Friday Pryaer in Hagia Sofia after 86 Years
After
86 years, Friday prayers have been offered today in the famous Hagia Sofia of
Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attended the Friday prayers in Hagia Sofia. The Imam of #HagiaSofia
held the sword of Sultan Muhammmad Fateh in his hand and delivered the Friday
sermon.
Apart
from them, about one and a half thousand worshipers including other dignitaries
of Turkey will also offer Friday prayers.
According
to Turkish media, President Tayyip Erdogan used his sovereign right to turn Hagia
Sofia into a mosque. Erdogan warned the West that criticism of Sofia's move
would be considered an attack on our freedom.
It
should be noted that on the 10th of July, 2020 the court had ordered to remove
the status of the historic Hagia Sofia Museum.
History of Hagia Sofia
The
1500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally a church before the Hagia
Sofia Mosque. It was turned into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the founder
of modern Turkey, in the 1930s, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised
to build a mosque last year.
However,
Orhan Pamuk, Turkey's first Nobel laureate in literature, said about converting
Hagia Sofia into a mosque that Turkey should not have done. "I am angry. I was very proud that
Turkey is the only Muslim country that is secular but now secularism is being
eradicated here," he said. Kamal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey,
made the important decision to turn Hagia Sofia from a mosque into a museum. By
doing so, he tried to tell the whole world that we are secular and separate
from other Muslim countries. We are like European nations and modern, so accept
us too.
The War of Leadership in the Islamic World
King
Abdullah Bin Saud of Saudi Arabia was beheaded in 1818, right in front of the Hagia
Sofia Museum in Istanbul, which has recently been converted into a mosque by
the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The
soldiers of the Ottoman Empire brought King Abdullah Bin Saud and The Wahhabi
Imam in chains to Istanbul.
While
Abdullah was being beheaded, a large crowd was celebrating outside Hagia Sofia.
Abdullah's decapitated body kept outside Hagia Sofia for three days.
Meanwhile,
Ottoman troops invaded the suburbs of the then-Saudi capital, Diriya, and
Riyadh. In 1924, the Ottoman Empire
collapsed to modern Turkey, and modern Turkey considers the Ottoman Empire its
glorious history.
Saudi
Arabia will hardly forget its horrific history with Turkey. AK Pasha, a
professor of Middle East affairs at JNU, says that when Saudi Arabia looks at
its history, it first remembers the Ottoman Empire.
The
Ottomans always considered the Saudis a rude tribe, although Saudi Arabia has
Mecca and Medina, both of which have been under Ottoman rule.
The
current rulers of Saudi Arabia, 84-year-old Shah Salman and 34-year-old Crown
Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, belong to the same family as Abdullah Bin Saud, who
was beheaded in front of Hagia Sofia. Prince
Muhammad Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are both Sunni Muslim countries,
but both have a history of bloodshed twice before 1932, the first was in 1818
and the second in 1871. Saudi Arabia's third
attempt succeeded when it backed Britain in World War I and the Ottoman Empire
faced it. Now, once again, Turkish
President Erdogan is trying to revive the Ottoman Empire's past, the latest
example being Hagia Sofia. Saudi Arabia
and Turkey are both Sunni-Majority Muslim countries, but both have very bloody
histories.
President
Erdogan has repeatedly said that Turkey is the only country that can lead the
Islamic world. Obviously, when Erdogan says this, he will have in mind the
legacy of the Ottoman Empire.
The
Ottoman Empire was larger than the Soviet Union. It was spread over 22 million
square kilometers. The Ottoman Empire extended to Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria,
Romania, Macedonia, Hungary, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, most of Arabia,
and most of the coastal areas of North Africa.
This
empire valued Muslim rulers and Muslim practices. Erdogan thinks and rightly
thinks that it is Turkey's historic right to lead the Islamic world.
The
Ottoman Empire, founded around 1299, ended with World War I in 1923 and became
modern Turkey.
Saudi
Arabia, on the other hand, feels it owns the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and
Medina, which are subordinate to the House of Saud, and attract more than 2
million Muslims from around the world each year. In such a situation, only he
can lead the Islamic world.
The
third player is Iran, where Shiites are Muslims. Iran also knows it cannot lead
a Sunni-majority Islamic world, but it does not mind that two major regional
rivals are pitted against each other. The reaction of Western countries to the
confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Turkey is interesting for Iran.
Although
Saudi Arabia succeeded in becoming a country for the third time in 1932 with
the help of Britain, its difficulties are still not small.
"There
is a war of leadership between Saudi Arabia and Turkey in the Islamic world,
but Saudi Arabia cannot win this war at the behest of the United States,"
he said. Saudi Arabia's oil is no longer viable and oil needs are changing and
alternative energy sources are on the rise. In that sense, it is possible
America did not last long.
Is Turkey a threat to Saudi Arabia?
Erdogan
was with the United States during the US invasion of Iraq. Erdogan's Islamic nationalism and the
strategy to stop Saudi Arabia go hand in hand. Erdogan repeatedly tried to stop
Saudi Arabia. They sent troops to protect Qatar against the Saudis, drove Saudi
allies out of Somalia, and agreed to lease an island to build a military base
in the Red Sea.
At
the same time, Erdogan speaks out about Palestine and the Rohingya Muslims.
Istanbul has become a favorite stronghold of rebels in the Arab world.
Soner Cagaptay, a scholar at the Washington
Institute, has written a biography of Erdogan called The New Sultan.
In
this biography, he wrote: “The goal of the Turkish president's foreign policy
strategy is to bring back the sense of pride of being a Muslim. They want to
bring a modern form of the Ottoman Empire so that Turkey can become the leader
of Islamic greatness.”
Erdogan's
desire has a long history. The Sultan of Turkey has been the caliph of the
entire Islamic world for four centuries. His religious leadership was also
acknowledged by Islamic powers outside the Ottoman Empire. In World War I,
there was a revolt against the Ottoman Empire in Arabia with the help of
Britain, after which Mecca and Medina fell out of its hands. Six years later,
in 1924, the Khilafah system came to an end.
Madawi-al-Rasheed, a Saudi Arabian professor
at the London School of Economics and a historian of Saudi Arabia, told the
Wall Street Journal that Erdogan's new Turkey is a challenge to Saudi Arabia
because it presents an alternative Islamic model. "It threatens the very existence of
Saudi Arabia because Turkey is both Islamic and democratic. Despite all this,
it is a fact that Erdogan is ruling a republic with a parliament, an opposition
and a civil society, but not in Saudi Arabia.”
Last
year, a meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur challenging the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC), which was dominated by Saudi Arabia, with strong
participation from Iran, Turkey and Malaysia, but Saudi allies prevented
Pakistan from attending.
Erdogan
wants to make his mark by challenging Saudi domination. He feels that the OIC is not the voice of
Islamic countries but a means of fulfilling Saudi discretion. Erdogan is trying to form an organization
parallel to the OIC.
Erdogan in Ataturk's Turkey
Erdogan
became Istanbul's first Islamic conservative mayor in 1994. Erdogan's speeches
have been discussed at most meetings since then. In his meetings, he often
repeated the statement of Turkish nationalist thinker Muhammad Ziya Gokalp that
"mosques are our cantonments, domes are our protective shields, minarets
are our swords and followers of Islam are our soldiers."
But
the irony is that the US invasion of Iraq killed thousands of followers of
Islam, destroyed mosques, demolished minarets, and was with Erdogan in the war.
Islamic
politics has played a key role in Erdogan's rise to prominence in Turkish
politics. From his speeches, Muslims may think that he is talking about the
protection of religion and the interests of Islam, but at the same time there
are many contradictions.
When
Erdogan became Turkey's prime minister in 2003, the United States was preparing
to invade Iraq. Erdogan's relationship with Saddam Hussein was not good. He even made up his mind to allow the United
States to use Turkish territory in the war against Iraq. However, Erdogan's
intention was not fulfilled as the proposal was rejected by three votes in
parliament.
Erdogan
told the New York Times after becoming Turkey's first prime minister in 2003 "I
am a Muslim before anything happens and as a Muslim, I practice my religion and
this is my duty and I will continue to strive to fulfill this duty and
responsibility.
Erdogan
sent his daughters to Indiana University for education because they could wear
the hijab there.
Kamal
Ataturk, who replaced the Ottoman Empire and founded modern Turkey, rejected
traditional Islam. Their goal was to
make Turkey a modern European country. Ataturk dismissed the Islamic caliphs,
abolished religious courts, and secularized schools. Ataturk abandoned the
Arabic alphabet and adopted the Roman alphabet for Turkey. Ataturk enforced the
Swiss Civil Code in the Republic of Turkey and gave women the right to vote. It was unthinkable that any president of Ataturk's
country would ask Muslims to reject family planning.
In
a speech in Istanbul in 2016, Erdogan said, "It is the responsibility of
women to keep the Turkish population fit. We need to increase the number of our
children. People talk about population reduction and family planning but a
Muslim cannot accept it. That is what our Allah and Prophet said and we will
follow this path. Turkey currently has a
total population of 82 million.
Turkish TV drama "Dirilis Ertugrul"
The
TV series, based on the founding of the Ottoman Empire, was aired on Turkish state
TV TRT-I. It has five seasons and a total of 448 episodes.
Ertugrul
is banned in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates
In
the first season, there is a campaign against the Crusaders in Anatolia. The
second is the fight against the Mongols, the third is the fight against the
Christian Byzantines. The fourth series is a battle between the Seljuks and
then the formation of the Ottomans.
Western
media say that Turkey's national mood can be understood from the popular TV
show of the time.
A
few years ago, a TV drama was made in Turkey called The Magnificent Century on
the life of Sultan Suleiman. In the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was
at its height under Sultan Suleiman, and this is what is shown in this play.
The drama was a huge success in Turkey.
Since
Erdogan's party came to power in 2002, television series have become the best source
of income in Turkey. In 2017, more than 100 Turkish plays were sold in more
than 150 countries.
In
2016, the annual export of Turkish TV dramas reached 300 million. According to
a report by the Turkish International Agency, it reached 350 million in 2017.
It
is said to reach one billion by 2023. The popularity of Turkish TV dramas also
increased the number of foreign tourists there.
Since
Erdogan's party came to power in 2002, television series in Turkey have become
the best source of income from abroad.
There
was also a cultural movement in Turkey regarding Ertugrul. Religious
conservatives strongly supported it, while the secular class slammed it.
At
an awards ceremony in November 2016, the presenter made fun of the series and
did not allow its characters to speak after receiving the award. After which
his scriptwriter returned the award calling it an insult. President Erdogan
also joined in the affair and praised the drama.
"Until
the lion begins to write its own history, its predators will continue to be
made heroes," Erdogan said.
Why is Ertugrul criticized?
The
play's director and author, Mehmet Bozdakh, says the facts are not important.
As
for how the play has stood the test of time, Mehmet Bezdakh said: "There
is very little information about the period of Anatolia that is depicted in
this play. Complete information does not exceed four to five pages. Even
everyone's names are different in different sources. We cannot claim to compete
with historical facts. We have shown a fictional story. "
Ertugrul:
If you say in three words, these three words can be Islam, horse top and sword.
There
was also a cultural movement in Turkey regarding Ertugrul. Religious
conservatives strongly supported it, while the secular class slammed it.
It
tries to show that Ertugrul is on the path of Allah and to follow it is to
follow the command of Allah.
Ertugrul
Uthman was the 45th head of the Ottoman Empire and the grandson of Abdul Hamid
II, who ruled the empire from 1876 to 1909. If the Ottoman Empire had not been
overthrown or reconstituted in 1923, Ertugrul Uthman would have been the new
sultan of the empire.
In
Pakistan, the TV drama 'Ertugrul' broke all old records of popularity
But
becoming a Sultan is a long way off. Ertugrul Uthman spent 64 years of his life
in a two-bedroom flat in Manhattan, New York. This flat was also rented.
In
2006, the New York Times asked Ertugrul Othman if he wanted the Ottoman Empire
restored. In response to this question, he said, "I am a very practical
person."
In
an interview with Al Jazeera in 2008, he said that democracy is doing very well
in Turkey.
Ertugrul
Uthman refused to say anything against Mustafa Kemal Pasha Ataturk, who ousted
the last ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
When
the Ottoman Empire came to an end, Ertugrul Uthman was 12 years old. In 1924,
the royal family was deported by Ataturk. Uthman said in his interview that the
men of the family were given one day for deportation and the women two weeks.
Ertugrul
Uthman was educated in Vienna and moved to the United States in 1939. He
arrived in Turkey 53 years later in August 1992 at the invitation of the Prime
Minister.
During
the visit, he also visited Dolambache Palace. It is a 285-room palace that used
to be his grandfather's house. Ertugrul Uthman passed away on September 23,
2009 at the age of 97.
Zainab,
the wife of Ertugrul Uthman, was the niece of King Amanullah of Afghanistan.
She was 30 years younger than Zainab Uthman.
Talmiz
Ahmed says that this is not a matter of a TV drama. "There was a time when
large parts of the world were ruled by Muslims," he says. The Mughal
Empire in India and the Ottoman Empire in a large part of the world. The
Mughals and the Ottomans ruled over a vast area and their power was
unparalleled. The Mughals fell in the 19th century and the Ottomans in the 20th
century.
"These
empires were seen as close to Islamic pride and success," he says. The
defeat of the Islamic world has not ended since the end of the Ottoman Empire
in the twentieth century. This is still going on. The Turkish TV drama portrays
the Ottoman Empire as an Islamic pride and achievement.
In
Pakistan, the TV drama 'Ertugrul' broke all records in terms of viewers. On
April 18 this year, PTV dubbed the drama into Urdu and created a YouTube
channel with more than 6.2 million subscribers. Imran Khan himself appealed to
the people to watch this drama.
President Erdogan and Prime Minister Imran Khan
When
Turkish President Erdogan visited Pakistan in February this year, Prime
Minister Imran Khan proudly told a joint press conference that the Turks had
ruled India for hundreds of years.
Erdogan
not only wants to lead the Islamic world, but is trying to make it clear that
Islam is the best religion.
Imran
Khan said, "We are all happy with your arrival because the nation
understands that our relations with Turkey are centuries old." The Turks
ruled India for six hundred years.
Zia-ul-Haq,
the military dictator who ruled Pakistan in the 1980s, had said, “Pakistan is
an ideological state. If you take Islam out of Pakistan and make it a secular
state, it will fall apart.
Imran
Khan's appeal to watch a TV drama about the Ottoman Empire is part of the
Pakistani rulers' attempt to find their own identity.
Turkish
leaders are trying to shine the thinking of people through the glorious past of
Islam and to revive the Ottoman Empire.
But most people think that even if they mobilize their supporters
through this drama, they will not be able to revive the Ottoman Empire. Let’s see, time will tell us.
