Most Turkish Citizens Want Hagia Sophia to Become a Mosque Again: Poll
Some 22% answered “No”, while 4.3% did not express an opinion.
The “Arenda” survey was conducted between June 2-5, 2020, immediately after the 567th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul and the reading of the Quran in Hagia Sophia, and was answered by 2,414 people.
Some 68% of the participants liked the reading of the Quran in Hagia Sophia and would like to repeat it in the following years on the same day.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that Hagia Sophia is “not a matter of international affairs, but a matter of national sovereignty.”
However, because Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO site, Turkey would need approval from the Paris-based organization if it wants to avoid international punishment, according to the Greek City Times.
Hagia Sophia was used as a church for 916 years. In 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II when the empire conquered Istanbul.
Under the Turkish Republic, it became a museum.
