# The Hagia Sophia Controversy: Historical Significance and Political Implications

## Introduction

The Hagia Sophia, one of the world's most iconic religious structures, has once again become a focal point of international controversy following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 2020 decision to convert it back into a mosque.

This decision has sparked widespread debate about religious freedom, cultural heritage, and political motivations in modern Turkey.

For viewers in the Arab world, understanding this controversy provides insight into the complex interplay between religion, history, and politics in one of the region's most influential countries.

## Historical Background

The Hagia Sophia's history spans nearly 1,500 years, reflecting the changing religious and political landscape of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople):

- **Byzantine Era**: Originally constructed as a Christian cathedral in 537 CE under Emperor Justinian I, it served as the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 900 years.

- **Ottoman Era**: After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II converted the cathedral into a mosque, a status it maintained for nearly 500 years.

- **Modern Turkish Era**: Following the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923, President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk secularized the building, converting it into a museum in 1934 as a symbol of Turkey's new secular identity.

- **UNESCO World Heritage Site**: The Hagia Sophia was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, recognized for its outstanding universal value as a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and its significance to both Christian and Islamic heritage.

## The 2020 Reconversion

In July 2020, President Erdogan issued a decree that revoked the Hagia Sophia's museum status and converted it back into a mosque.

This decision was implemented shortly after Turkey's highest administrative court ruled that the 1934 conversion to a museum was unlawful.

The first Islamic prayers in nearly 86 years were held in the building on July 24, 2020.

## Criticism Regarding Religious Undertones

The reconversion has drawn significant criticism regarding its religious implications:

1.

**Marginalization of Religious Minorities**: According to reports from organizations like "In Defense of Christians" (IDC), religious communities in Turkey face restrictions on property rights, religious education, and clergy training.

The Turkish government has been accused of interfering in the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church's Holy Synod and the Armenian Patriarchate, particularly in the selection and appointment of clergy.

**Growing Islamic Favoritism**: Under Erdogan's leadership, Turkey has shown increasing favoritism toward Islam at the expense of other religions.

The Hagia Sophia's conversion is seen as part of this broader trend, alongside the reconversion of other historically significant Christian sites like the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

**Impact on Interfaith Relations**: The decision has strained relations with Christian communities worldwide.

Many view the conversion as a symbolic assertion of Islamic dominance that disregards the building's significance to Christianity and its status as shared human heritage.

## Criticism as a Political Move

Beyond religious concerns, the reconversion has been widely interpreted as a political maneuver by Erdogan:

1.

**Nationalist Appeal**: The decision has been characterized as an appeal to nationalist and religiously conservative segments of Turkish society, reinforcing Erdogan's image as a defender of Islamic and Ottoman heritage.

**Distraction from Domestic Issues**: Critics suggest the move was intended to divert public attention from pressing domestic challenges, including economic difficulties and political opposition.

Documented criticism of Erdogan's unconventional economic policies has led to skyrocketing inflation and a cost-of-living crisis in Turkey.

**Asserting Turkish Sovereignty**: The reconversion can be seen as part of a broader strategy to assert Turkish independence from Western influence and international norms.

This aligns with Erdogan's increasingly assertive foreign policy stance.

**Political Consolidation**: The decision occurred amid growing political opposition to Erdogan, with multiple minority parties calling for his resignation and widespread public discontent about his party's two decades in power.

The Hagia Sophia issue may have been intended to rally his base and consolidate political support.

## International Response

The international community has expressed significant concern about the reconversion:

- UNESCO expressed "deep regret" over the decision, stating it was made without prior consultation.

- The World Council of Churches called the conversion "a cause for grief," urging its reversal.

- Several countries, including Greece, Russia, and the United States, criticized the decision as divisive and detrimental to religious coexistence.

- The European Union warned that the move could further distance Turkey from the bloc.

## Conclusion

The controversy surrounding the Hagia Sophia's reconversion to a mosque encapsulates the complex tensions between religious identity, historical heritage, and political ambition in contemporary Turkey.

While the decision has been celebrated by many in Turkey and the Muslim world as a restoration of Islamic heritage, it has also drawn significant criticism as both an affront to religious pluralism and a politically motivated maneuver by President Erdogan.

For viewers in the Arab world, this controversy offers an opportunity to reflect on the delicate balance between preserving religious heritage and respecting the diverse historical layers that define many of the region's most significant cultural sites.

It also highlights how historical monuments can become powerful symbols in contemporary political discourse, capable of both uniting communities and deepening divisions.

As the Hagia Sophia continues to function as both a mosque and a tourist destination, its future will remain a subject of international attention, reflecting broader debates about religious freedom, cultural heritage, and the intersection of religion and politics in the modern world.

# The Hagia Sophia Controversy: Historical Significance and Political Implications

## Introduction

The Hagia Sophia, one of the world's most iconic religious structures, has once again become a focal point of international controversy following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 2020 decision to convert it back into a mosque.

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

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.

This decision has sparked widespread debate about religious freedom, cultural heritage, and political motivations in modern Turkey.

Title:

Content: • Source:
• Sergey Ignatov — specially for Sedmitsy.Ru
In the United States released a report on the situation of Christians in Turkey in connection with the murder of a parishioner in a Catholic church by the jihadists of ISIS
It notes bureaucratic oppression, public rejection, the growth of vandalism and violence.
WASHINGTON.
In the United States, a report was released on the situation of Christians in Turkey in connection with the murder of a parishioner in a Catholic church by the jihadists of ISIS - it notes bureaucratic oppression, public rejection, the growth of vandalism and violence in the country, reports catholicnewsagency.
During Sunday mass in Istanbul on January 28, terrorists broke into a Catholic church and killed a parishioner with a shot in the head during the consecration ceremony.
Soon the so-called Islamic State * took responsibility for this crime.
The attack almost coincided with the first anniversary of a powerful earthquake that killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria in 2023.
The attack once again raised questions about the existing threats to the Christian faith in Turkey and about the real tolerance of the 99% Muslim majority for non-Muslims in this country.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has issued a report stating that “there has been a marked increase in incidents of vandalism and social intolerance and violence against religious minorities in Turkish society in recent years. ”
Despite the freedom of religion provisions that exist in Turkey on paper, Turkish Christians, according to the authors of the report, today suffer under the yoke of state bureaucracy, as well as from growing rejection in society.
“The government also continues to unjustifiably interfere in the internal affairs of religious communities, ” the USCIRF report states,“ Religious minorities in Turkey express concern about such rhetoric and policies of the authorities that contribute to an increasingly hostile environment and indirectly encourage acts of social aggression and violence. ”
In present Turkey there are about 12-16 thousand Jews, several thousand representatives of various other faiths and several hundred thousand Christians.
According to a 2022 report by the US State Department, about 25,000 of them are Catholics, most of them from Africa and the Philippines.
Unlike many other Muslim-majority countries (overwhelmingly in this case), Turkey ’ s constitution defines the country as a secular state.
The State Department explains that such a definition provides for freedom of conscience, religious belief, personal belief, freedom of speech (opinions), freedom of worship, and the prohibition of any discrimination on religious grounds.
However, Turkey is one of the 95 countries in the world that now have criminal liability for blasphemy, mainly against Islam, which is punishable by imprisonment for a period of six months to a year.
Christian rights organization Open Doors points out in its report that the country is experiencing an increasingly strong religious nationalism with an emphasis on Islamic values, encouraged by the current government of Turkey, which creates pressure on believers of other faiths and breeds intolerance towards them.
The government also maintains a list of officially recognized religions and registers the religious affiliation of citizens using an electronic chip (chip) on identity cards.
Although Christianity is widely recognized in the country, the current authorities are opposed to Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Christians and Greek Orthodox Christians, as well as Jews.
“Christians are seen as agents of negative Western influence on society, ” says the Open Doors report.“ Therefore, those who choose to follow the teachings of Jesus and abandon Islam, or even atheism and secularism, often face pressure and rejection in their native families and communities, prompting them to renounce their faith. ”
According to In Defense of Christians (IDC), religious communities of different faiths face restrictions on their rights to own and freely dispose of property, to train clergymen, and, in general, to religious education.
In particular, the Turkish government continues to interfere in the leadership of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as in the activities of the Armenian Patriarchate, in particular in the field of selection and appointment of the hierarchy, IDC reports.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in many areas of Turkish society, favoritism towards Islam has become increasingly pronounced to the detriment of other religions.
In 2020, President Erdogan took a demonstrative step in favor of his religion when he issued a decree establishing mosques in the former Byzantine Hagia Sophia Cathedral (which served as a museum for many years) and another ancient Christian church in Istanbul.
Protestant congregations report a marked increase in bureaucratic pressure on them under the current government.
The State Department reports that the World Evangelical Alliance expresses concern about the situation of Evangelical Christians in the country, as many of them are subjected to deportations and entry bans on a variety of pretexts.
According to the State Department, since 2020, the government has expelled more than 60 foreign Christian missionaries and their families from the country.
And according to Open Doors, hostility toward Christians is increasingly felt in the interior rural areas of the country, where the influence of conservative Islam is stronger and intolerance towards non-believers is higher.
Most of the “non-traditional ” Christian communities (Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, etc.) are hesitant to spread beyond the coastal cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul, because the population there is more tolerant of non-believers, relatively liberal and secular, the report says.
Turkey ’ s reputation as a country of persecution of Christians has long roots, despite the fact that it was in it that the first Christian communities were born and flourished.
In 1915, during the period of the so-called Armenian genocide, the authorities of the Ottoman Empire seized Armenian intellectuals and priests in Constantinople.
During the same period, the empire began a campaign of mass evictions of American Christians and other minorities, including Greek, Syrian and Chaldean Christians.
During these evictions there were heartbreaking scenes of separation of families, there were “death marches ” at the transit stages, the Gentiles died of hunger and many oppressions, to which the predominantly Christian Armenian population of the empire was subjected.
According to some estimates, 1.5 million Armenians were victims of the genocide during that terrible period of persecution, although Turkey continues to stubbornly deny the genocide for many years.
* a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation
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If The Earthquake In Turkey Topples Erdogan Democratically, What Will He Do To Retain Power And What Happens To The Region: Israel, Saudi, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Europe?

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The devastating earthquake in Southern Turkey (and Syria) on February 6 also severely damaged President Erdogan's prestige and his chances of retaining power in the upcoming May 14 elections. That is if he allows the popular vote to determine the outcome freely. Much of the world knows why he's in trouble despite his lock on the national media. Some 50,000 dead on both sides of the border thus far, millions displaced, 156,000 buildings destroyed - the horror compounded by the corruption, incompetence and vindictiveness of officialdom. The notorious earthquake tax which was levied to ensure safe construction, instead, disappeared into the pockets of government cronies. Cheaply constructed buildings pancaked along street after street in multiple towns and cities. Amnesty laws had allowed owners to pay fines to dodge the rules. The fines went up the corruption pyramid as customary in Erdoganistan. A terrific recent article on the situation by Turkiye expert Henry J. Barkey of the Council On Foreign Relations details the current scenario .

Barkey's article is titled “Erdogan Is In Danger”; he like many other commentators believes this could be the end for Turkey's strongman populist leader. And though Barkey mentions that Erdogan and his AK party might cheat in the May parliamentary/presidential elections, he doesn't explore the situation fully, especially the regional and geostrategic repercussions of internal troubles. That's what this column is about. Neither Erdo nor his party can afford to lose power. Losing power means ultimately losing control over information – they are likely to be lynched in their homes when the full scale of kleptocracy, some two decades worth, begins to leak out. The military won't protect them, sore as it still is about being persecuted down the years. So the regime will try to hold on to power by any means - which could result in a melt-down of civic order sooner rather than later. Certainly, Erdogan's leverage will be severely diluted. But he will find a way.

One problem is that, still, the opposition is arguably not ready for prime time. It has already scarcely survived a divisive crisis just days ago. The leaders of the two rival opposition parties did agree to unite finally but we shouldn't forget that Erdo built his sway by fracturing them incessantly, and we can expect a relentless blizzard of pseudo-scandals against them in the media. It won't work; the country won't stomach barefaced government manipulation with the devastation still so fresh. We've seen inklings of the mood: pro-government attempts at politicizing the salvage process ignited fury on the ground. Blocking relief from foreign groups, trying to monopolize the aid deliveries, blaming opposition municipalities – all got instant pushback. Meanwhile, the President's favorite international bogeys, the countries he likes to blame for all ills – US, Israel, Greece, Europe, Sweden (for supposedly harboring Kurdish 'terrorists') and the like, all sent hardworking relief teams and supplies before Ankara could get its own act together. No more weaponizing of xenophobia to distract from his failures.

What then will Erdo resort to? Various businessmen and building owners have been arrested. Expect him to redirect public anger, sacrifice a few oligarchs perhaps. It won’t suffice. He will try to rally the country around him as the only hope for order. Too late for that. He will flood the devastated areas with money – the Saudis have just deposited $5 billion in Turkey's central bank to signal their support (more about that later). He will certainly mess with voting infrastructure and ballot counts, as he's often done in Kurdish areas, by making election centers scarce and hard of access in opposition areas and man them exclusively with loyalists. The most affected provinces in Turkiye were hitherto largely pro-AKP. He can kiss farewell to those votes. In short, any finessing that results in victory for him or his AK party, however close, will engender outrage. Even if he 'wins', he will have lost. No, Erdogan's only option, if he's to avoid massive civil strife, is to continue ruling through some form of ultra-powerful shadowy back-seat-driving role.

Crazy as that sounds, it has precedent in the region. Just to the north, in the Republic of Georgia, an unelected eminence grise figure (Bidzina Ivanishvili) has run the country for ten years from behind the scenes. As Georgia's richest oligarch, with infinite access to funds and influence from Moscow, he has puppeteered the political process minutely, even by flooding voters with cash prior to elections. The capital, Tbilisi, and its parliament square is currently roiling with protest but to what effect? He can't exactly resign from a post he doesn't occupy. There's no legal or concrete recourse for the public. This is the kind of role Erdogan will aim for. He owns the economy through oligarchs. Ditto the media. His appointees dominate the police, judiciary and prisons. Plus the religious and educational institutions. The army is cowed and supine. What is there left that could trouble him? The people? Well, yes, but he will hang on to the bitter end.

In a 'managed democracy' like Turkey hitherto under Erdogan, as in Russia, Georgia, Hungary, Venezuela and elsewhere, cronyism works like a web where the component parts depend on each other to function at all. The police arrest popular opposition leaders, the judiciary arrests them, the media dutifully smears them. Everyone is implicated in each others' crimes. All bosses depend on Erdogan's patronage. Crony oligarchs amass zillions, depend on the leader's stability and favor, help fund him to retain power to employ officials, judges, broadcasters, university chancellors, banks, hospitals. The entire civil service is packed with loyalists. A new government will need to purge vast numbers of people, dispossess kleptocrat-managers, starting from the top down. In short, with Erdogan gone, Turkiye's institutions could suffer severe tremors, at least in the short term. L'etat c'est moi, as Louis XIV said. That bodes ill for domestic stability – and equally for continuity in regional relations.

Now, left to itself, Turkey can get through such upheavals as the loss of Erdogan at the helm. It has weathered such crises before, not least via transient military coups, but there's too much at stake strategically at this juncture for outside players merely to stand back and watch. A chaotic Turkey would threaten regional, even global, stability. A whiff of chaos, economic meltdown, capital flight, tourism collapse, and you can see real trouble ahead. Which is why the Saudis made such a substantial early deposit in the central bank as a stabilizing vote of confidence. And why they just acted to restore diplomatic relations with Iran. Yes with Iran. Imagine that. The Saudis. After all this time. What could prompt such a weird initiative suddenly? The prospect of meltdown in Turkey is surely one big reason. Why? Because Erdogan had united with Israel to fortify Azerbaijan as a northern distraction to Iran, thus helping the Saudi struggle against the mullahs. Soon he may not have the discretion to make such decisions.

A lot of foreign powers would like Erdogan to keep sway in some form, because they're invested in his policies. Israel too would like Turkey to keep supporting Azerbaijan militarily to distract Iran from the north. Europe likes Ankara's policies of absorbing Syrian refugees. Erdogan's forward diplomacy in Central Asia – military guarantees to the Uzbeks and Kazakhs - is displacing Moscow's hegemony. The US likes that. The Saudis, just yesterday enemies of Erdogan, today need his robust pro-Sunni belligerence to counteract Iran's Shiite empire building. All this could change if the regime changes in Turkey. Opposition leaders have made noises about reversing Erdo's past constitutional machinations – they aim to move power from the Presidency back to parliament. That means a return to process and internal haggling before any decision gets made. Which also means no more simple unilateral deal-making with one man.

Let us consider the effect on Russia and Ukraine. Ankara just decided to block the sanctions-busting passage of goods to Russia through Turkey. What took them so long and why now? Erdogan's past equivocations on sanctions allowed him to keep Putin semi-happy while, at the same time, provocatively supplying Ukraine with war-drones. It also meant huge amounts of dark funds in Turkish bank coffers and oligarch yachts in marinas around Bodrum spending money. Lots of Ruski tourists and draft-dodging emigres, up to 19,000 a day last summer on the Med coast. Windfall for Turkey's economy. You will notice that there's no resolution to freeze Russian accounts especially coming via other countries. But, in the run-up to elections, Erdogan wants to avoid hostile US actions on his sanctions-busting, anything that would shake the economy, like embargoes on guilty Turkish banks. So he has thrown a sop to Cerberus by closing the goods-transiting loophole, said to benefit Turkiye some $738 million a month or more.

This is what happens when kleptocracies achieve state capture. They're not good at weathering cataclysms; the resulting power transitions become highly explosive. For the Soviet Union it was Chernobyl. For Turkey, the earthquake's biggest aftershock may be regional and global.

PersuasionErdoğan Is In Danger

Title:

Content: (Bloomberg) -- Ahead of a meeting with US businessmen in New York on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said both sides should overcome differing points of view to focus on expanding bilateral trade.

Erdogan arrived for the UN General Assembly amid heightened tensions with Washington over Syria and Russia, as well as Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,a prerequisite for the US to agree to sell F-16 jets to Ankara.

Erdogan, who is aiming to attract investment in Turkey’s embattled economy, is scheduled address to the businessman a day after he spoke of the need to boost bilateral trade volume — which came close to $34 billion last year — following a 45-minute meeting with Elon Musk in which the two discussed artificial intelligence and a potential Tesla factory in Turkey.

“There may always be differences of opinion in relations between states, this is normal,” Erdogan said during a dinner hosted by the Turkish American National Steering Committee. “However, we also know that there are more common denominators and that there are many windows of opportunity that will open in this regard.”

Turkey’s Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek is also scheduled to meet investors in New York on Tuesday.

Tracking the Feuds Plaguing the U.S.-Turkey Alliance: QuickTake

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For viewers in the Arab world, understanding this controversy provides insight into the complex interplay between religion, history, and politics in one of the region's most influential countries.

## Historical Background

The Hagia Sophia's history spans nearly 1,500 years, reflecting the changing religious and political landscape of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople):

- **Byzantine Era**: Originally constructed as a Christian cathedral in 537 CE under Emperor Justinian I, it served as the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 900 years.

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

When was Hagia Sophia built and under whose rule?

Why is Hagia Sophia considered one of the greatest buildings in history?

Served as the central church of Byzantine Christianity,

- **Ottoman Era**: After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II converted the cathedral into a mosque, a status it maintained for nearly 500 years.

How did Hagia Sophia become important for Muslims?

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,making it a key religious site for Muslims for centuries.

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

- **Modern Turkish Era**: Following the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923, President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk secularized the building, converting it into a museum in 1934 as a symbol of Turkey's new secular identity.

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

- **UNESCO World Heritage Site**: The Hagia Sophia was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, recognized for its outstanding universal value as a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and its significance to both Christian and Islamic heritage.

## The 2020 Reconversion

In July 2020, President Erdogan issued a decree that revoked the Hagia Sophia's museum status and converted it back into a mosque.

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

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.

This decision was implemented shortly after Turkey's highest administrative court ruled that the 1934 conversion to a museum was unlawful.

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

The first Islamic prayers in nearly 86 years were held in the building on July 24, 2020.

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

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.

## Criticism Regarding Religious Undertones

The reconversion has drawn significant criticism regarding its religious implications:

1.

**Marginalization of Religious Minorities**: According to reports from organizations like "In Defense of Christians" (IDC), religious communities in Turkey face restrictions on property rights, religious education, and clergy training.

Title:

Content: Turkey | “The Role of the Gathering ” Seasonal Goal: Renewed Demands for Alawite Fairness
05-08-2022
Turkey | “The Role of the Gathering ” Seasonal Goal: Renewed Demands for Alawite Fairness
The recent attacks on five Alawite centers in Ankara have brought the Alawite issue back to the forefront in Turkey, amid renewed demands to grant this group their rights, which are believed to have been largely defeated by the Treaty of Lausanne, by not recognizing Alawite as a sect.
As successive authorities have refrained from taking action to “correct ” these imbalances, anger today is directed at the AKP ’ s power, which is accused of“ double standards ” and of smashing the state ’ s secularism, of which the Alawites form a solid base.
Although the issue of Alawites in Turkey comes to the fore only in connection with specific occasions, talk of it has turned in modern Turkish history into a “tradition ” that reflects the depth of the gap in Turkish society towards one of the two most serious problems facing the country (the second is the Kurdish problem).
If all this was the result of the Treaty of Lausanne, which did not recognize Alawism as a sect and the Kurds as an ethnic group, successive authorities did not try to “correct ” these mistakes, turning them into an element of permanent concern for national unity.
Last Saturday, on the first day of Muharram, where Alawites fast for the first 10 days and consider it one of the most important occasions for them, attacks were recorded in less than two hours on five Alawite centers in Ankara, including three “gathering houses ” where Alawites practice their religious worship, namely Shahi Mardan, Batı Kent Sircesme, Tuzlu Çayr Ana, and Fatima. The Alawite Turkmen Bektashi stood where a worker was stabbed with a knife, and the Gökçe Bel Village Association.
The head of religious affairs, the highest religious site in Turkey, Mehmet Ali Arbaş, condemned the attacks on the "gathering houses", calling for "unity to renounce sedition."
AKP spokesman Omar Çelik also condemned the attacks, promising that the party “will not allow them to be repeated, ” while Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced that the perpetrator was one person and had been arrested.
But lawyer Husniya Shimsek quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the perpetrator was not a single person - as also indicated by the CCTV footage - saying that these attacks do not appear to be individual and spontaneous but rather planned, while the head of the "collection house of the mother Fatima" (Fatima Zahra), Mustafa Budak, rejected the state's account, considering it "illogical."
Opposition parties were unanimous in condemning the attacks.
The head of the "Good Party", Maral Akshiner, stressed that any force "will not corrupt our unity", while the head of the "Party of Democracy and Progress", Ali Babacan, demanded the disclosure of the perpetrators.
The head of the Future Party, Ahmet Davutoglu, also called for “social reconciliation and brotherhood, ” while the head of the Labor Party, Argomand Ak Deniz, stressed that“ it is not allowed to repeat the massacres of Chorum, Sivas and Merash that took place in the 1970s and 1990s, ” noting that the recent events came in the same month as the massacre of the Madimak Hotel in Sivas on July 2, 1993. She was greeted by 33 Alawite intellectuals, poets and writers who were participating in an Alawite cultural festival.
Kamal Bulbul, MP for the Kurdish Peoples ’ Democratic Party (HDP), in turn, launched a scathing attack on the Minister of Interior, saying that “the current regime has not abandoned the support of the followers of Yazid against the supporters of Hussein. ”
In the same direction, the Alawite Bir Sultan Abdal Association in Istanbul issued a statement in which it stressed that “the attacks will not deter us from continuing the struggle for freedom and equality, and we will not bow our head to injustice and tyranny, ” stressing that“ without full justice in society, there will be no freedom for the Alawis. ”
The statement accused the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the state of “preparing the appropriate ground for chaos and confrontation on the eve of the presidential elections in 2023, ” calling for“ the abolition of this language of extremism and violence by uniting democratic forces. ”
He also called for “respect for the beliefs and identity of every individual, regardless of their affiliation, ” calling for the change of“ the corrupt and dysfunctional system, ” “the official recognition of the collective houses, ” and“ the removal of the state ’ s hand from the Alawite faith. ”
Also in Istanbul, a group of Alawites tried to organize a protest march in the Gazi district, where Alawis are majority, but police blocked the streets to prevent the march.
In Diyarbakır, HDP MP Mural Danış Beştaş said that the recent attacks are “the result of the polarization policy of the Justice and Development Party ”, while the“ Haji Bektaş Weli Association ” in Ankara issued a statement saying that “if the state believes in the right to equality, it must fulfill the demands of Alawites. ”“ There is a double standard at a time when the state is forcing students in Alawite areas to learn the Sunni faith. ”
The Assembly reiterated the demands of the Alawites: “To recognize the fact that the collective houses are an official place of worship, to abolish compulsory religion from all schools in line with the principle of secularism, to prevent the non-recognition of Alawites in the public sector, to stop opening security records for Alawites, and to equalize citizenship between Alawites and all other citizens. ”
In addition, the Alawites demand the establishment of their own representative council and refuse to be part of the official Presidency of Religious Affairs, which deals with the affairs of the Sunni community and has a large budget from the state equivalent to the budget of several ministries combined.
It is worth mentioning here that the Alawites form the solid base of secularism in Turkey, although the state has not achieved any real demand for them for a hundred years now.
NEWS

The Turkish government has been accused of interfering in the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church's Holy Synod and the Armenian Patriarchate, particularly in the selection and appointment of clergy.

**Growing Islamic Favoritism**: Under Erdogan's leadership, Turkey has shown increasing favoritism toward Islam at the expense of other religions.

Title:

Content: Turkish Presidential Candidate Pulls Out Amid Purported Sex Tape… Blames Israeli Porn Deepfake mdi-fullscreen

A Turkish Presidential Candidate, Muharrem İnce, has been ejected from the race after a sex tape allegedly featuring the opposition leader emerged on social media. İnce’s premature finish is a fresh blow to President Erdogan, as he had been splitting the opposition vote. Opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is now expected to come out on top.

Whilst announcing his withdrawal, İnce issued a hard denial of the claims. He said the “fake” images originated from Israel…

“Fake invoices, fake videos, pictures… they took a video from an Israeli porn website and added my face there… Unfortunately some people in Turkey shared those for the sake of being in so-called opposition.”

Erdogan’s popularity was down already, and with the election just three days away, he’ll struggle to get it up again.

mdi-tag-outline Turkey
mdi-account-multiple-outline Erdogan Muharrem İnce
mdi-timer May 11 2023 @ 17:23 mdi-share-variant mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-printer
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What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

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

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

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

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

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

The Hagia Sophia's conversion is seen as part of this broader trend, alongside the reconversion of other historically significant Christian sites like the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

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

**Impact on Interfaith Relations**: The decision has strained relations with Christian communities worldwide.

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

Many view the conversion as a symbolic assertion of Islamic dominance that disregards the building's significance to Christianity and its status as shared human heritage.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

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

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

## Criticism as a Political Move

Beyond religious concerns, the reconversion has been widely interpreted as a political maneuver by Erdogan:

1.

Title:

Content: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to respond to “tourist blackmail ” from the West
The newly elected President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the “tourist blackmail ” from Western countries.
The politician promised to respond to provocations, reports the TV channel TRT Haber.
Turkish citizens began to receive mass refusals to obtain a Schengen visa and travel permits to Western countries.
Speaking at the General Assembly of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Erdogan called attempts to pressure the Middle East state in the tourism industry blackmail.
“We will solve the visa problem, which has recently been used as political blackmail, as soon as possible, ” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to the portal "Turprom", we are talking about the UK, USA and EU countries.
Earlier, Turkish media wrote that Turkish citizens began to be denied visas five times more often than Russians.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its dissatisfaction with the ambassadors of these European countries, but did not receive a clear explanation for such actions.

Title:

Content: Log in to the mail
Review of foreign media: Ukraine appeases India, Hersh about the “warning ” of the United States about the terrorist attack in the“ Crocus ”
Rambler checked what foreign media are writing today, and selected the most important and interesting materials.
Read the digest and subscribe to Rambler in social networks: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki.
Will Turkey support Kiev in exchange for F-35?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’ s Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost to the opposition in local government elections for the first time in 20 years, writes the author of the InfoBRICS portal Drago Bosnić.
In his opinion, this loss may soon lead to “tectonic changes ” in Turkey ’ s domestic policy.
The problem with Erdogan and the ruling AKP is that the ideological, nationalist and religious approach is beginning to lose strength.
According to the author of the article, realizing that it could cost him power, and realizing that Turkey ’ s economic problems can be solved with the help of the West, Erdogan can change his balanced position to a “more pro-NATO ” one.
This does not mean that Erdogan will change his mind on the Ukrainian crisis and other issues - just his actions are reduced to a real politician.
Bosnych also wondered whether Erdogan would support the Kiev authorities in exchange for receiving American F-35 fighters.
According to the author, if Washington and Ankara get closer, and the latter receives the F-35, Russia will be “even more surrounded by hostile vassals [of the United States] with nuclear weapons. ”
Ukraine is trying to drag India to its side
Almost two years after Ukraine publicly denounced India for buying Russian oil, Kiev began to seek deeper diplomatic and trade ties with New Delhi.
Analysts say the move is unlikely to change India ’ s neutral stance on the Ukraine crisis, but may motivate New Delhi to play a mediating role.
The recent visit of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to New Delhi testifies to the change of Ukraine ’ s position towards India.
Following the talks, the parties agreed to restore the level of cooperation that existed between them before the Ukrainian crisis, as well as to identify new promising projects.
A retired Washington diplomatic officer, Donald Camp, told the newspaper that Ukraine had decided it would gain little from criticizing India for its ties to Russia and had moved to a more conciliatory stance.
India is a global player, so it is better for Kiev that New Delhi is “either on its side, or as close as possible. ”
Syphilis: the ancient disease that haunts modern America
Some areas of the United States — in particular, the southern part of Chicago — have faced a real epidemic of syphilis, the Financial Times reported.
The incidence of syphilis in the United States is now at its highest level since 1950.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, syphilis in newborns was ten times more common in 2022 than in 2012.
The problem is not just about the United States.
In Britain, the incidence of syphilis was at its highest level since 1948.
The World Health Organization estimates that 7.1 million people between the ages of 15 and 49 were infected with syphilis in 2020.
According to the American authorities, most often with syphilis face African Americans, Hispanics and Americans of Indian origin.
Often these people do not have health insurance or live in areas where health care is not available.
Dr. Robert MacDonald told the FT that the United States was a “victim of past successes ”: in the 90s, syphilis in the country was almost completely eradicated, many state venereal dispensaries closed, so it became more difficult to take tests and treatment.
“Has NATO outlived itself in its 75 years? ”
In April 2024, NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary.
James Cardin, editor of The American Conservative, a former State Department adviser, said that now some of the dogmas about NATO ’ s success and indispensability “seem very doubtful — if not completely wrong. ”
According to Cardin, NATO was obsolete by the end of the first decade of its existence: by 1956, the threat of a real war between American and Soviet forces in Europe had completely disappeared.
The next decision to expand the alliance was made just 24 months after the collapse of the USSR.
For the United States, the impetus for this was domestic policy, not national security requirements.
Cardin noted that even now NATO is not required to “protect Europe from the Russian bear. ”
According to the author, there is no evidence that Russia wants to gain control of the EU countries.
Does the West really assume that Russia wants to take on the burden of supporting hundreds of thousands of Polish pensioners, Cardin wondered.
Seymour Hersh: Russia has not received from the United States specifics on the terrorist attack in the “Crocus ”
American journalist Seymour Hersh, who previously published his own investigation of the explosions on the “Nord Stream ”, shared information about the terrorist attack in the“ Crocus City Hall ”.
According to him, the American intelligence services did not warn Russia where exactly the terrorist attack could occur (about the fact that a specific place was named, The Washington Post wrote).
According to an unnamed source Hersh, one of the warnings of the CR was labeled “urgent ”, in another message, the United States called“ reliable ” the source of information about the upcoming terrorist attack.
However, no details were given in Washington, according to the source of the journalist.
Hersh cited as an example a specific warning from the Russian Federation before the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon.
Then the Russian special services sent to the FBI complete dossiers on the terrorists.
Rambler: top news

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Turkey returns to polls for presidential election run-off

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is looking to extend his 20 years at the helm of the country.

Voters in Turkey have returned to the polls to decide whether the country’s long-time leader stretches his rule into a third decade or is unseated by a challenger who has promised to restore a more democratic society.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at Turkey’s helm for 20 years, is favoured to win a new five-year term in the second round run-off after coming just short of an outright victory in the first round on May 14.

The divisive populist who turned his country into a geopolitical player finished four percentage points ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey’s centre-left main opposition party. Mr Erdogan’s performance came despite crippling inflation and the effects of a devastating earthquake three months ago.

Mr Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old former bureaucrat, has described the run-off as a referendum on the country’s future.

More than 64 million people are eligible to cast ballots, with preliminary results expected within hours of the polls closing at 5pm local time on Sunday.

The outcome could have implications far beyond Ankara with Turkey playing a key role in Nato.

Turkey vetoed Sweden’s bid to join the alliance and purchased Russian missile-defence systems, prompting the United States to oust Turkey from a US-led fighter-jet project.

But Mr Erdogan’s government helped broker a deal which allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.

The May 14 election – the first time Mr Erdogan did not win outright – saw an 87% turnout, and strong participation is expected again on Sunday.

If he wins, Mr Erdogan, 69, could remain in power until 2028.

After three stints as prime minister and two as president, the devout Muslim who heads the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP, is already Turkey’s longest-serving leader.

He transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.

Critics blame Mr Erdogan’s unconventional economic policies for skyrocketing inflation that has fuelled a cost-of-living crisis while many also blamed his government for the slow response to the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey in February.

Mr Kilicdaroglu has led the pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, since 2010. He campaigned on a promise to reverse Mr Erdogan’s democratic backsliding, restore the economy by reverting to more conventional policies and to improve ties with the West.

In a frantic do-or-die effort to reach out to nationalist voters in the run-off, he vowed to send back refugees and ruled out any peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he is elected.

Mr Erdogan received the endorsement of third-place candidate, nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, who garnered 5.2% of the votes and is no longer in the race. A staunchly anti-migrant party that had supported his candidacy, announced it would back Mr Kilicdaroglu.

Mr Erdogan’s AKP party and its allies retained a majority of seats in parliament following a legislative election on May 14.

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

**Nationalist Appeal**: The decision has been characterized as an appeal to nationalist and religiously conservative segments of Turkish society, reinforcing Erdogan's image as a defender of Islamic and Ottoman heritage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

**Distraction from Domestic Issues**: Critics suggest the move was intended to divert public attention from pressing domestic challenges, including economic difficulties and political opposition.

Documented criticism of Erdogan's unconventional economic policies has led to skyrocketing inflation and a cost-of-living crisis in Turkey.

**Asserting Turkish Sovereignty**: The reconversion can be seen as part of a broader strategy to assert Turkish independence from Western influence and international norms.

This aligns with Erdogan's increasingly assertive foreign policy stance.

**Political Consolidation**: The decision occurred amid growing political opposition to Erdogan, with multiple minority parties calling for his resignation and widespread public discontent about his party's two decades in power.

Title:

Content: Turkey: Erdogan Apologizes to Earthquake Victims for Slow Response

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized on Monday to victims of this month’s series of earthquakes in the east of the country, conceding that emergency services were initially slow and vowing that his government would improve its performance.

Erdogan’s full apology followed the admission two days after the first series of earthquakes on February 6 that there were “some issues” with accessing the affected areas.

Two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 devastated eastern Turkey — affecting multiple major cities in Turkey and parts of northwest Syria — on February 6, leveling entire communities and leaving 13 million victims, according to Turkish state media. At press time, the combined death toll in Syria and Turkey has surpassed 50,000 people and continues to grow as authorities search the rubble of former buildings for more bodies.

The earthquakes have triggered a massive nationwide backlash against Erdogan and his Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), as seismologists and engineers criticized the poor safety standards of many buildings in the affected communities. The earthquakes, whose aftershocks continued into Monday, occurred along a known fault line in a region where such events are common. Despite this, Erdogan announced an amnesty in 2018 for real estate developers who had flouted safety guidelines and built high-rises and other structures not suited to withstand earthquakes. Erdogan asserted at the time the amnesty, which allowed developers to avoid repairing the buildings if they paid the government a fine, was necessary for economic development in the area, as simply too many developers had broken the law.

Erdogan is facing re-election this year. Turks are expected to go to the polls in June, though Erdogan had previously suggested moving the election up to May prior to the earthquake and AKP loyalists have suggested delaying it in the aftermath of the disaster. Despite having his top political rivals imprisoned on various dubious charges, such as supporting terrorism or insulting the government, the earthquake and its aftermath have significantly weakened Erdogan politically, potentially hurting his chances to stay in power.

Erdogan’s apology came with a plea to Turks to give him at least a year to rebuild what the earthquake destroyed.

“Due to the devastating effect of the tremors and the bad weather, we were not able to work the way we wanted in Adiyaman for the first few days. I apologize for this,” Erdogan said on Monday. The state-run Anadolu news agency did not publish the full quote in English, but reported that Erdogan had “apologized.”

Erdogan made the remarks during a visit to Adiyaman province, which suffered extensive earthquake damage this month.

The president had previously conceded that his government faced “some issues” on the first day of the earthquake, a rare departure from touting his administration’s alleged successes.

“On the first day we experienced some issues but then on the second day and today the situation is under control,” Erdogan claimed on February 8.

Elsewhere in the visit on Monday, he promised residents, many of whom are now homeless, the rapid construction of 309,000 homes in the greater region and nearly 50,000 in Adiyaman alone.

“We are determined to build a life much livelier than in the past. That’s why I ask my people to pledge me one year,” Erdogan said, according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. “I promise in front of my people that we will almost heal our wounds from the earthquakes in one year as we have always fulfilled our vows and resolved the problems that were deemed to be unsolvable.”

A destroyed building leans on a neighboring house following the earthquake in Samandag, southern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

“Don’t permanently leave your cities and hometowns. We will build much more strong, beautiful and better houses for you,” the president implored.

Erdogan reportedly made the explicit promise to not rebuild on the fault lines and enhance the security of new buildings by ensuring they are built on solid ground and forbidding the construction of high-rises in sensitive areas. This reconstruction, he said, would begin as soon as possible.

Potentially blocking the start of this new construction is the ongoing occurrence of deadly aftershocks, which continues into this week. On February 21, an aftershock in the same eastern Turkish region killed eight people. At least two people died on Monday in Malatya, another eastern province, and another 140 people sustained injuries.

Erdogan nonetheless reiterated his promise to build upwards of 300,000 homes in the area on Tuesday.

Fatos Baruc, who lives in Germany and whose mother-in-law survived the earthquake, sits on a chair as she waits for her belongings to take away from a damaged building in Pazarcik, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

“With the completion of debris removal activities, we are starting the reconstruction and revival of our region,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to the Erdogan-friendly newspaper Yeni Safak. “In a few months, we are starting the construction of 309,000 houses, including village houses, throughout the earthquake zone.”

Erdogan’s contrition and large-scale promises are a response to increasing public discontent about the AKP’s two decades in power. The main opposition party, the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP), lambasted Erdogan for his apology on Tuesday.

“He asks for forgiveness. There is no forgiveness for killing your people,” CHP leader and likely presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said. “You did it, and you did it on purpose. You caused the death of nearly 50,000 citizens. How will you ask for forgiveness from a citizen who froze to death?”

The head of the Kurdish-friendly, left-leaning Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), much of whose leadership Erdogan has imprisoned or forced into retirement, simply asserted, “people will never forgive you.”

“You can’t turn a deaf ear to the voices calling for the resignation of the government. What you have to do is to accept responsibility and resign,” HDP co-chair Pervin Buldan demanded.

Multiple minority political parties are also calling for Erdogan to resign, the independent Turkish Minute outlet reported.

Turkish soccer fans took the opportunity of multiple games this weekend to chant slogans calling for Erdogan to resign. In at least two venues in Istanbul, long an anti-Erdogan stronghold, fans reportedly chanted “government resign!” and “twenty years of lies and cheating, resign!” according to Reuters.

The Turkish government has attempted to silence much of the dissent through announcing that hundreds of citizens had been targeted – detained, questioned, or simply put on a list – for making “provocative” comments online, allegedly attempting to scam earthquake victims, or otherwise flouting the law under Erdogan. The Turkish government debuted a mobile application to help people report “fake news” and “disinformation” to authorities the day after the earthquake.

Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.

The Hagia Sophia issue may have been intended to rally his base and consolidate political support.

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

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

## International Response

The international community has expressed significant concern about the reconversion:

- UNESCO expressed "deep regret" over the decision, stating it was made without prior consultation.

What was UNESCO's main complaint about the reconversion?

- The World Council of Churches called the conversion "a cause for grief," urging its reversal.

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

- Several countries, including Greece, Russia, and the United States, criticized the decision as divisive and detrimental to religious coexistence.

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

- The European Union warned that the move could further distance Turkey from the bloc.

## Conclusion

The controversy surrounding the Hagia Sophia's reconversion to a mosque encapsulates the complex tensions between religious identity, historical heritage, and political ambition in contemporary Turkey.

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.

While the decision has been celebrated by many in Turkey and the Muslim world as a restoration of Islamic heritage, it has also drawn significant criticism as both an affront to religious pluralism and a politically motivated maneuver by President Erdogan.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

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

For viewers in the Arab world, this controversy offers an opportunity to reflect on the delicate balance between preserving religious heritage and respecting the diverse historical layers that define many of the region's most significant cultural sites.

It also highlights how historical monuments can become powerful symbols in contemporary political discourse, capable of both uniting communities and deepening divisions.

As the Hagia Sophia continues to function as both a mosque and a tourist destination, its future will remain a subject of international attention, reflecting broader debates about religious freedom, cultural heritage, and the intersection of religion and politics in the modern world.

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

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