The Hagia Sophia, located in the great city of Istanbul, has one of the most interesting history among buildings.
A Roman cathedral turned into an Islam mosque, it has since been used as a museum after the modern Turkey was founded in the early 20th century.
A decision by Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan has annulled this almost 90 year old decision that many considered to be the only way to respect the full history of this beautiful building.
In a ruling that many had anticipated for a long time, the Turkish court and government announced that the management of this historic building will be transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the Presidency of Religious Affairs according to CNN.
What this transferal indicates is that Erdogan can now legally push and achieve his longtime dream of converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque once more, putting behind the history that it has served as the symbol of peaceful integration of different worlds.
Erdogan is a flag bearer of the religious Islamists who have brought the religion into the aspect of political life. This is not aligned with the philosophy of Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey who followed a strict secularist mantra when building the nation.
Conservative Muslims have long urged the Turkish government to convert the Hagia Sophia back to a mosque, saying that leaving one of the most important religious facilities as a museum was an attack to all true Muslims of Turkey.
Before the ruling was finalized, UNESCO warned the Turkish government that transferring the management and the purpose of a UNESCO world heritage may affect the status of the Hagia Sophia. It is possible that the building may no longer be recognized as a World Heritage.
Fearing the great implications of the move, Greece and other nations have expressed their disagreement with the decision. Erdogan expressed great displeasure and anger that foreigners were interfering with what is a domestic issue of his country.
While he has never explicitly stated it, many observers understand Erdogan’s move as an appeal to his core support base as Turkey and his leadership has been put to a challenge because of the global pandemic.
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Replaced!