Turkey: Jerusalem holy site closure ‘crime against humanity’

Turkey on Monday blasted Israel’s two-day closure of a Jerusalem holy site, following a deadly attack, as a “crime against humanity.”Israel closed the Haram al-Sharif compound, or the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem, on Friday and Saturday after the attack.

Wegen Hagia Sophia: Griechen erklären ihren türkischen „Kollegen“ den Krieg

Hacker aus Griechenland und der Türkei liefern sich ein regelrechtes Duell im Internet, berichtet der griechische Sender „Star“. Der Cyberkrieg ist ausgebrochen, nachdem die Website von Premierminister  durch eine Hackerattacke lahmgelegt wurde und eine Koranlesung in der Istanbuler Hagia Sophia stattfand.

Morning prayer held before Hagia Sophia to demand re-conversion into mosque

A group of devout Muslims from across Turkey prayed before the city’s historic Hagia Sophia on the 562nd anniversary of the Turkish conquest of Istanbul, demanding that the site be turned back into a mosque.

Hundreds call for Hagia Sophia to be mosque again

Hundreds of people attended a rally in Istanbul (Constantinople) Sunday to demand that the historic Istanbul Hagia Sophia museum be converted into a mosque.

Pope’s remarks ‘to accelerate Hagia Sophia’s conversion into mosque’

Pope Francis’ labeling of the mass killings of the Ottoman Armenians as “the first genocide of the 20th century” will only accelerate the reopening of Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship, the top Islamic official in Ankara has suggested.

Turkey criticizes "anti-Turkish" bill on Christian properties

......."While the clear and concrete steps that Turkey has taken for the improvement of the rights and freedoms of all of its citizens, including for the non-Muslim minorities are evident; attempts by anti-Turkish circles in the U.S. Congress, driven by domestic political considerations, to push such unconstructive and baseless initiatives are unacceptable," Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement June 27.

The bill, which passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, requires the U.S. secretary of state to provide an annual report to Congress regarding Washington's efforts to secure the return and restoration of "stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian properties" in Turkey and the northern Cyprus.

PM Erdoğan planning prayers with Islamic leaders in Hagia Sophia. -(according to daily Radikal)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is planning to perform prayers at Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia, along with the leaders of other Islamic countries, according to daily Radikal.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is reportedly considering organizing a special prayer in Istanbul’s most illustrious architectural setting ahead of the upcoming presidential elections next August.

Artifacts of Hagia Sophia on display Trabzon Museum

Thirty-three historic artifacts in the garden of the Hagia Sophia in the Black Sea province of Trabzon have been moved to the Trabzon Museum after the structure was turned into a mosque again.

According to information provided by the Provincial Culture Directorate, the Hagia Sophia, which served as a museum for some time, has been transferred to the Trabzon Regional Directorate of Foundations through a court decision and turned into mosque again. Therefore, 33 historic artifacts and epitaphs from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras in the garden of the structure were decided to be transferred to the Trabzon Museum. 

Αγκυρα: Δεν παίρνουμε μαθήματα από την Ελλάδα για τις θρησκευτικές ελευθερίες.

 Αθανασόπουλος Αλ. Άγγελος (tovima.gr)

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«Λάδι στη φωτιά» και συνέχεια στη ρητορική σύγκρουση που έχει ξεσπάσει με αφορμή τις δηλώσεις του τούρκου αντιπροέδρου Μπουλέντ Αρίντς για τη μετατροπή της Αγιά Σοφιάς σε τζαμί δίνει με ανακοίνωσή του το τουρκικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών.

Απαντώντας στην αντίστοιχη ανακοίνωση του ελληνικού υπουργείου Εξωτερικών, η Άγκυρα επισημαίνει ότι «δεν έχει τίποτα να μάθει από την Ελλάδα σε ό,τι αφορά ζητήματα θρησκευτικών ελευθεριών».

Turkish Deputy PM, Bülent Arınç, expresses ‘hope’ to see Hagia Sophia as mosque.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has expressed his hope to see Istanbul’s (Constantinople) Hagia Sophia Museum be used as a mosque, while already calling it the “Hagia Sophia Mosque” while speaking to reporters.

“We currently stand next to the Hagia Sophia Mosque … we are looking at a sad Hagia Sophia, but hopefully we will see it smiling again soon,” Arınç said in a speech during the opening ceremony of a new Carpet Museum, located adjacent to the ancient Hagia Sophia complex.

Ecumenical Patriarchate against Hagia Sophia opening

The Fener Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople)
supports the continued use of the historical Hagia Sophia in Trabzon (trapezounta) as a museum, not as a mosque.
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Australia: 8 Feb 2013

Vercihan Ziflioğlu (neoskosmos)

The Fener Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) supports the continued use of the historical Hagia Sophia in Trabzon as a museum, not as a mosque.
"As is known, Trabzon is not urgently in need of a mosque, and it is also known that there is no Orthodox community there. The best way is to keep the church as a museum," Dositheos Anagnostopulos, the Patriarchate's press officer told the Hürriyet Daily News.