Hagia Sophia, An Emblem of The Ottoman Empire, At the Heart of a Centuries-Old Ideological and Political Battle
By
Arwa Ibrahim
July 02,
2020
From a
symbol of Christendom after its establishment by Byzantine emperor Justinian I
in the sixth century, to an emblem of the Muslim Ottoman Empire's sprawling
influence, the Hagia Sophia has been at the heart of a centuries-old
ideological and political battle.
Observers
say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent public endorsements to reconvert
the building into a mosque have been a political ploy to distract attention
from other issues [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters]
------
After Fatih
Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 and brought the city - which
later became known as Istanbul - into the fold of Islam, he converted the Hagia
Sophia from a cathedral to a mosque.
For
hundreds of years, Muslim worshippers from around the world flocked to the
city's red-coloured architectural jewel to perform their daily prayers as it
stood high with its imposing grey dome and towering minarets.
But in the
early 1930s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic,
closed the mosque and turned the building into a museum as part of his drive to
secularise and modernise the country.
Growing
sharper in recent years, the demand came mostly from Turkey's religious-leaning
and nationalist constituencies, many of whom regularly demonstrated at the
gates of the Hagia Sophia every May 29, the anniversary of the Ottoman conquest
of Constantinople.
But such
calls have been vehemently opposed by Greece and the United States, which argue
that the heritage site - recognised by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1985 - should remain a
museum out of respect for the country's Christian minority and world history.
On
Thursday, Turkey's Council of State, the country's highest court, is set to
decide the status of the Hagia Sophia following a petition by a private
association to examine the validity of Ataturk's 1934 decree that converted it
into a museum.
"The
court's favourable decision could provide an aura of legitimacy to the museum's
conversion into a mosque, but it is not a prerequisite," said Aykan
Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies and a former parliamentarian.
The former
Turkish lawmaker added that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opinion on the
matter was, on the other hand, key to the final status of the building.
Ozturk
Yilmaz, an independent member of the Turkish parliament and former ambassador,
agreed: "This is not a legal matter. If the government wants to change the
museum into a mosque, it only requires a presidential decree. The high court's
ruling merely adds legitimacy."
Greece
and the United States argue the UNESCO heritage site should remain a museum out
of respect for the country's Christian minority and country's history [File:
Umit Bektas/Reuters]
------
Political
Ploy
Although
sympathetic to the cause in his youth, Erdogan has largely remained silent on
the public debate over the status of the Hagia Sophia since he came to office
18 years ago. He even reticently opposed the calls on one occasion, telling
advocates to fill the Ottoman-built Blue Mosque next door instead.
But since
2019, his rhetoric has changed, with Erdogan publicly endorsing the conversion
twice. The first time came right before the March 2019 municipal elections when
fears were high that his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party would lose
Istanbul to the opposition's Ekrem Imamoglu - now the mayor of Turkey's
cultural capital.
Erdogan
told his supporters at the time that he planned the conversion in response to
US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's move to make Jerusalem its
capital.
Observers
saw Erdogan's recent endorsements as a political ploy to distract attention
from the country's weakening economy, the coronavirus pandemic and his own
waning popular support.
"The
timing of these two calls suggests a strong link between domestic political
considerations and the instrumentalisation of Hagia Sophia," Erdemir told
Al Jazeera.
Erdogan
appeared on a large screen in the Haiga Sophia to deliver a virtual speech on
May 29 as part of the 576th anniversary celebrations of the Ottoman capture of
Istanbul.
That same
month, he rebuked Greek anger over the potential change in a television
interview, saying, "They dare telling us not to transform Haiga Sophia
into a mosque. Are you ruling Turkey, or are we?"
Framing the
issue as a matter of national sovereignty, advocates have garnered wide support
among the majority of Turks, who regardless of their ideological opinions see
the status of the building as a purely domestic affair.
"This
decision is a national matter. International players should not get
involved," said Yilmaz, who is also a former member of the Turkey's main
opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which was established as a
pro-secular party by Ataturk.
Further
kindling national sentiments, Erdogan has reportedly instructed his advisory
council to hold the first prayers at the Hagia Sophia on July 15 to commemorate
the four-year anniversary of the 2016 failed coup attempt against his own
government.
President
Erdogan appeared on a large screen in the Haiga Sophia to deliver a virtual
speech as part of the 567th anniversary celebrations of the conquest of
Istanbul [File: Anadolu]
------
Not A
Domestic Controversy
For Hamdi
Arslan, a Turkish academic and longtime supporter of the cause, Hagia Sophia
holds "both religious and symbolic significance," he told Al Jazeera,
while reminiscing over the times he demonstrated alongside Erdogan at its gate
in the 1970s.
"For
50 years, I've been waiting for the shackles around the Hagia Sophia to be
removed and its original identity as a mosque restored. We won't give up on that,"
he said.
According
to Galip Dalay, a Tukey specialist and fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy, the
potential move has not been controversial domestically, but rather on the
international stage.
"The
controversy isn't inside Turkey, but between Ankara and the EU [European
Union], Greece or even the US. None of the political parties oppose the idea of
opening the Hagia Sophia as a mosque," said Galip.
"That's
because most parties either support this move or they don't want to give
Erdogan another tool to polarise society because they know the majority of
Turks are for it."
A poll
published last month found 73 percent of Turks were in favour of the
conversion.
'Easy
Targets'
Faik
Ozturk, the spokesperson of CHP, Turkey's main opposition party, warned Erdogan
last month against exploiting the move.
While
Turkey's opposition and religious minority groups have not spoken out strongly
against it, Erdemir explained it has been "near impossible for Turkey's
religious minorities and pro-secular constituencies to oppose Hagia Sophia's
conversion publicly since they would become easy targets for accusations of
religious and national betrayal".
He added
the potential conversion would damage the image of Turkey "in the eyes of
two billion Christians worldwide", and "alarm Turkey's religious
minorities and pro-secular constituencies".
Last month,
the Greek ministry appealed to UNESCO over the potential decision, claiming
such a move would violate international conventions.
Condemnations
also came from UNESCO itself and the US ambassador, while Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, who represents the Orthodox Christian world, said he was
"saddened and shaken" by concerns the possible conversion would be a
cause of division.
Despite the
potential international backlash, Yilmaz, the Turkish lawmaker, said:
"It's time for the reconversion to happen so that this issue can no longer
be politically exploited by Erdogan or anyone else."
Original
Headline: Turkey's Hagia Sophia and the battle to reconvert it to a mosque
Source: The Al-Jazeera
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/hagia-sophia,-emblem-ottoman-empire,/d/122296
New
Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African
Muslim News, Arab
World News, South
Asia News, Indian
Muslim News, World
Muslim News, Women
in Islam, Islamic
Feminism, Arab
Women, Women
In Arab, Islamophobia
in America, Muslim
Women in West, Islam
Women and Feminism