Ali Erbaş

A symbolic ceremony for Ismail Haniyeh will be held today at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul during the midday prayer, nearly simultaneously with his funeral in Doha.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the ceremony, while the prayer will be led by Ali Erbaş, head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has decried the recent Quran burning incidents in several European countries as hate crimes and acts of barbarism, expressing deep concerns over the "escalating Islamophobia in Western nations."

Ali Erbaş was reappointed as the head of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) with a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Sept. 17.

"I would like to thank our president, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who appreciated reappointing us to this noble task," Erbaş said.