Hagia Sophia
As Turkey’s Christians celebrate a new church, religious minorities still call for respect
By David I. Klein — October 27, 2023
ISTANBUL (RNS) — Though he has allowed new houses of worship to be built and old ones to be reopened, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needs to do more, observers say, to restore respect for a truly pluralistic society as much as for church property.
Flooded with sightseers, Europe’s iconic churches struggle to accommodate both worship and tourism
By Giovanna Dell'orto — July 21, 2023
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic records in Barcelona and across southern Europe, iconic sacred sites are struggling to accommodate the faithful who come to pray and the millions of visitors who often pay to view the art and architecture.
Why Hagia Sophia remains a potent symbol of spiritual and political authority
By Anna Bigelow — July 24, 2020
(RNS) — The Hagia Sophia has shifted identity with every change in power and will likely continue to do so.
Turkey’s president formally makes Hagia Sophia — a former cathedral — a mosque
By Suzan Fraser — July 10, 2020
(AP) — Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the sixth century Byzantine building, a museum since the 1930s, would open to Muslim worship.
President Erdogan, preserve Hagia Sophia as a church
By Mike Ghouse — July 8, 2020
(RNS) — The Quran says that God’s name is extolled abundantly in churches, synagogues and mosques, which is reason enough to protect all such places of worship. But respect for others’ holy places extends deep into Muslim history.
Greece and Turkey spar over Ramadan prayers at Hagia Sophia
By Lauren Markoe — June 14, 2016
(RNS) The beloved Hagia Sophia is not officially a mosque or a church. Now some Christians are afraid that its secular status is changing.
Turkish leaders want to convert the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque
By Jacob Resneck — December 4, 2013
(RNS) Recent conversions of former Byzantine-era churches from museums into mosques, encouraged by religious and political leaders, have caused alarm among religious minorities and Turkey's Christian neighbors.
Lego says its Jabba the Hutt set isn’t anti-Muslim
By Caleb K. Bell — April 2, 2013
(RNS) Lego is defending its Star Wars-based Jabba the Hutt toy set after recently being accused of racism by a Turkish cultural group.
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