Provocations continue in Turkey, as Islamist goal of reconverting Hagia Sophia into mosque rehashed

Provocations by the official Turkish state against religious minorities in the predominately Muslim country continue unabated, especially ahead of the next week’s anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks on May 29, 1453.

For instance, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, imam Ali Erbas, took to social media to post a photograph of the iconic Hagia Sophia, along with the Blue Mosque, with a statement reading “…we will meet again in our mosques on May 29, God willing”.

The post comes after another flurry of press reports in Turkey claiming that the Erdogan administration aims to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

Taking to Twitter last week, top presidential adviser Fahrettin Altun also posted a photograph of the greatest cathedral in eastern Christendom, along with the quip “…We’ve missed it, but have patience, we’ll achieve this together”.

The statement was taken to mean that the Turkish state will again allow Muslim prayers in the Orthodox basilica, which since 1935 has served as one of the two most popular museums in Turkey.

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