Tag Archives: Erdogan rebuffs criticism over Hagia Sophia conversion to mosque

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey’s decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it represented his country’s will to use its “sovereign rights”. Erdogan, who critics say is chipping away at the Muslim-majority country’s secular pillars, announced on Friday that Muslim prayers would begin on July 24 at …

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