A UNESCO World Heritage site, formerly a church, then a mosque, then a museum, was once designated a mosque in a motion that is deemed to strengthen President Erdogan’s support
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is asking UN experts to condemn Turkey’s conversion of historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque, arguing that it is an attack on cultural heritage.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan controversially changed one of the country’s tallest buildings in a mosque in July.
The resolution rebuked through the United States, the EU and Pope Francis.
When Hagia Sophia was built around 1500 years ago it was the main church of the Orthodox Christians, however it was remodeled into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul) through the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century .
After the creation of the Turkish Republic, the country’s secular founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turned it into a museum in 1934, conceived as a symbol of harmony between religions and cultures and has finally become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In a letter to un special rapporteurs on Tuesday, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America argued that Turkey had violated its obligations under foreign law.
As a World Heritage Site, UNESCO said Turkey consults with the organization before converting the prestige of the monument.
The church also argues that Hagia Sophia’s conversion is a broader systemic effort across Turkey to erase cultural heritage.
An archdiocese lawyer, Christina Hioureas, told The Media Line: “The archdiocese hopes that by establishing Turkey’s obligations under foreign law, special rapporteurs will take into account this illegal behavior, investigate cases and paintings with UNESCO on measures to ensure the preservation, coverage and transmission of cultural heritage for generations. »
Once Hagia Sophia became, what caught the eye of the head of Turkey’s devoted leadership delivered a sermon holding a knife, a symbol of conquest.
[This] that these decisions demonstrate is that the state is favoring one [religion] over the other
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, Ahmed Shaheed, said he condemned the symbols of the conquest of Hagia Sophia.
“This suggests that some teams are dominant and some are not,” Shaheed told The Media Line.
He added that Hagia Sophia is a significant example of the erosion of the secular and developing Islamic presence in public life.
“[What] these decisions demonstrate is that the state is favoring one [religion] over the other. “
Shaheed, a professor at Essex University School of Law, said he expected a reaction from the Turkish government about his considerations before deciding whether he required the attention of the UN human rights agency.
The Turkish government rejected the Church’s accusation, saying that Hagia Sophia was a mosque for centuries.
“The declaration that restoring it as a mosque” erases the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians “makes no sense. Hagia Sophia is an integral component of the Turkish people’s heritage,” the Turkish president’s communications wrote in an email to The Media. Line.
[Orthodox Christians] will feel uncomfortable. But it’s another one of . . . erase cultural heritage
Muzaffer Oenel, assistant professor of political science and foreign relations at Istanbul University, under pressure that construction is still open to visitors and that the maximum construction has remained the same, this will not be passable for Orthodox Christians.
“They will feel uncomfortable. But it’s another thing of . . . erase cultural heritage,” he told The Media Line.
However, there have been changes. A giant carpet was placed on the floor and curtains covered Christian artworks on the wall for Islamic prayers that can now be retained in the building.
Many analysts saw Erdogan’s resolve as an attempt to reinforce his right-wing popularity amid divisions within his party and weakened support.
Critics of the Turkish president say he has fed on a nationalist and Islamist view of the country that has put pressure on minorities.
After clashes in the Caucasus in which Armenia fought Turkey’s best friend Azerbaijan, a social media video posted cars with Azerbaijani and Turkish flags honking his horn near the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul on Monday.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish activists reported a surge in anti-Semitism in the media, while in May a man was reportedly arrested for attempting to burn down the door of an Armenian church because he accused the network to spread the coronavirus. .
During tensions with Israel, there were outdoor demonstrations in synagogues in Turkey.
These are at-risk communities. Threatened with extinction
Elizabeth Prodromou, a geopolitical and devoted freedom expert who signed the church letter to UN rapporteurs, told The Media Line that she sought them out in Turkey for a research project on what she saw as violations of cultural and devoted heritage.
Prodromou, a former American professor who is now an associate professor at Tufts University, said the Turkish government is not responsible for others attacking devout minorities.
She sought the letter to focus on what she said puts devout minorities at risk, adding that the Christian community, which she said represents 0. 1% of the country’s population.
“These are at-risk communities. They’re about to disappear,” he said.
“[The Hagia Sophia Decision] is a sign of the same conduct in other parts of the world, as the authors realize that there are no consequences. “