‘Conqueror’ Erdogan celebrates Hagia Sophia conversion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the conversion of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia into a mosque by reciting a poem that refers to himself as a modern reincarnation of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror who captured what was the world's largest cathedral in 1453.

"Hagia Sophia, you magnificent temple. Worry not, the grandchildren of Mehmed the Conqueror will tear down all the idols and turn you back into a mosque… It will be the second Conquest," Erdogan told a crowd of young supporters in Bilecik province on Sunday.

"The entire world will think that Mehmed the Conqueror has risen. A second Conquest is imminent, the days are near, perhaps sooner than tomorrow. Praise be to Allah, we have the privilege of living until that tomorrow."

Erdogan formally converted the sixth-century Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared it open for Muslim worship in 2020,...