The Turks provoke again for Hagia Sophia: "The fear of the Greeks prevailed over anger. Let's turn it a mosque"

The Turkish provocation in the previous days, which culminated with the kitsch “show” in front of Hagia Sophia, on the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople, continues with undiminished intensity.

On Monday, a section of the Turkish press took care to keep the issue alive, referring to the government’s ideas on turning the historic church of Orthodox Christianity into a mosque. In fact, they accuse Greece of “arrogance” and calls on Recep Tayyip Erdogan to implement this plan.

Why are worship services forbidden in Hagia Sophia?

Fuat Bol in Hurriyet attempts to refute the view that “oppression began in 1453”, in an article entitled “Can Hagia Sophia be opened for worship?”

The author starts with a lie, that Muhammad the Conqueror did not burn or plunder Constantinople, as the Latin-Crusaders did in 1204, and therefore, when some Byzantines welcomed Muhammad the Conqueror, they commented that “we prefer to see the Ottomans fez in Hagia Sophia instead of the red stole of cardinal”.

The truth of course is that the plundering, looting, killings and rapes lasted for three days and nights as the Sultan had promised to his soldiers.

The author then wonders if reading the Quran inside it creates a problem in the cultural identity of Hagia Sophia. “If worship is forbidden in cultural heritage buildings, why not oppose the Vatican or the Fatih and Sultanahmet mosques, which are also World Heritage sites?” The author wonders in his argument.

In addition, Fuat Bol states that “Greece has turned all the mosques in its territory into churches. Instead of looking at its own decadence, it is arrogant and attacks Turkey’s sovereign rights (sic). The fact that makes Greeks so arrogant is that they know that Hagia Sophia is not just a building, but simply a ‘mana’ (the essence of Islam, the symbol of conquest)”.

He also stressed: “This attitude of the West forces us to be constantly vigilant” adding that “when we are worthy of Muhammad the Conqueror, the doors (of the Hagia Sophia) will automatically open for worship”.

For its part, the also nationalist Milad publishes an article entitled “Hagia Sophia, ah Hagia Sophia”, arguing that “now is the time to conquer Istanbul, realize the spirit of the Conqueror Muhammad and transform the Hagia Sophia into mosque, despite any reactions. Now is the time to read the prayer in Hagia Sophia, with its excellent acoustics, and to make it be heard from Israel to the United States, from Greece to the EU”.

Haber, in an article titled “Greece’s Fear of Hagia Sophia Overcomes Anger”, states that “the issue of conquering the city has not left the agenda, even if 567 years have passed”. He adds that “the issue that attracts the attention of all media in Greece is that fear outweighs anger. Greeks fear more than ever that Erdogan will turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque”.

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