Istanbul-Armenian MP Garo Paylan, representing the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has reacted to the Turkish authorities decision stripping the Hagia Sophia of its museum status and turning into a mosque.
“This is a sad day for all Christians who believed in Turkey’s pluralism. The decision to turn the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque will make life difficult for Christians living here, likewise the Muslims living in Europe. The Hagia Sophia is the symbol of our rich history, and its dome was large enough for all of us,” Paylan wrote on is Facebook page.
Number of users both Christians and Muslims commented under the post. “As a Turk, I feel ashamed of this day,” one Turkish user wrote.
To remind, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of the city's historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after a court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum.
The UN's cultural agency UNESCO said it deeply regretted Turkey's decision, while Greece’s culture minister decried the move, calling it "an open provocation to the entire civilized world."
