Hagia Sophia stunts cannot solve Erdogan’s problems

"We will conquer mosques," proclaimed Ali Erbas, the head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, on May 27 as he announced the Turkish government's plan to reopen mosques for public worship after a Covid-19 hiatus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan requested the reopening, originally planned for June 12, to be pulled back to May 29. Erbas explained Erdogan's reasoning for the new date as a desire to show all that they would be reconquering mosques on the 567th anniversary of Constantinople's capture by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. The Friday prayer planned for May 29 was to be a celebration of the defeat not only of the pandemic but also the Byzantines.There are other signs that the Erdogan government has its crosshairs on Hagia Sophia. Erbas pointed to the public square next to Hagia Sophia as the location for the first Friday prayer celebrating the opening of the mosques....