Opinion news piece by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

July 26th, 2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is famous for saying “If we lose Istanbul, we lose Turkey.” However, last year, he lost the municipal elections. Currently, he is attempting to reverse his declining popularity by advocating a religious fundamentalism that threatens Turkey’s minorities, the country’s secular identity, and the historical status of Istanbul as a multicultural metropolis where Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths have coexisted for centuries. 

 On July 10, Erdogan issued a decree ordering the conversion of Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after a Turkish court had revoked the 1934 decree. The Hagia Sophia has been for a long time a source of conflicts between religions. It was built In the sixth century by Emperor Justinian as the central cathedral of Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire. In 1453, the Ottomans launched a spectacular siege on the capital city of Constantinople and consummated their victory by converting the Hagia Sophia, its main cathedral, into a mosque, before the first Turkish President and founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, transformed it into a museum in 1935.

Through this initiative, Turkey declared its intention to confront the Western world and bring back to life the dynastic reality and geopolitical aspirations of the former Ottoman Empire. This decision is therefore a manifestation of the Islamist identity of Turkey and is has a vicious effect on religious pluralism and history. 

Various leaders of the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches voiced their outrage and the pope expressed “profound sadness.” Greece Culture Minister railed Erdogan’s decision, calling it “an open provocation to the civilized world which recognizes the value and ecumenical nature of the monument”.

According to the court which revoked the 1934 decree, the Hagia Sophia was presented to the community of the faithful as a mosque, and thus its status cannot be changed.

The fact that the Supreme Court cited an Islamic interpretation of a law issued hundreds of years before the establishment of the Turkish Republic reflects the radical shift of the Turkish state’s underlying political structure under Erdogan’s regime. It should be noted that the same court ruled on numerous occasions that it is legal to use the Hagia Sophia as a museum, with relevant rulings issued in 1945, 2005, 2006, and 2008. 

Unlike the other Byzantine churches that are scattered across Turkey, the Hagia Sophia is a rather unique monument. Although it has not been used as a church for centuries, it is the ideological and symbolic epicenter of the Orthodox Christianity. The decision to turn it into a mosque is therefore a direct attack on the Orthodox world’s historical and cultural legacy. Additionally, converting the site to a place of worship threatens open access to a magnificent structure and valuable mosaic decorations. By restricting entry to the greatest historical heritage in Istanbul, Erdogan is undermining the cosmopolitan values that render Turkey.  

Sovereignty is an essential factor to consider in regard to this issue. While Turkey does not need another mosque, the Hagia Sophia could have been opened to Islamic worshippers by decree, as official Muslim prayers have already taken place at the museum. 

Thus, Hagia Sophia is more than a religious matter. Erdogan’s declaration is intended to act as a national boost at a time when Turkey is an a fragile political and fiscal situation. Besides its significant economic decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Turkey is coping with the Kurdish problem, carrying out a risky journey in Libya, and stirring unrest in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turning Hagia Sophia back to a mosque is, in Erdogan’s opinion, a Turkish triumph and a source of national pride at a time of great turmoil. 

Erdogan’s decision, motivated by a desire to punish the inhabitants of Istanbul who voted decisively against him and a will to strengthen his position by fostering religious animosity between his pious followers and those tied to secular traditions, is a dangerous and harmful move. 

Hagia Sophia belongs to the world. Its fate is not just a matter of Turkish sovereignty, as Erdogan defensively insists.