Turkish Jihadists Attempt to Turn the Church

[Maria]

While unrest in Turkey continues to capture attention, the Islamification of Turkey, not just at the hands of Prime Minister Erdogan, but the majority of Turks, is going on with the silent approval of the Western World and its Churches.

With riots and the Islamization of Turkey in the foreground, the future of Hagia Sophia has been made the focus of Turkish Muslims. The Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) was built in 537 A.D. By Emperor and Saint Justinian the Great, in Constantinople, the heart of the Christian empire.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, "A parliamentary commission is considering an application by citizens to turn the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque…. A survey conducted with 401 people was attached to the application, in which more than 97 percent of interviewees requested the transformation of the ancient building into a mosque and afterwards for it to be reopened for Muslim worship." Turkish Muslims are attempting to have all ancient museum/Churches converted to Mosques.
In May 23, 2012, Thousands of devout Muslims prayed outside Hagia Sophia museum on Saturday to protest the law that proclaimed Hagia Sophia a museum. Worshippers shouted, "Break the chains, let Hagia Sophia Mosque open," and "God is great" [the notorious "Allahu Akbar"] before kneeling in prayer as tourists looked on. Now this issue is before the Turkish parliament. The desire to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque is not about Muslims wanting a place to pray. As of 2010, there were 3,000 active mosques in Istanbul alone. Rather, it's about their reveling, and trying to revivify, the glory days of Islamic jihad and conquest.

At a time when Turkey is openly reclaiming its jihadi heritage, Westerners are actively erasing their Christian heritage which for centuries kept the Islamic jihad at bay. All this is yet another reminder of the spiritual bankruptcy of the Western world and its Churches. It is also a reminder of the Islamic world’s double standards: when Muslims conquer non-Muslim territories, such as Constantinople and its churches, through fire and steel, with all the attendant human suffering and misery, the descendents of those conquered are not to expect any apologies or concessions. However, once the same Muslims who would never concede one inch of Islam’s conquests, including buildings, are on the short end of the stick, resort to civil courts and the court of public opinion, demanding justice, restitution, rights, and so forth for what they consider a peaceful religion and its adherents.

In Christ,
+Fr. Panagiotes

This article is taken from [OrthodoxInfo].

Lord have mercy on us.

[Barbara]

Thanks for the news. Why is there not one mention anywhere in the mainstream media /?!

[JamesR]

And this is the country that's begging to get into the EU? :shock:

[Lydia]

I think this article is slightly misleading; Hagia Sophia is a museum and has not been a Church for 700 years. The holy relics and icons were removed and the mosaics painted over with islamic suras. There are four enormous minarets surrounding it. It ceased being a mosque because of an advanced state of disrepair.
So, they want to turn a museum back into a mosque. Let 'em. Otherwise, they'll throw a hissy fit and start burning and beheading. This, while Patriarch Bartholomew had a pipe dream about the Turks returning Hagia Sophia to the Phanar.

Barbara, I have seen some articles about this in news magazines.

James, the only thing stopping Turkey's entry into the EU is its refusal to take responsibility for the Armenian Genocide. I recently saw a documentary about this and I learned that almost one million Assyrian Orthodox Christians were also victims of the Turks.

[Maria]

I think this article is slightly misleading; Hagia Sophia is a museum and has not been a Church for 700 years. The holy relics and icons were removed and the mosaics painted over with islamic suras. There are four enormous minarets surrounding it. It ceased being a mosque because of an advanced state of disrepair.
So, they want to turn a museum back into a mosque. Let 'em. Otherwise, they'll throw a hissy fit and start burning and beheading. This, while Patriarch Bartholomew had a pipe dream about the Turks returning Hagia Sophia to the Phanar.

Barbara, I have seen some articles about this in news magazines.

James, the only thing stopping Turkey's entry into the EU is its refusal to take responsibility for the Armenian Genocide. I recently saw a documentary about this and I learned that almost one million Assyrian Orthodox Christians were also victims of the Turks.

Do not forget the Greeks who were also murdered and who have suffered greatly due to the Ottoman Rule and the Turks.

Lord have mercy.