Unlike official UAE stance, Emirati people welcome reopening Hagia Sophia Mosque

Two prominent Emirati activists expressed a popular welcome in the UAE for the reopening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, which they considered as a victory for Islam, in contrast to the official position of the regime.

Emirati activist Hamad Al Shamsi wrote on his Twitter account, “I cannot understand the anger of some from reopening Hagia Sophia [as a mosque] to worshipers while ignoring the confiscation of the land of the Babri Mosque by India. But, they are unable to formulate their positions away from the positions of their governments.”

The UAE is the only Arab and Islamic country to publicly criticize Turkey’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque. Observers consider this position as part of the political rivalry with Ankara.

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the UAE, stated that the cultural heritage represents a human heritage that must be preserved and not exploited and changing its reality through introducing amendments that affect its human essence.

Al Kaabi said in a statement that changing Hagia Sophia to a mosque did not take into account the human value of this historic landmark, which has always been a world heritage and cultural and heritage value, and a bridge to bring people together and strengthen the common ties between them.

Al-Kaabi stressed the importance of a statement issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “UNESCO”, which stressed that “Hagia Sophia” is part of the “Historic Istanbul”, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a museum, an architectural masterpiece and a unique witness to the interaction between Europe and Asia over the centuries.

Electronic flies and writers belonging to the Emirati regime rushed over the past days to offend Turkey and incite its decision.

Amidst a large public presence crowded with squares and nearby roads, the first Friday prayer was held in more than eight decades at the Hagia Sophia, as the Turkish judiciary recently canceled the decision to convert it into a museum in 1934.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived after the crowded mosque accompanied by the head of the communication department in the Turkish presidency, Fakhruddin Alten, while Turkish Religious Affairs Chairman Ali Arbash received him.

The head of religious affairs in Turkey, Ali Arbash, delivered the first Friday sermon from the Hagia Sophia, and ascended the pulpit with a sword in one hand, reviving an ancient Ottoman custom.

He stressed that the doors of the Hagia Sophia will be open to all worshipers of God without discrimination, and the “journey of faith, worship, history and meditation will continue without interruption in the spiritual atmosphere of the Hagia Sophia Mosque”.

Hagia Sophia is a unique artistic and architectural edifice, located in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, and has been used as a mosque for 481 years, then turned into a museum in 1934, which is one of the most important architectural landmarks in the history of the Middle East and has been included on the list of the World Heritage of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization And Sciences (UNESCO), which is one of the most important tourist destinations in Istanbul.