A UNESCO World Heritage site, once a church, then a mosque, then a museum, has been designated a mosque again, a move seen as reinforcing President Erdoğan’s waning support.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is calling on UN experts to condemn Turkey’s conversion of the historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque, arguing it is an attack on cultural heritage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan controversially transformed one of the country’s most important buildings into a mosque in July.
The move was criticized by the United States, the European Union and Pope Francis.
When Hagia Sophia was built almost 1,500 years ago, it was the main church of Orthodox Christians, but it was transformed into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul) by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century .
After the establishment of the Turkish republic, the country’s secular founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, turned it into a museum in 1934. It was considered a symbol of harmony between religions and cultures and eventually became a heritage site world of UNESCO.
In a letter to UN special rapporteurs on Tuesday, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America argued that Turkey had failed to fulfill its obligations under international law.
As a World Heritage Site, UNESCO says Turkey needed to consult the organization before changing the monument’s status.
The Church also claims that the conversion of Hagia Sophia is part of a larger systemic effort by Turkey to erase cultural heritage.
A lawyer for the archdiocese, Christina Hioureas, told The Media Line: “The archdiocese hopes that by outlining Turkey’s obligations under international law, the special rapporteurs will issue a joint statement regarding this illegal conduct, investigate on the circumstances and will work with UNESCO to take immediate action. measures to ensure the preservation, protection and transmission of cultural heritage for future generations.
Once the Hagia Sophia was converted, what particularly raised eyebrows was the head of Turkey’s religious directory delivering a sermon while holding a knife, a symbol of conquest.
(What) these decisions demonstrate is that the State increasingly favors one (religion) over the other.
The United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion, Ahmed Shaheed, said he condemned the symbols of conquest inside the Hagia Sophia.
“This suggests that some groups are dominant and others are not,” Shaheed told The Media Line.
He added that Hagia Sophia is a significant example of the erosion of secular space and the growing Islamic presence in public life.
“(What) these decisions demonstrate is that the state increasingly favors one (religion) over the other.”
Shaheed, a senior lecturer at the University of Essex law school, said he was waiting for a response from the Turkish government to his concerns before deciding whether it requires the human rights body’s attention. UN man.
The Turkish government has rejected the Church’s accusation, saying the Hagia Sophia was a mosque for centuries.
“The claim that its reinstatement as a mosque would ‘erase the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians’ makes no sense. Hagia Sophia is an integral part of the heritage of the Turkish people,” the Turkish president’s communications office wrote in an email to The Media Line.
(Orthodox Christians) will definitely feel uncomfortable. But this is different from… the erasure of cultural heritage
Muzaffer Şenel, assistant professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul Şehir University, emphasized that the building is still open for visiting and that most of the building has remained the same, although this will not satisfy Orthodox Christians.
“They will definitely feel uncomfortable. But that is different from… the erasure of cultural heritage,” he told The Media Line.
However, changes have occurred. A large rug was placed on the floor and curtains covered the Christian artwork on the wall for Islamic prayers which can now be performed in the building.
Many analysts saw Erdoğan’s move as an attempt to shore up his right-wing popularity amid divisions within his party and weakening support.
Critics of the Turkish president say he fuels a nationalist and Islamist vision of the country that puts pressure on religious minorities.
After clashes in the Caucasus in which Armenia fought against Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan, a video was posted on social media showing cars with Azerbaijani and Turkish flags honking near the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul on Monday.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish activists have reported an increase in anti-Semitism in the media, while in May a man was reportedly arrested for attempting to burn the door of an Armenian church because he accused the community of spreading the coronavirus.
During tensions with Israel, demonstrations took place in front of synagogues in Türkiye.
These are communities in danger. They are in danger of extinction
Elizabeth Prodromou, an expert on geopolitics and religious freedom who signed the Church’s letter to the UN rapporteurs, told The Media Line she wanted them to travel to Turkey for a fact-finding mission regarding what it considers to be violations of cultural and religious heritage.
Prodromou, a former U.S. diplomat now an associate professor at Tufts University, said Turkish authorities often do not hold people who attack religious minorities accountable.
She wanted the letter to draw attention to what she said was Turkey endangering religious minorities, including the Christian community, which she said made up 0.1 percent of the country’s population.
“These are communities in danger. They are in danger of extinction,” she said.
“(The Hagia Sophia decision) is a signal for the same types of behavior in other parts of the world, because the perpetrators realize there are no consequences. »
