Convert Hagia Sophia As the Inter- Religious Faith Centre of Peace and Harmony for The Well Being of Humanity
By Fr
Manesh Jerald SJ, New Age Islam
23 July
2020
The
conversion of world’s great and unique architectural wonder, “HAGIA SOPHIA”
into a Mosque definitely agitates the hearts of peace-loving humanity. Truly,
it has imbalanced the religious sentiments of all people. In the present world when all people
irrespective of their colour, creed, religion, politics and culture are joining
their heart and mind together to eradicate the common enemy, Covid-19 for the
well-being of entire humanity, the conversion of world’s this unique antique
monument only for the one sect of human race breaks the unity and faith that
humanity together shared for each other. This transition hurting the peace of
the world should be reconsidered.
The Covenant of Prophet Muhammad with the Monks of Mount Sinai, also
called the Ashtiname of Muhammad. A copy
of this document is kept at the Saint Catherine's Monastery.
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The meaning
of the word “Hagia Sophia” is ‘Holy Wisdom’.
In the Holy Scriptures, both in the Holy Bible and in the Holy Quran, it
is written that Allah has created this entire world out of Allah’s wisdom. In
this wisdom, Allah has envisaged the pure spirit of unity in diversity. In this
created world, Allah has made sure that all kinds of life shall live together.
This is peace. Accepting this difference and sharing in this difference
maintain the peace of every living being. Yes, it is time to accept this world
order in the name of ‘HAGIA SOPHIA- the divine wisdom”.
Human
history ever tells the story of mighty people but accepted and respected only
those people, in their heart, who practiced the wisdom of peace, love and
compassion for all. When the power rules the world, it is peace and harmony
that the hearts ever long for existence.
From the
very inception of “Hagia Sophia”, the history has observed a series of power
struggle upon this aesthetic wonder. It has always been looked as the pride of
faithful communities who ruled over the nation.
Hagia
Sophia was built at Constantinople, the present Istanbul, Turkey, in the 6th
century under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian 1. It was the
cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for more than a
millennium. In 1204, it was looted by
the Venetians and the Crusaders on the Fourth Crusade. In 1453, the sultan of
the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II conquered this Byzantine architecture and
converted it into a mosque. In 1934 Turkish President and the father of modern
Turkish Republic, Kemal Ataturk having realized its religious, political,
aesthetic and cultural heritage, elevated this feel of human spirit, Hagia
Sophia into a museum. Thus, the then President respected the sentiments of
every minds and hearts both by building peace among humanity and uplifting
human fraternity. On the 10 of July this monument of human fraternity was
shaken by the decision of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan when he altered this
into a mosque. We observe here that in
its 1,450-year life span, HAGIA SOPHIA has served as a cathedral, mosque, a
museum and now again as a mosque.
The Hagia Sophia is an enormous architectural marvel in Istanbul, Turkey
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In all
these power struggles, the predominant feel one gets from the history of ‘Hagia
Sophia’ is both the religious and the political egoism in the name of Great
Allah. The spirit of wisdom of God is least cared about here. We experience an
exception in this case at the time of the President Kemal Ataturk. All the
Christians believe that God is Love and all the Muslims believe that Allah is
compassionate. These two aspects are two sides of ONE GOD. Without love there
cannot be compassion and without Compassion, love is not love at all. Love and
compassion is incomplete, if it is limited to only one sect of people. This
type of expression of sectarian love and compassion can never be of divine
wisdom. I understand that if we want to be faithful to this divine wisdom, we
must have an inclusive platform for their faith expression and where people of
these different religious communities do experience a brotherly love for each
other and do their worship here. This is divine wisdom.
It is not
enough converting an aesthetic structure having different heritages of
centuries into a museum. Yes, it can be considered as a great step towards
peace and harmony. This building is the amalgamation of different faith
expressions and art. Maintaining this
monument merely as a museum doesn’t bring justice to the peace and harmony of
people. It is a passive state where all the egoism of the people are buried but
not purified. When the museum is again converted into a mosque, this suppressed
egoism is hurt and escalated as pain for all. Can we say again that converting
this mosque again to museum is the only solution for peace? Never.
The only
solution for the peace and harmony of all the people and believers concerned of
HAGIA SOPHIA is to elevate this monument into a common platform for inter-
cultural-religious- centre of active faith expression. In this new ambience,
humanity in general and religions in particular live in peace by caring all and
by exchanging both love and respect for all. Thus ‘Hagia Sophia, the Divine
Wisdom’ shall be respected in its true spirit and letter. It will remain forever an actively living
monument of peace and harmony among humanity. When our common house, the earth
permits us and gives us all the facilities to worship that transcendental God
in different names and forms according to different cultural and social context,
don’t we have to learn from this wisdom, the divine wisdom? May “Hagia Sophia”
encompass both the Christian and Islam believers in its bosom and may the
humanity is able to vibrate and participate with this divine wisdom as dear
children holding all Christian and Islam believers together.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/convert-hagia-sophia-inter-religious/d/122447
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