Conservative Muslims have always been an eyesore to Atatürk’s decision. “Sultan Mehmet decided that this is a place of worship for Muslims until the end of time,” says Yunus Genc of the Anatolian Youth movement. “This is Turkey and the majority of people are Muslim. Hagia Sophia is a mosque, so we want the building to have that status as well.”
In recent years, action was taken on May 29, the day of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. That happened with a group prayer in the front yard of Hagia Sophia. Due to the corona virus, this year was canceled. However, a signature campaign was held. “We collected 13 million signatures,” said Genc. “We hope our government really sees how important this is now.”
“Used for political purposes”
Erdogan’s view of Hagia Sophia has not always been unambiguous. Last year, during the local election campaign, he promised voters that Hagia Sophia would become a mosque. But his mayor candidate Binali Yildirim lost it to opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu. After the elections, Erdogan moderated his tone. “First make sure you can fill the Sultanahmet Mosque,” he even said.
But recently it is again at the top of the agenda. The corona crisis hit the Turkish economy, which was still recovering from the previous crisis. Political analysts say Erdogan is using the issue of Hagia Sophia to detain voters as he is less strong in the polls. Since last year’s local elections, the three largest Turkish cities have been in the hands of the opposition.
Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, prefers not to burn his fingers on the matter. Last week he said that Turkey and the rest of the world have something different in mind. “It is sad that this is now being used for political purposes. I don’t think it is the right time to focus on this.”
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