Analysts: Erdogan kills religious coexistence with turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque‏

English version

اليمن العربي

Political analysts believe that religious coexistence in Hagia Sophia in Turkey has witnessed a major setback after a decision to transform it into a mosque.

 

The Hagia Sophia is a very important world religious and historical heritage, which, prior to the last Erdogan decision, was a strong symbol of dialogue and peaceful coexistence between religions and the eastern and western civilizations.

 

But the authorities of Erdogan decided to prioritize the political side of religion, and to end this cultural reconciliation, which was initiated by the spiritual father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, who was granted this archaeological site the status of a museum that brings all civilizations to the word coexistence, analysts said.

 

The Turkish President's decision to convert the Hagia Sophia to a mosque sparked international outrage, from America to the European Union, all the way to Turkey's borders in Greece.

 

Countries, federations, and institutions saw that this behavior is an attack on a historical and religious position in the property of humanity, encouraging the principles of religious and cultural coexistence, but Turkey decided to setback steps and resort to documents from the fifteenth century, confirming that the "Hagia Sophia" was a mosque.

 

The decision to convert the Hagia Sophia Museum, which was a cathedral church in the past centuries, also sparked an international outrage over Turkey, as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) earlier expressed its deep regret to the decision of the Turkish authorities to convert Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from museum to mosque.

 

UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, said Hagia Sophia is an architectural masterpiece and a unique testimony to the interactions between Europe and Asia over the centuries," adding that "its status as a museum reflects the universal nature of its heritage and makes it a powerful symbol of dialogue."

 

Azoulay warned that the decision could have an impact on the status of the Hagia Sophia , as part of the World Heritage Site of the historical areas of Istanbul, warning against taking any measures that could affect entry to the site, or the structure or management of buildings.

 

In Greek, "Hagia Sophia" means "holy wisdom," and it is an important religious influence for Muslims and Christians alike. It is located at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait from the European side of Istanbul, which was the capital of two of the most important empires in history, the Byzantine Christian Empire, and then the Muslim Ottoman Empire.

 

In Greek, "Hagia Sophia" means "holy wisdom," and it is an important religious effect for Muslims and Christians alike. It is located at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait from the European side of Istanbul, which was the capital of two of the most important empires in history, the Byzantine Christian Empire, and then the Muslim Ottoman Empire.

 

The "Hagia Sophia" has witnessed great historical transformations that coincided with political and religious transformations in Turkey, as it moved from a great Greek Orthodox cathedral in Constantinople in the sixth century AD to a mosque for Muslims in Astana or Istanbul, in the fifteenth century AD, and now it is a mosque once again after being a museum for more than eight decades.