By Albert Thyrniang
Umswai, West KarbiAnglong, Assam
On July 10, the verdict of the Council of State of Turkey prompted the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reconvert Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque in a hurry. The Christian world condemned it. The Muslim world welcomed it. It reflects the polarised difference between the world’s two largest religions that have brought much bloodshed to humankind.
Hagia Sophia meaning ‘Holy Wisdom’ described as Istanbul’s antique building, Turkey’s most iconic landmark, UNESCO’s heritage site, the sixth century Byzantine Basilica and Orthodox Christian Patriarchal Cathedral has rich historical, cultural and religious significance. Built as a church in 537 by Byzantine emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was turned into a Catholic cathedral in 1204 by the crusaders, was again reclaimed by Orthodox Christians after 60 years and was converted into a mosque (remained so for 500 years) in 1453 by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II after the fall of Constantinople. In 1934 modern Turkey’s founder changed its status into a museum to significantly manifest the country’s shift to a secular republic.
Erdogan’s prompt decision is widely seen as a populist move to divert attention from his economic failures and to counter his increasing unpopularity and challenge from his political rivals. But more importantly the ‘appeasement’ move was to assert his Islamic nationalist and majoritarian politics thus rolling back on his country’s secular nature. The long ruling president of the Muslim majority state is accused of ‘Islamising’ the historically, culturally, artistically and architecturally opulent site.
But let us acknowledge it hundreds and perhaps thousands of religious sites have changed their status right form the first century of the “Common/Current Era (CE) to this very day. Hagia Sophia is only the latest victim of religious supremacist action in 2000 or so years.
Christianised sites
In early Christianity in Ancient Rome and Greece numerous Churches were either transformed from ‘pagan’ temples or built atop Necropolis (Large ancient tomb/cemeteries) and mausoleums (Monuments of Roman emperors). In Greece, the occupation of pagan sites was omnipresent. Christianisation included renaming of Aphrodisias (site of a temple of goddess Aphrodite) to Stauropolis, the “City of the Cross” and conversion of the Askepieion (healing temples of Asclepius), Hephaisteion (Temple of Hephaestus) and the Parthenon (temple of goddess Athena, patron of Athens) into churches.
Christianisation continued in the middle ages in France, Britain, Northern Europe and elsewhere. Old Roman pagan sites turned into churches. During the Portuguese and Spanish “re-conquests” in the Iberian Peninsula(Southwest corner of Europe) and the Balkan Peninsula (South Eastern Europe) mosques became churches. A similar case to that of Hagia Sophia is the Cathedral of Córdoba. Traditional accounts say, a Catholic basilica once stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I, (founder of the Muslim dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberian Peninsula) demolished the original structure after having purchased the other half used by Christians and built the grand mosque of Córdoba on its grounds. The accomplished architecture was reconverted into a Catholic cathedral in 1236,
The exploration and colonisation of the 16th and 17th centuries saw Native American temples turned into churches, notably the Mexico City Metropolitan cathedral was built on an Aztec temple. In Vietnam and India, Goa (French and Portuguese occupation respectively) many Buddhists and native temples made way for churches.
Islamised sites
Beginning with Prophet Muhammad himself, converting non-Islamic places of worship into mosques was prevalent throughout the Islamic conquests. The first one was of course the Ka’aba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Before the advent of Islam the sacred shrine was a common pilgrimage site that housed hundreds of idols of the Arabian tribes and others as well. Following the bloodless conquest of Mecca in 630 AD all idols were broken and the complex was transformed into a Muslim mosque, the most sacred Muslim pilgrimage centre today.
The subsequent conversion of mosques from non-Islamic places of worship is an endless list. They include Jewish temples and Christian sanctuaries in Jerusalem, Zoroastrian fire temples in Persia, churches in Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, France and Spain particularly by the Ottoman emperors. In the Indian subcontinent Hindu temples and Buddhist pagodas were converted into mosques by Mughal rulers and emperors.
In Turkey following the Ottoman conquest at least 20 (practically all) churches of the then Constantinople (now Istanbul) were desecrated and converted into mosques. Hagia Sophia is the most prominent.
The trend carried on. In North Africa several cathedrals and churches were confiscated and/or forcibly converted into mosques in the mid-20th century. The dreaded Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have converted a number of Christian churches into mosques.
In United Kingdom, France and Germany many church buildings and other religious congregations that were disused have been converted into mosques following property sale.
In India the most controversial one is Babri Masjid in Ayodhya which was allegedly built on a destroyed Ram temple by Emperor Babur in 1527. Other examples are the ancient Bindu Madhav temple in Varanasi, destroyed in 1682 by Emperor Aurangzeb and the Alamgir mosque was constructed atop it. The renowned Kashi Vishwanath Temple, demolished by same emperor in 1669 saw the building of the Gyanvapi mosque in its place.
‘Hinduised’ sites
In India there have been campaigns to reclaim mosques and churches allegedly build on demolished temples. The 15th century historic Babri Masjid was illegally razed to ground by Hindu zealots on December 6, 1992. In November last year the Supreme Court of India ‘resolved’ the 134 year old dispute by controversially handing over the entire 2.77 acres of dispute site to a Hindu trust to rebuild the Ram temple.
Though protected by law, other contested sites might meet the Ayodhya fate as the Babri Masjid’s demolition proved. Gyanvapi mosque, Varanasi, Shahi Idgah mosque, Mathura, Kamal Maula mosque, Madhya Pradesh, Quwwatul-Islam mosque, Delhi and Nawab Ali mosque, Delhi are also in danger.
Does God dwell in ‘tainted’ sites?
Though largely peaceful, Christianisation of non-Christian sites were done with a spirit of triumphalism (triumph of the Christian God over pagan gods). Islamisation of non-Muslim sites were however less peaceful. Desecration and vandalism often followed the proclamation of the triumph of Allah over infidels through conversions.
Now, what does it feel when one worships in Hagia Sophia knowing fully well that it was a church? Will that worship please Allah when the structure was a Byzantine site for nearly 1000 years? Will Allah listen to those prostrating in prayer performed with a vindictive mind? Would Allah approve of converting the celebrated museum into a mosque again? Similar questions could be directed to Ram devotees. Is it not disturbing to be praying in a venue with the images of the illegal destruction of Babri Masjid in mind? How would it be like to be praying in a temple when it is not established that beneath it was indeed a temple before Babri Masjid was erected? If the Cathedral of Córdoba in Spain was truly a mosque and churches in Goa and elsewhere were temples, is worship in these structures worthwhile? Is God even present in these tainted religious places?
Muslims in Turkey might say Hagia Sophia’s mosque conversion is legal, Hindus in India will argue that the Ram temple will be built following due process of law, Christians in Spain may also contend that Córdoba was reconverted into a cathedral as per law. Well, religion is more than law. All that is legal is not moral and ethical. There is something called propriety. All religions teach virtues of love, peace, harmony and brotherhood. However, these conversions and reconversions of places of worship is done with vindictiveness and hatred. Hagia Sophia’s supporters blame Córdoba, Ram temple’s devotees cite Hagia Sophia; Córdoba enthusiasts point fingers at Hagia Sophia.
Religious mistrust is evident today. There is Islamophobia, harassment, discrimination and persecution of Muslims in Europe, America and in ‘non-Muslim’ countries like India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, etc but in Muslim countries Christians and followers of other religions face discrimination from governments and violence from Islamist terrorists. In Saudi Arabia even display of religious signs, other than Islam, is punishable. In many Muslim countries religious freedom is non-existent or very limited.
At the heart of religious violence, discord and the change of status of religious sites is the belief that one religion is superior to all others. This supremacist conviction is the cause of religious expansion disrespecting other beliefs. You may have all the conviction that your religion is the best but respect others with a different belief. There is a need for tolerance because God is tolerant. There is no revelation to hate, despise and look down on other faiths. God belongs to no religion in particular. There is no fanatical, fundamentalist and radical God. He is the God of all.
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