Hagia Sophia: An election campaign ploy again?

One year later, it is as almost as a déjà vu experience. Turkey is heading for elections, again. 

This time last year we were heading full speed toward a highly important presidential poll - the first through a popular vote - that brought then-Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo?an to the position of president. This year, we find ourselves weeks ahead of yet another critical political hurdle, a general election that will determine which way the Turkish Republic will head: a presidential system - yet to be clearly defined - or remain as it was, a representative parliamentary constitutional democracy. Perhaps the main difference this year is that economic concerns top the list for the electorate.  

The reason why I have this "I have seen this, before" feeling is the following: this year's Orthodox Easter fell on Sunday, April 12. For the Orthodox faith, the period of Easter is the most important date in their ecclesiastical calendar. But while the Orthodox flock was filling the numerous churches mainly in Istanbul, throughout the week, attending daily mass, the former center of Christianity and then of the Islamic faith again became the center of controversy. As announced by the Turkish authorities and reported all over the media, on April 10, "for the first time, after 85 years, the holy Quran was heard inside Hagia Sophia." The occasion was a calligraphy exhibition as part of celebrations organized for the 1,444 years since the birth of the Prophet. The event in Hagia Sophia was attended by the head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, Mehmet Görmez, the deputy culture and tourism minister, Ahmet Haluk, the governor or Istanbul, Vasip ?ahin, other dignitaries and a crowd. 

"The Islamic culture and its history can be read only with love," said...

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