The offensive minarets have been removed.
Posted on 11/13/2011 3:38:02 AM PST by markomalley
Now the fear is that following the transformation into a mosque of the church of Santa Sofia in Nicea (where the ecumenical council of 787 took place) that had previously been restored, turned into a museum and now in the last few days, under the orders of central government, has become a place for Islamic worship; now it is Santa Sofia of Istanbul's turn. The great Christian basilica from the ex-capital of the Ottoman empire is to be transformed into a mosque.
The news, or rather the hypothesis, comes from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, where a few days ago, the newspaper "Sabah" dedicated an article to the situation, stating that Santa Sofia could be used again as a place for Islamic worship, overturning the decision made by Turkey under Kemal Ataturk. The newspaper reported that there are building works underway to bring it about. Amongst the restoration work there are plans to construct a "mimbar", the pulpit or raised platform from which the Imam guides the prayer and gives the Friday sermon, the most important moment of prayer in the Muslim week. What could a mimbar be used for if not for the "active" Islamic use of the ex-cathedral?
There are also those who note that during a visit to Santa Sofia a while ago, the vice prime minister Bulent Arinc had said that the building would undergo fundamental modifications. Today Bulent Arinc is the person who remains the most involved in the debate. Bulent Arinc is perhaps the most prominent politician in the current Islamic conformism that exists in the governing party. A few days ago Arinc said during the inauguration in Nicea (Iznik in Turkish): "With this act we have regained the favour of our ancestors. The Church of Santa Sofia of Izmit is the result of conquest and as such, as was customary then, it constitutes a right. A church can be transformed into a mosque. Both are places to pray to God." And Bulent Arinc concluded: "How many of our mosques have been transformed into churches?"
My comment to that article was, If they are going to begin allowing this church to be used as a mosque, that is an unbelievable act of aggression against Christians. And it likely foreshadows them doing the same thing to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
Looks like I'm not the only one with that concern.
ping
I think you’re absolutely right. There are a number of those currently running Turkey who obviously wish a quick return to the ways of the Ottomans. This is the start, but not even close to the end.
’ A church can be transformed into a mosque. Both are places to pray to God.” And Bulent Arinc concluded: “How many of our mosques have been transformed into churches?”’
These words indicate that desire as openly as could be. It is as when Salim II decided that Cyprus should be his because it had once been in mohammedan hands, and because he liked their wine. Look how that ended (Battle of Lepanto).
To those of his ilk, once islamic equals always islamic. The shame is that many in government, both of the lefty-loosey and the righty-tighty segments get wishy washy in the face of such aggression. They hem and haw, they bluster regretfully and then allow. Weasels.
I do wish to point out one thing, historically accurate, although many don’t like to bring this up: in pre-mohammedan days, the kaaba (no, I will NEVER capitalize it) was a veritable pantheon of the preislamic “gods” worshipped in that area by those who weren’t already Catholic or Jewish. One of them was a moon god named, oddly enough, allah.
And a final note. I went to google, did a search for “mosques converted into churches number.” The results should send a chill for anyone here. My google-fu isn’t either the best or worst, but the vast majority of responses were churches converted into mosques, not the other way, which only had two real listings I saw: Cordoba and a Catholic church in Hungary. Hmm.
Partly because Spain (Cordoba) is practically the only one where Islamic ‘center’ turned Christian. Meanwhile, there are many Christian centers (Constantinople, Egypt, Ethiopia, among others) turned to Muslim areas during late first millenium and medieval time. Of course, we also see the Balkan areas, which was once Christian areas and in the 19th century were occupied by the Muslim Turks. However, except for some areas where the local Christians converted (Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia, among others), that occupation didn’t turn the majority Christians into Muslims the way the earlier occupation did.
That is a lie. A church is a place to pray to God, but a mosque is just a placea to pray to allah and/or listen to Islamic speeches sometimes laughingly called sermons. It is blasphemy to equate allah and the True God.
Besides, if his words were true, then he should be willing to share all mosquaes in the world with any other religion, right?
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fundamental modifications = fundamental transformation...these POS totalitarians all speak the same language. Too taqiyya by half.
Nah, it's payback for Cordoba
You have a Western World ignorant of the significance of St. Sophia. They have no idea Islam conquered and slaughtered in Christian lands. They believe it was the other way around. How can you preserve anything when you know nothing?
This is a great desecration and provocation, but you can’t provoke sheep.
Ideally, the Hagia Sofia should be the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Constantinople should be one of the largest and richest cities in the world. However, it hasn’t been that since the city fell to the Turks in 1453, destroying the Roman Empire and ending the 2200 year history of the Roman state.
After over 500 years I don’t think you can call it an “unbelievable act of aggression against Christians”.
Significant? Yes. A sign of the Turks turning away from Ataturk’s vision of a secular Turkey? Yes. A milestone to establishing an Islamist regime in Turkey? Very probable. But it would be more a a muscle flexing act to show dominance to a domestic Turkish audience than one directed specifically against Christians.
Someday—That great church will be a place of worship again—the worship of Jesus Christ. May it happen soon. Turkey is undergoing great tribulation. War is coming to that land—the efforts of Ataturk are being tossed aside for the Moslem Brotherhood and their neo-Nazi ways. But reason will prevail in the end. There is a plan at work and it is the plan of Christ. Have faith, brothers,the truth will win out in the end.
Perhaps it will be God's will to have another genocide in that area of the planet. Instead of another Armenian genocide, perhaps the Christian border countries will get sick of Islam resulting in a genocide of Turks.
The offensive minarets have been removed.
AMEN to that!
Jesus Christ the KING, we will see “SOON and VERY SOON!”
-Andre Crouch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmGiu9JfbIs
if it does happen, I pray it will open the eyes of the Western Europeans to what they have lost...
We only pushed them back in Spain and the Balkans and that too incompletely.
I’m inclined to believe the Albanian conversion to Islam as superficial at best — their first religion is to Albanianism: a very strong ethnic consciousness.
Islam is a civilisational disease.
I like. thanks
Albanianism is PAGAN—savage, tribal paganism!
I cringe when I see Albanian “Orthodox” exhibiting their Albanianism!!!!
I’d like to see Serbia take back Kosovo and at least the Republika Srpska part of “Bosnia”, as well as Montenegro/Crna Gora. And I would like to see the Orthodox World take back Eastern Thrace, Constantinople, North Cyprus, and much of Anatolia. Then Hagia Sophia will be a church again, and Divine Liturgy celebrated there!!!!
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