Erdoğan: Agia Sophia Will Never Be a Church as Long as There Is Turkish People

Pravoslavie ^ | 3/18/19

[marshmallow]

Agia Sophia, the ancient Christian cathedral in Istanbul, will never become a church again, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said recently in an angry commentary on the deadly New Zealand mosque shootings, reports Romfea.

The shooter’s manifesto targets Turks and Erdoğan specifically, reports Egypt Today. “We are coming for Constantinople and we will destroy every mosque and minaret in the city. The Hagia Sophia will be free of minarets and Constantinople will be rightfully christian [sic] owned once more,” the text reads.

The Turkish President reacted to this statement, calling the murder a “scumbag, who dared to call the city by its former name.”

Agia Sophia will not be turned into a church again “as long as there is a Turkish people and soul,” Erdoğan continued. Romfea also noted that according to some Turkish media, the President “inadvertently called Agia Sophia” a mosque. It is currently officially considered a museum.

Although the former church is officially a non-denominational museum, Turkey has repeatedly allowed Islamic prayers to be read inside, angering the Greek and broader Orthodox community. In April, Erdoğan read out a prayer in Agia Sophia that he dedicated to “Istanbul’s conqueror”—Mehmed the Conqueror.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well, at least they’ve defined the problem clearly.

[markomalley]

Easy solution: send the Turks back to China where they came from.

[Texas Fossil]

Turks are not a race.

They have always played games with that concept.

They are dependent upon nationalist zealots. There is nothing wrong with nationalists, but these are only Desposts instilling nationalist illusions.

[null and void]

I find your terms acceptable. </Edgar the bug>

[Campion]

The shooter’s manifesto targets Turks and Erdoğan specifically, reports Egypt Today. “We are coming for Constantinople and we will destroy every mosque and minaret in the city. The Hagia Sophia will be free of minarets and Constantinople will be rightfully christian [sic] owned once more,” the text reads.

Did the manifesto really say that, or did Egypt Today invent that because Muslims aren't angry or hate-filled or murderous enough to suit them?

[Alter Kaker]

...but it’s also not a mosque. It’s a museum.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

I want Constantinople back.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

The church belongs to the Turkish people and they belong to Jesus. Pray and fast and do reparation for their conversion that they get the church they deserve.

[SunkenCiv]

The Three Amigos

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. (photo credit: SPUTNIK/MIKHAIL METZEL/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS)