communities, and it is expected that the new rules, after obtaining government approval, would be implemented by April 2022.

The previous electoral regulation for the top management of foundations had been suspended in 2013, after the government chose to establish new procedures to make the management of real estate more functional and transparent.

This led to some confusion with representatives of the various minority communities unable to come to a consensus to either accept or reject the new electoral rules, Ersoy said.

The Syrian Orthodox Christian Süleyman Can Ustabaşı, current representative of the non-Muslim Foundations within the Assembly of Foundations, has said that the structure of foundations and their membership profiles had changed over time.

The Turkish government already had consultations with the representatives of religious minorities to resolve the dispute over board elections for their foundations.

But Ustabaşı now urges Turkish authorities to carry out another consultation with representatives of minority communities before the new text is to be implemented in 2022.

The legal status of the Foundations is still based on the Peace Treaty of Lausanne, signed in 1923 by Turkey and the Entente powers (British Empire, France and Russian Empire) victorious from the First World War.

The treaty guaranteed equality before the laws and the freedom to promote and manage "religious and social institutions" for non-Muslim communities in Turkey.

However, the state had seized properties run by these foundations and had to contend with litigation as these foundations claimed the rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Lausanne.

Also, starting from 1936, legislative provisions had allowed foundations of non-Muslim communities to acquire new properties. But in 1974, this guarantee was canceled and the state begun seizing assets acquired by these foundations.

Between 2013 and 2018 about 1,084 properties were returned to the foundations linked to non-Muslim communities, and 20 places of worship restored and given back to the foundations, according to official data.

Greek Orthodox Laki Vingas, in a speech published by the Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos, said that the legislative deadlock on the question of the regulation of the foundations has had a negative effect on the life of the different ecclesial communities.

The block in the processes of renewal of the governing bodies of foundations had led to the expulsion of young people from the institutions linked to their communities, and also that many voluntary activities were "unfortunately interrupted".

Non-Muslim places of worship

Within the general Assembly of the Turkish Foundations are some 167 minority foundations. The Turkish Greek community has 77, the highest number of foundations. The Armenian community has 54 and the Jewish community has 19 foundations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a cabinet meeting held on October 25 announced that authorities had put on the agenda the question of the elections of the directorates of the foundations linked to religious minorities.

He also spoke of fundamental tools for the management of assets and resources destined for non-Muslim places of worship.

The issue of the foundations come at a time when Turkish authorities have expelled more and more Protestant Christians -- foreigners and Turkish converts-- on grounds they constitute a "threat to national security".

Turkey had also recently transformed museums into mosques, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

Both churches had been turned into museums after the end of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of modern Turkey.

The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora was built by the Byzantines in the 5th century. The Ottomans then turned it into a mosque after they captured Constantinople in 1453. And it remained a Muslim worship space until the end of the Second World War when it was transformed into a museum.

The same happened to the Hagia Sophia Museum in Iznik, and the high-profile reconversion of the Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul's most identifiable monument.

Many observers believe that President Erdogan, weakened internally by a bad economy and a lack of political perspective, is compensating with erasing part of the country's multiculturalism, aimed at shoring up the ranks of his Islamo-nationalist base.

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The Turkish Greek community administers 77 religious foundations, the highest in the country.

The Chora Church, built in the 5th century by the Byzantines, is a significant historical structure.

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also reopened the Ayasofya Mosque’s Fatih Madrassa, Istanbul’s first Ottoman religious school.

Title:

Content: Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched the reopening and operation of Ayasofya Mosque's Fatih Madrassa — Istanbul’s first religious school under the Ottoman Empire.

The Turkish president has inaugurated the Ayasofya Fatih Madrassa, the first Ottoman school in Istanbul.

“We have taken a very important step to carry our magnificent past to the present and the future, and to bring it together with our people,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the inauguration ceremony on Friday.

“After the conquest of Istanbul, this place was put into service as the first madrassa of the city, next to Ayasofya," Erdogan added.

The religious school takes its name from Fatih (Conqueror), the title given to Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered the city in 1453. It was the first of its kind in the capital of the former Ottoman Empire.

Erdogan said the school continued to operate until 1924 with maintenance, repairs and construction during different periods, but was later demolished by "those who wanted to erase the country’s rich history."

Erdogan said the madrassa will again be an education centre, operated by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet University.

“Ayasofya Fatih Madrasa, which has been instrumental in the training of countless scholars for nearly four and a half centuries, will serve as an education centre from now on. I hope that tomorrow's scholars, intellectuals, scientists and researchers will be trained here,” the president said.

READ MORE: Türkiye to 'tirelessly' continue mediating Ukraine-Russia conflict: Altun

Ayasofya’s historical significance

Ayasofya was built in the year 532 CE, and turned into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who later established a mosque foundation.

The historic place of worship was converted into a museum in 1934, and it regained mosque status in 2020.

Besides being a mosque, Ayasofya is also among Türkiye's top tourism destinations and remains open for domestic and foreign visitors.

In 1985, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

READ MORE: Istanbul Airport ranked second busiest in the world last year

Source: AA

The conversions of Hagia Sophia and Chora have provoked debate over religious freedom and the changing use of World Heritage Sites.

Christian communities and Western leaders have voiced concern about the religious implications and the preservation of these sites’ multicultural legacies.

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Critics argue the mosque conversions serve political purposes for Erdogan, aiming to solidify nationalistic and religious support.

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

There are ongoing discussions regarding the balance between tourism, preservation, and religious practices at these significant historical locations.

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Turkey's ancient ruins: Explore rich past of Temple of Artemis, Troy and more

Updated on Jan 08, 2023 06:36 PM IST

In recent years, more and more people have been drawn to the ruins of Turkey, eager to explore the country’s rich past. The ruins of Turkey are some of the most impressive in the world. Visit these best-preserved archaeological sites on your next travel

By | Edited by Zarafshan Shiraz, Delhi

The Ancient Ruins of Turkey have been a source of fascination for travellers for centuries. From the majestic city of Istanbul to the ancient ruins of Ephesus, Turkey is a country that is full of history and culture. In recent years, more and more people have been drawn to the ruins of Turkey, eager to explore the country’s rich past.

The ruins of Turkey are some of the most impressive in the world. The ancient city of Ephesus is one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in the world, and it has been a popular destination for tourists for many years. The ruins of the city are a testament to the power and wealth of the ancient city. The city was once home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The ruins of the temple are still visible today and are a popular attraction for tourists.

Other ancient ruins in Turkey include the ruins of Troy, the ancient city of Hattusa, and the ruins of Aphrodisias. Troy was the site of the legendary Trojan War, and the ruins of the city are still visible today. The ruins of Hattusa are the remains of the capital of the Hittite Empire, and they are an impressive sight. The ruins of Aphrodisias are the remains of an ancient Greek city, and they are also a popular tourist attraction.

Exploring the ancient ruins of Turkey can be a very rewarding experience. Many of the ruins are open to the public, and visitors can explore them at their own pace. Visitors can also take guided tours of the sites, which can provide valuable insight into the history and culture of the country.

The ruins of Turkey are also a great place to learn about the country’s ancient history. Many of the ruins are home to artifacts and relics from the past, and visitors can learn about the culture and history of the country by examining these artifacts. The ruins of Troy, for example, are home to many artifacts that were used in the Trojan War.

Exploring the ancient ruins of Turkey is also a great way to experience the country’s culture and traditions. Many of the ruins are home to traditional Turkish architecture, and visitors can learn about the country’s traditional customs by visiting these sites. Visitors can also experience traditional Turkish cuisine by visiting the many restaurants and cafes that are located near the ruins.

Exploring the ancient ruins of Turkey is a great way to learn about the country’s past and experience its culture. The ruins are a great way to experience the country’s history and culture, and they are a great way to get an insight into the country’s past. Visiting the ruins of Turkey is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.

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The controversial reconversions have shifted access and use while raising questions about cultural heritage management in Turkey.


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque in 2020 sparked widespread controversy due to the building's historical and religious significance as both a Byzantine cathedral and an Ottoman mosque.

Critics argue that the move challenged the secular foundation laid by modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who had converted Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934 as a symbol of secularism and coexistence.

UNESCO, which designated Hagia Sophia as a World Heritage Site, expressed deep regret, warning the decision could undermine the monument’s universal value and called for dialogue to prevent negative impacts on the site’s heritage status.

Religious minorities and secularists in Turkey voiced concern that the reconversion sent a message of religious exclusivity and risked alienating non-Muslims as well as those committed to a secular state.

Internationally, Greece and other countries criticized the move for endangering interfaith relations and described it as a disregard for the building’s significance to Christianity.

Some observers described Erdogan’s move as a political calculation to consolidate support among his conservative and nationalist base, especially ahead of key elections, by asserting Turkey’s sovereignty and Islamic heritage.

Observers also noted that the timing fit a pattern in which Erdogan invoked religious and nationalist rhetoric to counteract criticism of his rule and economic challenges facing his government.

Supporters of the reconversion argued it restored a central piece of Ottoman-Islamic heritage and was a sovereign domestic matter for Turkey to decide.

The issue thus laid bare the intersection of religion, politics, and national identity in modern Turkey, and highlighted diverging interpretations of historical legacy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque in 2020 sparked widespread controversy due to the building's historical and religious significance as both a Byzantine cathedral and an Ottoman mosque.

Title:

Content: Plus, YouTube closes accounts of separatists in Ukraine, Greece and Turkey at odds over Orthodox monastery, and more.

The Big Story: Macron Shows Cautious Optimism After Meeting With Putin

What happened: After their meeting yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will look into the proposals on defusing the situation in Ukraine put forth by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, AFP reports. “A number of his ideas, proposals … are possible as a basis for further steps,” Putin said. “We will do everything to find compromises that suit everyone.”

More context: “President Putin assured me of his readiness to engage,” Macron said, while adding “There is no security for the Europeans if there is no security for Russia.” According to French officials, the proposals included both sides avoiding any new military action, the launch of a new strategic dialogue, and efforts to revive the peace process in Kyiv’s conflict with separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Worth noting: Also yesterday, Washington and Brussels said they will work to ensure gas supplies can respond to potential disruptions in pipeline gas flows, Reuters reports. “We’re working together right now to protect Europe’s energy supply against supply shocks, including those that could result from further Russian aggression against Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell

News from the Regions

Central Europe and the Baltics

  • A court in Latvia has fined the owner of a company that broadcasts Russian television channels in the three Baltic states, the Baltic News Network reports. Baltic Media Alliance (BMA) was hit with a fine of 3.1 million euros last week due to the company’s non-compliance with EU sanctions on Russia. At issue is the company’s contract and financial arrangements with the co-owner and board chair at Rossiya Bank, Yuri Kovalchuk, who has been on the EU’s blacklist since 2014. The court also issued fines of 25,000 euros to BMA co-owner Oleg Solodov and BMA Estonia branch director Margus Merima; in addition, authorities seized BMA property worth 3 million euros. In 2019, the Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council banned nine Russian television programs owned by Kovalchuk.

Southeastern Europe

  • Albania’s Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime sentenced a former interior minister to over three years in prison for abuse of office, Exit.al reports. According to a judge in the case, Saimir Tahiri “facilitated drug trafficking for a criminal group through his inaction and received gifts from its members during his term in office,” Exit.al writes. The case was a retrial; Tahiri was initially arrested in 2017 on drug trafficking charges, but was convicted in 2019 for abuse of office and sentenced only to community service. Tahiri is the second former minister of Edi Rama’s 2013-2017 government to receive a prison sentence, after former Environment Minister Lefter Koka.
  • Authorities in Bucharest are asking Moscow to return the treasure that Romania sent to Russia for safekeeping during World War I, BIRN reports. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Sunday that Romania wants to reopen negotiations on the collection of valuables, which includes almost 94 tons of gold coins, jewels, and art objects, all currently estimated to be worth $5 billion. The then Soviet Union returned some of the collection in 1935 when it turned over 1,443 boxes – with broken seals – that contained old archives, documents, rare books, and religious objects, but no gold. The only body designated to manage the issue is the Joint Intergovernmental Commission of Romania and Russia, formed in 2004.

Eastern Europe and Russia

  • YouTube has closed down several accounts linked to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, Euronews reports. “YouTube complies with all applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws, including with respect to content created and uploaded by restricted entities,” a Google spokesperson said. “If we find that an account violates our Terms of Service or Community Guidelines, we disable it.” No information was provided about the specific guidelines that the accounts violated. One of the channels shut down last week was the Luhansk People’s Republic Information Center, the official news website of the self-proclaimed republic in eastern Ukraine, which announced that its YouTube channel had been shut down “without explanation.”
  • A Siberian zoo in Russia’s third-largest city of Novosibirsk scrapped the public vote for a new mascot after the poll took on political undertones, The Moscow Times reports. Input from voters turned political when exiled city deputy Sergei Boyko, a former coordinator for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, chose Batu the orangutan as his favorite, which led to an outpouring of support for the ape. Batu was later dethroned by Shilka the polar bear cub, and then by Sayan, the white snow leopard, in developments that some denounced as fraudulent. The zoo eventually canceled the voting altogether and said it will announce its mascot at a later date.

The Caucasus

  • Azerbaijani officials announced the release of eight Armenian prisoners of war on the basis of “humanist principles” yesterday, RFE/RL reports. The prisoners, who have since returned to Yerevan, were captured in November 2021 during border clashes between the neighboring countries. “The release by Azerbaijan and reparation to Armenia of eight Armenian detainees is another sign of positive developments following the meeting with [French President] Emmanuel Macron, Azerbaijani President lham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,” tweeted European Council President Charles Michel

Central Asia

  • The trial of a man suspected of involvement in the murder of a Kyrgyz opposition politician started yesterday in Bishkek, RFE/RL reports. In December 2021, Kyrgyz authorities announced the arrest of Sanjar Saparbekov, a suspect in the murder of opposition politician Medet Sadyrkulov, who was found dead in a burned-out car along with two of his associates near Bishkek in 2009. The incident was initially ruled as a traffic accident; after former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev fled the country in 2010, the deaths were reclassified as assassinations. Saparbekov is charged with murder, kidnapping, the destruction of private property, vandalism, and the organization of a criminal group and taking part in its activities.

Borderlands

  • The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a social media video showing people dancing to electronic music at the former Orthodox Christian Sumela Monastery in Turkey was “offensive” and “a desecration” of the monument, Reuters reports. The monastery complex at Sumela, which is a candidate for UNESCO’s World Heritage list, no longer has a religious status and serves as a museum. “It is surprising that the permit was given to the band, as the Monastery … opens only for pilgrims,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said. “These images are offensive and add to a series of actions by the Turkish authorities against World Heritage Sites,” the ministry statement said, without further details.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

No--In 1934, Ataturk turned it into a museum, making it a major tourist attraction and secular symbol in Turkey.

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Why did Erdogan restore Hagia Sophia as a mosque in 2020?

Because he wanted to end its 86-year museum status to return it to its original role as a mosque.

Critics argue that the move challenged the secular foundation laid by modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who had converted Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934 as a symbol of secularism and coexistence.

No--In 1934, Ataturk turned it into a museum, making it a major tourist attraction and secular symbol in Turkey.

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

UNESCO, which designated Hagia Sophia as a World Heritage Site, expressed deep regret, warning the decision could undermine the monument’s universal value and called for dialogue to prevent negative impacts on the site’s heritage status.

Religious minorities and secularists in Turkey voiced concern that the reconversion sent a message of religious exclusivity and risked alienating non-Muslims as well as those committed to a secular state.

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

Internationally, Greece and other countries criticized the move for endangering interfaith relations and described it as a disregard for the building’s significance to Christianity.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Some observers described Erdogan’s move as a political calculation to consolidate support among his conservative and nationalist base, especially ahead of key elections, by asserting Turkey’s sovereignty and Islamic heritage.

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Orthodox Christian churches are drawing in far-right American converts

When Sarah Riccardi-Swartz moved from New York City to a small Appalachian town in West Virginia in the fall of 2017, she was searching for an answer to a puzzling question. Why had a group of conservative American Christians converted to Russian Orthodoxy?

"It's typically an immigrant faith, so I was really interested in that experience and why it spoke to converts," said Riccardi-Swartz, a postdoctoral fellow in the Recovering Truth project at Arizona State University.

Riccardi-Swartz's study focused on a community of mostly former evangelical Christians and Catholics who had joined the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). The West Virginia location, in addition to having a church parish, was also home to the largest English-speaking Russian Orthodox monastery in the world.

Over a year of doing research, Riccardi-Swartz learned that many of these converts had grown disillusioned with social and demographic change in the United States. In ROCOR, they felt they had found a church that has remained the same, regardless of place, time and politics. But Riccardi-Swartz also found strong strains of nativism, white nationalism and pro-authoritarianism, evidenced by strong admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin as "king-like figure"

"For many of them, Putin becomes this sort of king-like figure in their narratives," she said. "They see themselves as oppressed by democracy because democracy is really diversity. And they look to Putin because democracy isn't really, as we see right now, an option [in Russia]."

She recently published a book based on her research that's titled Between Heaven and Russia: Religious Conversion and Political Apostasy in Appalachia.

The case study that Riccardi-Swartz provides adds detail and color to a trend that a handful of historians and journalists have documented for nearly a decade. In publications mostly targeted toward an Orthodox Christian audience, they have raised the alarm about a growing nativist element within the church. Despite Orthodoxy's relatively small imprint in the U.S., they warn that, unchecked, these adherents could fundamentally alter the faith tradition in the United States. They also warn that these individuals are evangelizing hate in the name of Orthodoxy in ways that could attract more who share those views.

"It's an immigrant faith. It's now being sort of colonized by these converts in many respects," said Riccardi-Swartz. "They're vocal in their parishes. They're vocal online. They're very digitally savvy and very connected to other far-right actors in the United States and across the globe. And that's really changing the faith."

Orthodoxy's changing footprint in America

Despite centuries of presence in North America, starting in what we now know as Alaska, the Orthodox church in the U.S. is still relatively small. Alexei Krindatch, a sociologist of religion who focuses on Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches in the U.S., estimates that active adherents make up about 0.4% of the population. Within that, nearly two dozen branches are divided between what's known as Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy. They include Greek, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian and more.

Eastern Orthodox churches, which include ROCOR, flourished in the U.S. starting at the turn of the 20th century, when migrants flocked to major industrial hubs like New York, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland for jobs. Over time, these churches concentrated in the Northeast and West Coast. But more recently, the size and location of Eastern Orthodox churches in the U.S. has changed. According to Krindatch, who conducts censuses of Orthodoxy in the U.S., parishes declined in size between 2010 and 2020.

"This is in line with American mainline religion, [where] everyone is shrinking in size except nondenominational churches," Krindatch said. But ROCOR, which Krindatch estimated in 2020 to have roughly 24,000 adherents, experienced a striking shift. While the number of ROCOR adherents declined by 14%, Krindatch found that the number of parishes grew by 15%.

"So what it means [is], we have more parishes, but which are smaller in size. And if you look at the geography, those parishes were planted not in traditional lands of Orthodoxy," said Krindatch. The growth occurred in less populated areas of the Upper Midwest and Southern states, places with fewer direct links to Russia.

"So for me, those are a bunch of new ROCOR communities which are founded by convert clergy or by convert members," Krindatch said.

Aram Sarkisian, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Northwestern University's Department of History, said this new growth from converts has helped some branches of Orthodoxy offset a decline in multigenerational families in the church. Sarkisian said these converts often find their way to Orthodoxy because they seek a haven for what they consider to be the most important cultural issues of the day.

"They're drawn to what they believe to be conservative views on things like LGBTQ rights, gender equality. Abortion is a really big issue for these folks, the culture wars issues, really," Sarkisian said. "And so they leave other faith traditions that they don't believe to be as stringent about those issues anymore."

Sarkisian said he began to see white nationalist and nativist views surface within Orthodox spaces online just around the time that these shifts began taking place.

"I first started noticing this around 2010, 2011 on Orthodox blogs, where I started to see language and rhetoric that was subtly racist and was subtly engaging in what we would now know as the alt-right," Sarkisian said. "They bring it with them into the church because they see Orthodoxy as amenable to these goals, to these viewpoints."

Orthodoxy and the Unite the Right rally

Perhaps the most well known among Orthodox converts who worked within alt-right circles was Matthew Heimbach. He had established the Traditionalist Worker Party, which helped organize a deadly gathering of neo-Nazis and white nationalists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. But years before that, Heimbach's activities had already created waves within some Orthodox circles.

In 2014, he was excommunicated from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America shortly after he had been accepted into it. During his brief time there, Heimbach's activities with other Orthodox converts on a college campus in Indiana drew scrutiny. In explaining the decision to cut Heimbach off from the church, the priest who had brought him into the church explained, "I did not understand at that time that he held nationalistic, segregationist views." Heimbach went on to join another branch of Orthodoxy.

"And then after that all happened, basically, the bishops said, 'OK, it's all done. There is nothing to talk about anymore and nothing here to see,' " said Inga Leonova, the founder and editor of The Wheel, a journal on Orthodoxy and culture.

Leonova, a member of the Orthodox Church in America, said she began following the trend of extremists joining Orthodoxy when she became aware of Heimbach's campus activities. When she writes about the topic, she said she receives threats from within the Orthodox community. Still, she has felt that silence on the issue has caused greater harm. In the wake of the Unite the Right rally, she said that bishops across Orthodox jurisdictions ignored calls to condemn the event and the rise of extremist ideologies in the church.

"I think that there must be a presence of a certain amount of aloofness and the lack of desire to engage with these topics because there is an Orthodox story that Orthodoxy and politics don't mix," she said.

But Leonova said this is fiction. An Orthodox Church in America priest from Ohio was briefly suspended after he was seen in a video wearing his cassock on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, after he attended the Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C. And Leonova said other clergy members, themselves American converts to the faith, have signaled their political viewpoints on their social media pages and personal blogs.

"There is a significant number of clergy whose social media profiles sport Confederate flags and support of the Southern cause," she said.

ROCOR's media-makers

Those who have followed the influx of extremists into American Orthodoxy agree that those individuals are fringe within the church and are mostly concentrated in newly founded ROCOR parishes. But they also warn that it would be foolish to ignore them. Of particular concern are the ways in which these individuals are networking with outside extremist groups and broadcasting their ideologies in the name of Orthodoxy.

"I do actually think it's growing," said George Demacopoulos, a professor and the director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. "I don't think these people are necessarily changing the minds of people already in the church, but I do think they are bringing others culturally or politically like them into the church."

In a viral social media clip pulled from a far-right internet talk show on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Lauren Witzke of Delaware praised Russia as a "Christian nationalist nation." Witzke is studying to convert to ROCOR.

"I identify more with Russian — with Putin's Christian values — than I do with Joe Biden," Witzke said in the video. She declined to speak with NPR for this story.

Sarkisian said Witzke's view typifies those of far-right converts to ROCOR, who have been receptive to Kremlin propaganda portraying Putin as a pious defender of Orthodoxy and traditional values. He said Putin also represents to them an appealing style of authoritarian leadership that challenges pluralism and liberal democracy in the United States.

"They are anti-democratic by nature," Sarkisian said. "They are a part of these larger networks on the American far right, like Nicholas Fuentes and his America Firsters. They connect into these nodes that are challenging the very fabric of American democracy."

Witzke, a MAGA supporter who ran on an anti-immigration platform in 2020, has appeared on Orthodox podcasts, where she has identified herself as aligned with the white nationalist America First movement. She also, at one time, seemed to support QAnon conspiracy theories but has since renounced QAnon. The media ecosystem she has participated in, a network of American converts to ROCOR who produce podcasts and live video chats online, presents a highly politicized interpretation of Orthodoxy to the world and one that many believe offers a distorted view of the church.

"This is how people are finding Orthodoxy now. They're finding Orthodoxy through these YouTube shows. They're finding it through these podcasts. They're finding it through these blogs," said Sarkisian. "They're being radicalized by these folks on the internet, and that's really dangerous."

The channels revolve around themes of antisemitism, contempt for women's and LGBTQ rights, xenophobia and support of white nationalists, including some who've been convicted of violent hate crimes. At times, clergy within ROCOR and other Orthodox branches have joined these online discussions, which may lend the appearance of sanctioning those views.

Some longtime ROCOR faithful have found these views bewildering, given the church's history. Lena Zezulin, whose parents were among the founding members of a parish in Long Island, N.Y., said that the community was always inclusive of non-Christian Russian immigrants living among it and proud of its immigrant roots.

"We had Muslims in the community," she recalled. "My summer camp had Buddhists in the community. So those people were kind of lovingly absorbed into the group because they all came over [to the U.S.] together."

She said that the congregation and clergy also welcomed her African American husband when they married roughly 40 years ago. But over time, their children started to encounter racism in the church. Zezulin said it tracked with the church's expansion to new regions of the U.S., where it was drawing new conservative converts. Zezulin said she believes tolerance for these views may explain why extremists with xenophobic and nativist views have been joining.

"It's outrageous, given that we came here as refugees and were accepted," she said. "I think it's racism based."

Russia's war in Ukraine

In general, those who have raised concern about racism and extremists' participation within the church say the issue has largely been left to parish priests to address — or not to address. NPR reached out to Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary near Jordanville, N.Y., ROCOR's theological training institution, for comment on a number of questions, including how clergy are advised to handle the airing of antisemitic or nativist views by parishioners. Representatives declined to answer questions.

Most recently, Russia's war in Ukraine has prompted painful reflection among some faithful. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, gave religious cover to the war. He claimed that the invasion of Ukraine is necessary to protect Orthodox Ukrainians from Western influence — namely, gay pride parades. Zezulin left her longtime ROCOR community and has started attending an Orthodox Church in America parish because her priest would not condemn the invasion.

"You know, somebody just said we should stand and pray for both sides. Well, were the Brits supposed to pray for Hitler and Churchill at the same time?" she said.

If anything, said Sarkisian, the war has exposed just how Putin has used the Russian Orthodox Church to further his country's influence.

"It is definitely an arm of soft diplomacy, and ROCOR is a really important part of that," Sarkisian said. "Putin is really interested in the church for its purposes for amplifying a particular aspect of Russian history politically, religiously, culturally."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

What kind of domestic reaction did Erdogan's reconversion of Hagia Sophia receive?

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

Observers also noted that the timing fit a pattern in which Erdogan invoked religious and nationalist rhetoric to counteract criticism of his rule and economic challenges facing his government.

Supporters of the reconversion argued it restored a central piece of Ottoman-Islamic heritage and was a sovereign domestic matter for Turkey to decide.

Title:

Content: The temple is known for its Theyyams, a dance worship ritual, which never discriminated between people of any caste or religion.

Courtesy: Keralaculture.org
news Controversy Monday, April 18, 2022 - 18:25

Protests broke out, questions were raised, and a controversy arose after a board outside the Malliyodu Palottu Kaavu, a temple in Kunhimangalam of Kannur, said that Muslims were not allowed inside the premises during festival time. The board was put up during the Vishu-related festival in the temple this year, held between April 14 and 19. It was not the first time such a board was seen outside the temple during Vishu.

Last year, a similar board was kept outside the temple with the same message. A person who was formerly in charge at the temple confirmed that the board was put up. MV Jayarajan, CPI(M)'s Kannur district secretary, told media that it was unfortunate that such a board was kept outside the temple and it would be good if whoever kept it could also take it down. He mentioned that a conflict in the area involving members of the Muslim community many years ago appears to be the trigger for the board to come up.

Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) protested the ‘ban’ on Muslims at the temple. The DYFI Madayi Block Committee condemned the move, calling it a challenge against a secular society, installing a board at a place like Kunhimangalam, known for its brotherhood and cultural commitment. “It is lamentable that the authorities have repeated the action after a lot of protests had risen against it last year,” they said in a Facebook post.

The Athiyedam Palottu deity which is inside the temple is said to have been brought by a man called Chemmaran Panicker to what was then Chirambakkavu, according to the Kerala Tourism page. The deity is believed to be the first incarnation of Vishnu, one of the three major Hindu gods.

A number of Theyyam performances happen at the kaavu every year. Theyyams are dance worship rituals where the person becoming Theyyam is considered a channel communicating to god. “The Theyyams had no such restrictions in the old days. All these developments – keeping a board outside preventing the entry of Muslims – must have happened within the last 50 years,” says Kannan YV, a folklore historian in Kannur.

Board from last year banning Muslims

Theyyams in north Kerala addressed everyone in the society and no one is a stranger, he says. “The Theyyam would come out of the temple fences and go to the people who waited at the bottom of the big aalmaram (banyan tree). Everyone, including Muslims, would be given the ‘kuri’ (turmeric powder, offered as blessing of god) and the Theyyam would also talk to them. To Muslims, the Theyyam would tell the mappilavedam (myths around early days of Islam in Kerala). Later on, the fences were broken and in its place big buildings were made,” Kannan says.

The legendary story of Cheraman Perumal, a king from Kerala who famously embraced Islam, is cited as one of the tales the Theyyam told Muslims. The legend has many variations and the Cheraman Juma Masjid, recognised by many as the first mosque in India, is believed to have been built in Kodungalloor in the aftermath of the king’s sojourn. Legend says that he went to Mecca and spent several years there. When he was on his way home, he died, after sending word home to build mosques.

However, none of the mayhem on social media about the ‘controversial board’ seems to have affected the people of Kunhimangalam, writes VK Anilkumar, documentary filmmaker, who writes about Theyyams and the lives behind the art form. He visited the temple and saw people sitting around the said board last evening (April 17), he said.

“Theyyam temples, where the most common people of various castes and religions gather, are above religious observances. A Theyyam temple cannot discriminate between people. A Theyyam can never see Muslim siblings as others. And a Theyyakkaavu will not become a traditional temple,” Anilkumar writes in his post.

He further asks, “How can Theyyams, who have declared Brahminism as their enemy, be bound with the rules of Vedas and mantras?”

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How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

What kind of domestic reaction did Erdogan's reconversion of Hagia Sophia receive?

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

Why did Erdogan restore Hagia Sophia as a mosque in 2020?

Because he wanted to end its 86-year museum status to return it to its original role as a mosque.

The issue thus laid bare the intersection of religion, politics, and national identity in modern Turkey, and highlighted diverging interpretations of historical legacy.