The US State Department has called on Turkey to maintain the status of Hagia Sophia as a museum and to not convert it into a mosque. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, posted on Twitter on Thursday:
“The Hagia Sophia holds enormous spiritual & cultural significance to billions of believers of different faiths around the world. We call on the Govt of #Turkey to maintain it as a @UNESCO
World Heritage site & to maintain accessibility to all in its current status as a museum.”
The Hagia Sophia holds enormous spiritual & cultural significance to billions of believers of different faiths around the world. We call on the Govt of #Turkey to maintain it as a @UNESCO World Heritage site & to maintain accessibility to all in its current status as a museum.
— Ambassador Sam Brownback (@IRF_Ambassador) June 25, 2020
Brownback’s intervention comes just a few days before Turkey’s top administrative court will rule on the issue on July 2.
President Recept Tayyip Erdogan has been insisting in turning he former cradle of Greek Orthodoxy CByzantine Empire) into a mosque although there is no practical reason for this as the wonderful Blue Mosque is just aorund the corner.
But Erdogan’s motive has nothing to do with religion. It is pure political.
PS He was to anger Greeks? Be my guest.