Breitbart.com reports: “A large rally in Istanbul demanded the government
change the historic Hagia Sophia church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, into a
mosque. The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH) led the rally through
the Sultanahmet district.
Many people carried signs that said, ‘Hagia Sophia needs to be reopened as a
mosque’ and ‘Let our lives be sacrificed for Islam.’
The idea to change the church into a mosque begun to gain momentum in April
after Pope Francis recognized the slaying of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.
Liam Deacon at Breitbart London chronicled the history of Hagia Sophia. The
Ottoman Empire did convert the church into a mosque in 1453. After the empire
fell, the new Turkish government transformed it into a secular museum.
‘Frankly, I believe that the Pope’s remarks will only accelerate the process
for Hagia Sophia to be reopened for [Muslim] worship,’ Professor Hizli, a senior
government cleric, said in a written statement on April 15th.
He decried the Pope’s comments as a ‘modern reflection of the crusader wars
launched in these lands for centuries,’ and suggested that Turkey’s role as a
‘standard bearer’ for the Muslim world provoked criticism from non-Muslims.
The latest blow was using the church to celebrate Islam during Easter holy
week…”
Source
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment