Now all Turks are waiting for the court decision. The Turkish Supreme Administrative Court in Ankara has to decide whether the cabinet decision from the 1930s with which Ataturk turned Hagia Sophia into a museum was lawful. Nobody in Turkey expects that the judges Erdoğan will go to the parade: According to press reports, the judges should clear the way for the conversion.
Greece protest
What is happening to Hagia Sophia is solely a matter for Turkey, said Justice Minister Gül. However, the Turkish neighbor Greece sees it very differently. Athens is already protesting violently against the possible rededication. For the Greeks, Hagia Sophia is still an important symbol of Orthodox Christianity and the cultural heritage of Byzantium. The Greek government wants to position the international community against the conversion plans – but Erdoğan is unlikely to be dissuaded from his course.
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