From Museum to Mosque; President Erdogan and Hagia Sophia

Opinion News analysis by Annabelle Ghanem

July 21st, 2020

Around 1500 years ago, one of the most sacred architectural structures was designed and built on the grounds of what is now known as Istanbul, Turkey. During the course of over a millennium, the beautiful Hagia Sophia was used to honor both the Christian and Islamic religious faiths, at different intervals of our history. The UNESCO world heritage site was originally constructed as a Greek Orthodox Basilica, a church with an honorary title for its prestigious impact and importance, and then morphed into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire after their victory over what was then known as Constantinople.

The holy site remained a place of worship for the Islamic faith until nine years after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, where it was then converted into a museum honoring both faiths. Since then, the architectural wonder has symbolized secularism in the country, with over 3 million visitors, from all religious backgrounds, coming every year to indulge in its beautiful history, artistry, and unifying qualities. However, 2020 has proven to be the ultimate platform for turmoil, conflict, and most of all - surprises - and unfortunately, Hagia Sophia has now entered this year’s whirlpool of international unrest. 

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a shocking decree that aims to turn Hagia Sophia into a fully operating mosque for the Islamic public by the end of July, igniting a loud international reaction from states and entities all over the world. People across the globe can’t help but ask why this is happening - considering that President Erdogan himself has put forth great efforts over the years to expand Turkey’s international relations as a representative of a secular democratic state. For that reason, the initiative set to annul former President Ataturk’s decision, that turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, came as a complete surprise, leaving the international community wondering why the leader of a said “secular democratic state” would call for the change of status of one of Turkey’s greatest symbols of religious tolerance, secularism, and diversity?

To begin with, Erdogan’s political story has not been seeing much triumph over the last few years of his rule, both regionally and internationally. With the initiative of promoting and opening international pathways with the West, mainly the United States of America and the European Union, Erdogan’s then dominant party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has lost a tremendous amount of supporters, mostly from the more conservative part of the Turkish society. In November of 2019, it was reported that the AKP had lost over 50,000 members, due to Erdogan’s secularist decision making process. The consistent loss of party members resulted in the AKP’s defeat in the municipal elections of the two largest cities in Turkey. Both in its capital, Ankara, and the popular tourist site, Istanbul. It became evident that the Turkish people’s allegiance to President Erdogan’s agenda was diminishing, thus prompting the President to perform radical movements against the opposition parties, primarily The Republican People’s Party. Thus, Erdogan’s move to revert Hagia Sophia back to a mosque can be seen as an act of desperation to maintain his powerful local and regional rule, but what about Turkey’s international presence?

Turkey’s international relations with countries, particularly the EU and the Arab League, have been short on pleasant encounters in recent years, with Turkey placing its hands on multiple Arab territories, most recently in Libya’s civil war, while simultaneously breaking international law, by conducting “illegal drilling activities in the Greek and Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

 This has not only impacted discussions regarding Turkey’s possible membership within the European Union, but has also made Erdogan’s decision on Hagia Sophia the last straw for the member states. Greece has become even more forthcoming regarding the placement of immediate sanctions by the EU on Turkey, following the news of Hagia Sophia. Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikos Dendias, has managed to convince certain EU member states to agree upon placing those very sanctions, with France in particular, having had political turmoil with Turkey over the situation in Libya, vouching for this occurrence. Could this have been a miscalculation on Erdogan’s behalf? Or is all this a power move, firing once again on an already tense battlefield with the west? 

Arab states, such as the United Arab Emirates, were also quick to criticize Erdogan’s decree on the architectural wonder. The Culture and Youth Minister of the UAE, Noura Al Kaabi, stood against the Turkish President’s decision, saying that  “Humanity’s cultural landmarks should be preserved for their value and function, and must neither be misused nor altered " for personal purposes.” However, leader of the Sharjah Emirate in the UAE, Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, retaliated against the backlash placed on Erdogan for his Hagia Sophia decree, by calling for the return of the Mosque of Cordoba, which remains as of now under the authority of the Church, in Spain. Support for Erdogan’s decision on Hagia Sophia also came from nations such as Oman and Pakistan, who have congratulated the President on restoring the monument as a place of worship. 

It’s safe to say that Edrogan’s decision on Hagia Sophia has cut the already thin line hanging a somewhat form of religious tolerance around our world. However, the monument is not just a symbol of secularism, or a sacred religious building. In 1985, Hagia Sophia was labeled a World Heritage Site by the United Nations’ UNESCO committee, thus making any alterations to the function, essence, and global symbolization of the museum, a decision that involves the international community as well. Unfortunately, the Turkish government had not consulted nor discussed any decisions regarding Hagia Sophia before issuing their decree, leading, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone, to issue the following statement; “It is important to avoid any implementing measure, without prior discussion with UNESCO, that would affect physical access to the site, the structure of the buildings, the site’s moveable property, or the site’s management.” To follow through with such decisions may violate the laws of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, UNESCO added.

Turkey was quick to respond saying that the decree does not violate the 1972 Convention, explaining that Hagia Sophia will remain a tourist attraction with symbols of both faiths, during non-Islamic prayer times. "In the case of Hagia Sophia, Turkey has officially acknowledged the Outstanding Universal Value assigned to it by the international community and has been managing the monument accordingly since the inscription of the property on the List in 1985," Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Yavuz Selim Kıran, assured the organization.

However, despite Deputy Kiran’s attempt to appease the international community, political tension still follows Erdogan’s decree on Hagia Sophia, shining a bright light on the President’s intentions, Turkey’s instability within the political scene, and most of all, exposing the underlying religious intolerance that has yet to dissolve from our world. Hagia Sophia will always be a beautiful symbol of acceptance, unification, and cohesion. All characteristics that should be embodied and represented by every individual amongst the different people, cultures, and above all, religions around them. Religious faith will always be prevalent and present, and should not be used as a means for political gain, nor associated with conflict and division. For it is not religion that causes wars. It’s how people interpret it.