Imam Ali Erbaş held the first Friday sermon in the Hagia Sophia since it was reverted back into a mosque.
It was the first sermon given in the Hagia Sophia since Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned it back into a mosque.
Imam Ali Erbas delivered his sermon with a sword in hand, representing the conquering Sword of Mohammed.
Turkey is once again on its way to becoming a radical Islamist state. The Hagia Sophia was built by Christians and was an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral from 537 until 1453 until Muslims conquered Constantinople changed its name to Istanbul and turned the historic cathedral into a mosque.
For the past eighty years Hagia Sophia has been a museum. But, that was before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came into power.
Earlier this month Erdogan announced the Hagia Sophia would be reopened for Muslim worship.
The Hagia Sophia — Greek for “Holy Wisdom” — was for nearly one thousand years Christianity’s greatest cathedral.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that the Hagia Sophia, one of the architectural wonders of the world, would be reopened for Muslim worship as a mosque, sparking fury in the Christian community and neighbouring Greece.
His declaration came after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Byzantine monument’s status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque.
In an address to the nation, Erdogan said the first Muslim prayers at the Hagia Sophia would be performed on July 24.
“God willing, we will perform Friday prayers all together on July 24 and reopen Hagia Sophia to worshipping,” he said, assuring that it would open its door to all, including non-Muslims.
Hat Tip Colin
UPDATE— The sword held by Imam Ali Erbas doesn’t represent the conquering sword of Mohammad, it represents Sayfullah, the sword of Allah that is used to subjugate the non-believers (see more details here).
Via Yaacov Apelbaum.
