Turkey's steps toward converting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque may lead to a religious strife and damage President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself, a Russian upper house's lawmaker Oleg Morozov told Sputnik on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) Turkey's steps toward converting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque may lead to a religious strife and damage President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself, a Russian upper house's lawmaker Oleg Morozov told Sputnik on Friday.
Earlier in the day, CNN Turk reported that Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, has annulled the 1934 decree converting Hagia Sophia into a museum, which means that it can now be used as a mosque.
It came after Erdogan suggested last year that Hagia Sophia � formerly, the Church of the Holy Wisdom, which used to be an Orthodox Christian cathedral before becoming a mosque and then a museum � could become a mosque again with free admission.
"What is being done today is objectively tearing the religious fabric of Turkey and the world. There is no explanation or justification for this. The result is a growing religious strife. Erdogan can win a particular game, but lose a political match. The situation will become very bad. The advantages are minimal. The disadvantages are obvious," Morozov said.
