Turkey's Hagia Sophia to reconvert into mosque from museum

                                                      Hagia Sophia 

Turkey's highest court is set to choose the status of the Hagia Sophia, but experts are saying that a legal ruling is only embeletic.

Hagia Sophia has been a centre of centuries-old ideological and political conflict.

Hagia Sophia established as the biggest Christian Church by Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the sixth century.

But as the Ottoman empire's increased its sprawl, the Hagia Sophia became the emblem of the Muslim. 

In1453, Fatih Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople and captured the city which later renamed as Istanbul. As the city come under the fold of Islam ,Sultan Mehmed converted the cathedral into mosque and also changed its name to 'Ayasofya'.

After the city come under the Ottomans Empire, muslim worshippers come accross the globe for hundreds of years to visit this beautiful mosque and perform their daily prayers.

But in the early 1930s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was the founder of the modern Turkish republic, shut this mosque and made it into a museum to secularise nad modernise the nation.

The call to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into mosque has been increasing in recent years. The centre demand to reconvert  it into mosque are coming mainly from Turkey's

religious-inclinating and nationalist constituencies.

Many of these used to demonstrate at the gates of the Hagia Sophia on every May 29 on the anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

Greece and the United States are strongly opposing this by saying that Hagia Sophia is the heritage which is recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1985 .They said it should remain museum for the sake of country's Christian minority and world history.

'Aura of Justice'

On Thursday, Turkey's Council of State, the country's highest court, is set to examine the validation of Ataturk's 1934 decree that converted Hagia Sophia from mosque into a museum.

The earlier lawsuits have failed to change the status of the museum.But analysts say a court judgement is only symbolic.

Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former parliamentarian said that the "The court's favourable judgement could ensure an aura of legitmacy to the museum's conversion into a mosque, but it is not a precondition".

Ozturk Yilmaz, a Turkish parlimentarian and ex ambassador accepted that this is not a legal matter. He said that if the government wants to reconvert  the museum into a mosque, they only need a presidential order. 

He also said that the,The high court's ruling roughly adds legitimacy." 

Political Trick

Although sympathetic to the cause in his youth, In 18 years Erdogan never spoke much on the public debate over the status of the Hagia Sophia.

He even restrained the calls on one occasion. He told advocates to fill the Ottoman-built Blue Mosque next door instead of Hagia Sophia.

But from 2019, Erdogan shifts his gear and started oration publicly twice about the conversion.

In March 2019 before the municipal elections where there is a dilema that his ruling justice and Development (AK) Party would defeat to opposition's Ekrem imanoglu who is now the mayor of Turkey's cultural capital.

Erdogan said that he is planning conversion to give response to the US President Donald Trump who recognised Israel to make Jerusalem their capital from Tel Aviv. 

On May 29,Erdogan delivered virtual speech on a large screen in the Haiga Sophia as part of the 576th anniversary celebrations of the Ottoman capture of Istanbul.

In the same month Erdogan gave a robust reply to Greece on television interview by telling them that they dare us not to reconvert Hagia Sophia into mosque. He further said "Are you ruling Turkey,or we?".

Advocates have also collected huge support among the majority of Turks who thinks that the building is totally domestic affair and there is no need of external access to this issue.

They frame this issue as a matter of national sovereignty.

Yilmaz who is former member of the Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party also said that This decision is national matter and there is no need of international player to get their access on this issue. 

Easy targets'

Faik Oztrak, who is the spokesperson of Turkey's main opposition party which is Republican People's Party (CHP) that was  established as pro-secular party by Ataturk has apprised Erdogan last month against exploiting the move.  

The Turkey's opposition and religious minority groups have not spoken out robustly against it.

Erdemir said that it has been "near impossible for Turkey's religious minorities and pro-secular constituencies to protest against Hagia Sophia's conversion publicly as they would easily come into the eyes and become easy targets' for accusations of national and religious treachery.

He further said that as if conversion takes place, it will demean the image of Turkey in the eyes of billions of Christians accross the globe. source

Previous month, the Greek ministry also asked  UNESCO over the potential decision and claim that this type of movement would destroy international conventions..

UNESCO and the US ambassador also condemned this conversion.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who represents the Orthodox Christian world, said that he was deeply shaken by the psssible outcomes of this conversion and he also said that it may cause division.

Inspite of all potential international backlash, Ozturk Yilmaz who is a Turkish lawmaker and former CHP member, said It's time for the reconversion to be done that will make sure that this issue is not again politically exploited by Erdogan or anyone else.