Erdogan’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque receives criticism worldwide

The decision to turn Hagia Sophia, a world famous museum, in Turkey into a mosque has been criticised by the majority of the world. On July 10, 2020, the decision of the Council of Ministers to transform the Hagia Sophia into a museum was cancelled by the Council of State. And, despite secular and global criticism, the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed a decree annulling the Hagia Sophia's museum status, reverting it to a mosque.

Greek’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokis not only condemned this decision but also said that this move will adversely affect relations between Athen and Ankara.

He said, “The Turkish decision will affect not only relations between Greece and Turkey, but also Turkey's relations with the European Union, UNESCO and the entire international community.”

Hagia Sophia became a museum in the year 1934 and now is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Though gained the status of museum much later, it was built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral which was later on converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.

As per the local media outlets, the decision to concert Hagia Sophia into a mosque after Erdogan’s visit to Doha, Qatar. He agreed to do so in exchange for some western countries converting mosques into churches. There have been reports earlier suggesting Qatari funding in European countries,especially Italy and France. According to the French newspaper “Libération”, Qatar manages an enthusiastic relationship with the Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF), France's representative of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Media outlets in Italy also revealed that there is connection of the Italian Union of Islamic Communities and Organisation with the Muslim Brothers and if this was not enough, a journalist, Gerges Malbrounot also claimed that "through UOIF and financing mosques, the idea of Qatar is to take control of Islam in France". All this has raised concerns in European public opinion, igniting the political debate.

The motive of Qataris and now Turkey going all the way to something as big and controversial as this has been raising a lot of concerns in the west. Unesco "deeply regrets" the decision to turn the museum into a mosque and called on the Turkish authorities to "open a dialogue without delay." Hagia Sophia remains Turkey's most popular tourist site, attracting more than 3.7 million visitors a year

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