Hagia Sophia to be made a mosque again?
May 05, 2014
A Turkish lawmaker has introduced a proposal to re-convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the AsiaNews service reports.
Built in the 6th century as a Christian basilica, the Byzantine architectural masterpiece was made a mosque after the Islamic conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The building became a museum in 1934, after Kemal Ataturk transformed Turkey into a secular state.
Now with Islamic influence on the rise, Turkish politicians are weighing the possibility of making the Hagia Sophia a mosque once again. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan—whose AKP party controls the parliament in which the issue will be decided—has expressed interest in conducting Islamic prayer services in the building on May 29: the anniversary of the Islamic conquest of Constantinople.
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Posted by: Thomas429 -
May. 13, 2014 10:45 PM ET USA
Is militant Islam on the rise? This story is more proof that it is. It has been a Moslem tradition to use the houses of worship of vanquished peoples a their Mosques. Or, they build their Mosques on top of the ruins as in Jerusalem. Ataturk removed what was a thorn in the side of Christianity when he turned Hagia Sophia into a museum open to all. Now here comes resurgent militancy to put it back in. I suppose we can be the bigger men and let it go. We are not dealing with people who want peace.
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Posted by: shrink -
May. 05, 2014 5:21 PM ET USA
The news item forgot to mention that the european and american secularists would be joining in on the prayer service, in thanksgiving for the conquest of Christianity. ; > o
