Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is as 'Edward de Bono' as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

I wasn't surprised a few days ago when the headlines screamed Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul Museum To Open For Muslim Worshippers.

We know Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not only an Islamic President, being head of his Islamic Party (AKP) but one who has been losing support since he came to power about a decade ago. His drop in popularity came with the Turkish currency and debt crisis of 2018, a financial and economic crisis for his nation. Thus he needs something to revive his falling political fortune, and like our politicians he turns towards agama since as a Turk he couldn't talk much about bangsa and raja.

Easy peasey, he changes the status of the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. The original Hagia Sophia was built in 537 as a Christian cathedral, but following the Ottoman conquest in 1453, it of course became a mosque.

In 1935 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the Turkish Republic as a secular nation, he applied some 'Edward de Bono' and made it into a museum, whereby the plastered-out Byzantine Christian icons during the Ottoman Empire were revived into all their glory alongside Islamic holy script.

[Earlier, in the 16th century, Sultan Suleiman (r. 1520–1566) had the mosaics above the narthex (of the original cathedral) and imperial gates depicting Jesus, Mary and various Byzantine emperors covered with whitewash and plaster. Apparently, as Jesus and Mary were considered scared to Muslims, the Sultan ordered those icons not disturbed other than being whitewashed out].

When I read about the Hagia Sophia reverting to being a mosque again under Erdogan's (politicised) manipulation, I wonder what would happen to those (already restored) Christian icons (mainly of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus) and gold mosaics that were revived during Atartuk's reign?

Indeed, I said it'd be interesting to see what Erdogen would do. Would he be more brilliant than Kemal Ataturk?

Well, it seems Erdogan has not done badly, showing he's as lateral thinking as Kemal Ataturk.

Malay Mail reported (24 July 2020) (just in brief):

On the Byzantine heritage of Hagia Sophia, the Erdogen government offers assurances those would be protected. Turkey’s religious affairs agency said the mosaics would be hidden during prayers with curtains since Islam prohibits any figurative representation.

Outside of worship hours, they would be visible to visitors.

Turkish officials insist tourists will still be able to visit the Hagia Sophia, just as they are able to see the Blue Mosque nearby.

Erdogan said the building would remain open to all, including non-Muslims. Tourists will now even be able to visit the building for free, compared to previously when they had to pay for entry to the museum.

Well done, Erdogen.