(Shutterstock)
The Hellenic American Leadership Council, an influential Greek-American advocacy group, launched a petition against Ankara’s conversion of another important Byzantine monument, the Chora Church, into a mosque.
More specifically, the petition calls on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to pressure Turkey to protect its Christian minorities and Christian cultural heritage.
“Chora’s story is unfortunately part of a pattern that Christian minorities in Turkey and the Middle East – their countries of origin – know all too well,” the petition states, later referring to the conversion in 2020 of Hagia Sophia – a Byzantine church. church turned museum and one of Istanbul’s biggest attractions – despite widespread condemnation of the project.
“Measures that can be implemented immediately include denying visas to Turkish officials – particularly officials from Turkey’s Diyanet (Directorate of Religious Affairs) – involved in the conversion of these heritage sites,” the petition adds.
It also urges USCIRF to “visit Turkey and occupied Cyprus (for the first time since 2011) to properly assess the danger these Christian heritage sites face.”
To sign the petition, click here.
