As much of the world is struggling against the coronavirus pandemic, the Islamists in Turkey appear to hold on to their everlasting agenda: Forced Islamization and violation of non-Muslims.
Adhan (Islamic call to prayer) and the Koranic verses Surat Al-Fath and Surat An Nasr were recited by two “imams” of the Hagia Sophia Church/museum, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Akit reported on March 23. The paper called the historic Cathedral the “Grand Hagia Sophia Mosque”.
“For the first time in history, acoustic test recordings of adhan and the Koran, which were recited with naked voice, were made in Hagia Sophia,” the paper said.
The paper went on to falsely claim that the “Hagia Sophia Mosque was unlawfully converted into a museum when it was a mosque.”
In fact, Hagia Sophia (Greek for “Holy Wisdom”) was built in the 6th century CE (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in Constantinople and remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly 1,000 years until the Ottoman Turks invaded the city and looted it.
In 1930s, Turkey changed the city’s name to “Istanbul” and converted the mosque into a museum – another violation of the historic structure that was built as and meant to be a cathedral.
Referring to the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II, who invaded and captured the city in 1453, as the “Conquerer” (Fatih), and the Hagia Sophia as his “trust”, the paper asked:
“Will the longing for [Ottoman sultan] Fatih’s trust, Hagia Sophia, finally end?”
Why are some people so obsessively yearning for a Cathedral’s conversion to a mosque?
According to the 2019 statistics of Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs), there are 84,684 mosques across Turkey, which means there is no shortage of mosques in the country.
“I can only think of one reason,” wrote the author Wesley J. Smith.
“As a shout of Islamic triumphalism. What a mistake that would be. Christians would rightly consider it an intentional insult. The international community would see it as an open rejection of its diversity agenda. Moreover, I think that a relatively secular Turkey acting so radically would demonstrate to the world that despite moderate Muslims’ many assurances to the contrary, contemporary Islam is intolerant in outlook, belligerent toward non-believers, and dangerously hegemonist in its intentions.”
What’s even more tragic is that there is no longer a strong Christian presence in Turkey that could get organized and oppose the abuses against the historic Cathedral.
The reason for that is the decades-long persecution of Christians in the country.
From 1913 to 1923, a genocide was carried out against Christians in Ottoman Turkey; in 1941-1942, there was an attempt to enlist and enslave all non-Muslim males in the Turkish military — including the elderly and mentally ill — to force them to work under horrendous conditions in labor battalions; in 1942, a Wealth Tax was imposed to eliminate Christians and Jews from the economy; in 1955, there was an anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul; and in 1964, the remaining Greeks were forcefully expelled from Turkey. All of the above and more contributed to the ethnic cleansing of Christians in Turkey.
During all these abuses, the possessions of Christians were also targeted. The government and the private citizens of Turkey have seized and claimed ownership of the properties and lands of Christians that were murdered, deported or had to flee.
Author Raffi Bedrosyan explains:
“If not destroyed outright or left to deteriorate, the church and school buildings were converted into banks, mosques, state schools, community centers, stables, or warehouses. Armenian houses were taken over by local Turks and Kurds, or by Muslim refugee settlers from the Balkans. The Armenian economic assets such as farms, orchards, olive groves, stores, factories, mines became the foundation stones of the Turkish economy and the starting capital of most of the wealthy Turkish industrialists of today. The Turkish government continued the seizure of Armenian assets and the legalization of it up until the 2000s. With legislation brought in 1974, more than 1,400 legally obtained assets of the Istanbul Armenian charitable foundations since 1936, were declared illegal and seized by the state.”
The Greek, Assyrian and other Christian properties have also been exposed to a similar treatment at the hands of the government and Muslim citizens of Turkey.
Today, the latest target of Turkey’s aggression against Christian religious liberty is the Hagia Sophia Cathedral/museum, which is now a mosque.
However, many Muslims that are abusing the Hagia Sophia historic Cathedral and other Christian properties do not even see their actions as a type of abuse, violation, crime or aggression. To them, it is just the normal or even glorious way to treat Christians and other non-Muslims as well as their places of worship. And that is what makes political Islam the most perilous ideology that is extremely hard, if not impossible, to reach a common ground and achieve peaceful, meaningful coexistence with.
Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist formerly based in Ankara.
Martin says
video ( stay safe, mute the sound before watching ! )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soaMMLWP_D4
Agnosticus says
What an awful raucous din. Our dogs started howling in response!
Tracie l Koehler says
Islam is the practice of the devil .
Michael Copeland says
“contemporary Islam is intolerant in outlook, belligerent toward non-believers, and dangerously hegemonist in its intentions” – Wesley J.Smith
Just like traditional Islam.
Martin says
…… and they say it was an acoustic test !!!!!
… first the rehearsal on March 20 ( 31 min 44 ) with English subtitles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK3cySkSB5s
SAFI says
If that’s the “acoustic test” then my guess is the official mosque re-dedication will take place on the 29th of May (anniversary of conquest) “as a shout of Islamic triumphalism”, to quote the article above.
lucretia macevil says
I think you’re right
Martin says
the “acoustic test”
( 21min 23 ) ( Eng subs )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLSnRYE2xtc
RichardL says
It is just a building. They have killed essentially all of the Christians in that country already. Spain has turned many mosques into churches. The winner takes it all. I just wish, non-islamic countries would raze all terror clubs to the ground and forbid any public (i.e. political) expression of islam.
somehistory says
You are right. It is just a building. What they have done, they did to insult and hurt those who care. If no one cared, what would they get out of what they have done? A building.
God says that He does “not dwell in houses,” (Acts)
Dr. Bukk says
It is not “just a building”. The dome is 185′ tall, an architectural record for generations. It has the remnants of gorgeous frescos of Christian scenes, half-destroyed along the bottom. It was dedicated to Justinian’s mother. Muslims turned it into a stable as an insult to Christians. They filled in marble staircases so animals could reach the upper floors. When Kemel Attaturk took power, he changed it to a museum out of respect for Western culture. He also banned face coverings & scarves on women, converted their alphabet to Western letters, opened universities to women and converted their curriculum to Western studies. This is the reason Turkey prospered without oil.
The Muslims were so embarrassed that this marvel was built by Christians they built an exact copy facing it across a square, The Blue Mosque. It is beautiful too, but has only blue & white tiles with geometric designs.
gravenimage says
Hagia Sofia was Christendom’s greatest cathedral for over a thousand years. When Muslims conquered Constantinople, they raped, enslaved, and/or slaughtered everyone who had taken sanctuary there.
Tony Naim says
Even the altar in the Hagia Sophia Cathedral was moved to face Mecca instead of facing Jerusalem. The feeling of shame combined with a sense of overwhelming doom will overtake any Christian visiting this cathedral. The entire purpose of Islam is summarized in this building.
Savagery can only be met with overwhelming force. There is no end to this religious war, knowing that it’s last ( but by no means it’s final) manifestation was September 11.
The US government must at all cost begin a motion to outlaw the practice of dhimmitude as a crime against humanity. The Islamic wakf must restore all religious monuments to its rightful owners. The Hagia Sophia to Christianity
And the Temple of Jerusalem to the Jews.
Brian Hoff says
The so call temple mount never have than Jewish temple Than Roman fort was built there coveing; 36 arce. The Jewish author of the Jewish war said than Roman fort was built there
gravenimage says
The claim that Titus Flavius Josephus denied that the Jewish temple existed is utter rot. Who does “Brian Hoff”–really, “DefenderofIslam”–think will swallow his claptrap?
He’s referring to the Antonia Fortress–the main purpose of this fort was, initially, to *protect* the Jewish Temple, which “DefenderofIslam” claims never existed:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Fortress
gravenimage says
And note that “DefenderofIslam” has *no* problem with his coreligionists enslaving or slaughtering the Christians who took sanctuary in this great cathedral before they seized it and turned it into a mosque. But then, why would he?
Scheherazade Smith says
I hope Corona wipes out ever single last Muslim Turk.
Scheherazade Smith says
* every, even.
Must make sure I spell it right, so it goes to God’s ears intact.
GreekEmpress says
I am heartsick.
Mateen Elass says
I was in Turkey last November and had the opportunity to question a local guide about the perception that Erdogan intended to turn the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque. His reply surprised me. He said he didn’t think it would ever happen, not for social or political or religious reasons but for financial ones. Right now, tourists are charged 72 Turkish lira (just under $12) to enter the Hagia Sophia. Roughly 3 million tourists visit per year, bringing in $35 million to the government that runs an annual deficit of some $3 billion (Turkey’s total budget in 2018 was approximately $175 billion). Were the museum converted into a mosque, the government would no longer be able to charge an entry fee because mosques are by law open to anyone to visit, at least when prayers are not being held. I had never considered this argument before, and found it intriguing, if not wholly convincing. Time will tell, as with most questions related to Muslim asseverations. .
4dmin says
” . . . Anyone who wishes to fight the Turks is mad, for Jesus Christ does not fight them any more. They have conquered, they will conquer. For every day they drive us down, knowing that God, who was awake, sleeps now, and Muhammad waxes powerful.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_Crusade
gravenimage says
After this the Spanish, Portuguese, French, Sicilians, Greeks, Balkans, and Israel were all able to gain independence from the Muslims. The idea that Islam is forever and always invincible because a member of the Knights Templar once despaired *not* mean that Islam is somehow fated to prevail.
Goofy says
Atatürk made Turkey a modern and civilised country. Under Erdogan Turkey is rapidly embracing the early middle ages. Let us wish them well and cut their relationships with NATO and the EU.
Paul Wheeler says
It should be very clear to anyone that Atatürk did not make Turkey a modern and civilised country.
He applied a very thin layer of veneer over a fundamentally 7th century edifice.
Under pressure, the veneer falls off, revealing the true structure.
The right of conquest gives Turkey the right to do whatever it will with buildings in its territory. Christianity replaced pagan Roman religions in Asia Minor, just as those religions replaced whatever indigenous religions existed in the area. The Christians shed no tears at replacing paganism and taking over or destroying pagan temples.
We should shed no tears about Turkey’s repurposing Christian buildings to Islamic ends. It’s just another cycle of the wheel.
gravenimage says
Mass slaughtering Infidels and destroying the civilized world would be just another cycle, as well…
FYI says
Hagia Sophia was taken by the muslims on behalf of their ARAB god al lah the champion deceiver {koran 3:54}:allah,the god that gets Everything Wrong.
islamic “prayers” are worthless anyway as they are dedicated to a god who doesn’t even know what Hagia Sophia really represents:in islam,there is no concept of the Holy Spirit,the source of God’s Wisdom,authentic scripture and Prophecy.
muhammed could not have had the gift of Prophecy as all TRUE prophets,all those Biblical ones had, as in islam there is no Holy Spirit{=the source of prophecy}that aspect of God revealed in the Bible ,a book allah confirms as TRUE!!koran 3:3}
Besides as muhammed admitted himself..
“I have fabricated thing against God and attributed to him things he has not said”
Al Tabari 6:111
Given allah is antiChristian{koran 9;30} and muhammed’s greatest enemy is a MAN called the “king of kings”{Sahih Muslim vol 5 hadith #5611}it is not surprising the muslims stole that which was not theirs:they are illegal occupants.They are trespassers in the House of the Lord but they can’t see that as they don’t have the necessary Wisdom.
Neither allah himself nor muhammed would know anything about “Holy Wisdom”,Hagia Sophia