The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, not far from the well known Blue Mosque, has been the centre point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for over one thousand years. The first recorded structure dates back to the 4th century. The current structure was built in the 6th century. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, renamed it to Istanbul and converted the Hagia Sophia to an Islamic mosque. Then, in 1935, with the secularization of Turkey under Kemal Ataturk, the Hagia Sophia was declared to be a state-owned museum. It still is an imposing edifice today.
Historical Significance
Apart from being one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture surviving to this day, the Hagia Sophia still harbors great significance as a church to Christians both within and outside continental Europe. No wonder, Pope Benedict XVI, on his visit to Istanbul in 2006 prayed there, as did other Popes, and Christian leaders before and after him. Church, mosque, or museum, the Hagia Sophia continues to be of architectural, historical, and Christian religious significance.
Why a museum?
The Hagia Sophia is a religious monument to Christian heritage and beliefs and has served as the principal church of the Orthodox Church for over one thousand years. Despite that history, it could not be re-dedicated as a church under the current laws in Turkey. The country, though officially separating the affairs of church and state as per Ataturk's reforms, still upholds the Islamic law which prevents any non-Islamic faith from owning any property, for any purpose. What is largely unknown in western countries is that no faith, other than Islam, is permitted to possess any property whatsoever in an Islamic country, not even in Turkey.
Freedom of Religion
Turkey has made great strides in recent years to propose and enact a variety of changes to its laws, in order to fulfill conditions for potential full membership in the European Union. Unfortunately, true freedom of religion and equal rights for religious institutions other than Islamic ones, in terms of property ownership and the ability teach the faith were not part of such changes. Furthermore, apostasy (renunciation of the faith) is not permitted under the laws of Islam [1]. A believer in Islam cannot convert to another belief without being automatically condemned to death by the Islamic Sharia Law.
Sharia Law
'Sharia Law is the antithesis of democracy and intends to usurp the state's role as guarantor of individual rights and freedoms.' This was found by the Turkish Constitutional Court and later upheld by the European Court of Human Rights [2]. More specifically, 'Islam is simultaneously religion, community, law and civilization,' according to Dalil Boubaker, former president of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) , which currently includes 57 member (including Turkey, since 1969) and three observer status countries [3]. In practical terms, 'Islam is religion, state, and complete organization of life.' Under this principle, the OIC accepts the General Declaration of Human Rights only to the extent that it does not conflict with Sharia Law.
Islam and the World
The 'Declaration by the Annual Coordination Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of OIC Member States on Countering Islamophobia' of September, 2010, states that the OIC ministers are committed 'to continue efforts in engaging with the West in projecting the true tenets of Islam [4].' Such tenets are summarized in that declaration as 'Islam is a religion that implies peace by its very nomenclature.'
If the religious leaders of Islam and OIC members truly believe that, then they should have no qualms about freedom of religion, as we understand it in the West, in their countries.
Reciprocate!
In recent years, many western, predominantly Christian countries have gone to great lengths to accommodate customs and religions of immigrants from other parts of the globe within their realms. Especially the believers of Islam are vigorously claiming various rights based on the basis of 'freedom of religion' enshrined in the secular laws of much of the western world.
Believers in Islam, and even more so their religious leaders, should insist on the same freedom of religion and associated rights that they claim for themselves, for any non-Islamic believers in Islamic countries, with equal fervor. Without such affirmations, both in word and deed, Islamic claims to religious freedom (in the West) are mere hollow requests for benevolence for their own sake. True freedom can only be gained by advocating it for others as well as oneself.
Foremost though, it should be incumbent for any leader of western world countries to insist on full reciprocity of a (western style) freedom of religion in Islamic countries, when contemplating any financial assistance to them or a political engagement.
The current status of the Christian Hagia Sophia and other places of non-Islamic worship demonstrate a continued oppression of non-Islamic religions in Islamic countries, even in 'secular' Turkey. The West needs to recognize such and act accordingly.
