The decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert the iconic Hagia Sophia from a museum into an active mosque has sparked furor around the world. For nearly 1,000 years Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian church in the world, it was the site of significant events in the history of both the Catholic and Orthodox church.

In 1453, following the Ottoman conquering of the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, the site was converted into a mosque and remained so until being converted into a museum as part of the top-down secularization reforms led by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the 1920s-30s.

Jeremy Barker, Director, Middle East Action Team, joined EWTN News Nightly on July 13, 2020 to discuss the implications of this decision.

Hagia Sophia is home to many historic mosaics, frescos, and other religious and cultural artifacts, that many fear may be damaged or covered up if the building is returned to an active religious site. As Elizabeth Prodromou wrote for Cornerstone Forum, “the Turkish state’s cultural heritage policy has been deployed as a cudgel against the country’s ancient Christian communities, specifically, and against other religious and ethnic minorities, more generally.”

While the decision cannot be separated from its political dimensions as President Erdogan aims to strengthen domestic support among part of his electoral base, the move comes at the expense of Turkey’s small Christian minority.

As Barker concluded in his interview, “the important question is for Turkey’s Christians of all denominations, is there still a place that’s open to them in Turkey or is this a sign of farther marginalizing and pushing out the Christian population of Turkey?” Beyond the question of whether this ancient site remains as a museum or is an active site of Muslim worship, we hope President Erdogan will show today’s Turkey is for all Turkish citizens, not just for Muslims.