Newscriticism: "Turkey formally opens another former Byzantine-era church as mosque" (Toronto Sun, May 6th, 2024)

[From Toronto Sun's article.]

SUMMARY

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially inaugurated the former Byzantine church in Istanbul, the Church of St. Saviour in Chora, as a mosque, following its conversion in 2020. This move, similar to the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, drew praise from Muslim communities but criticism from Greece and other nations concerned about the preservation of Byzantine-era monuments. Despite its designation as a museum for decades, the Chora underwent restoration before its formal reopening as a mosque, with Erdogan overseeing the ceremony remotely from Ankara.

The conversion of these historic sites into mosques reflects Erdogan's efforts to appeal to conservative and religious factions amid economic challenges. The Church of St. Saviour in Chora, renowned for its intricate mosaics and frescoes, has a rich history dating back to the fourth century. While the conversions have stirred controversy and international condemnation (particularly Greece, who is more vocal in this condemnation of existentially converting places of worship), Erdogan's government has proceeded with the changes, emphasizing their significance for Turkey's Muslim community.

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NEWSCRITICISM

Erdogan's policies of converting Byzantine-era Places of Worship (in this case, Temples) into Muslim ones in today's Turkish Civilization (under Erdogan's Turkish Society; we mind the Civilization-Society Distinction at this point [see this page on 'Essays on Civilization' for this discussion of the distinction]) has drew interesting ires from academics and watchers alike on this policy of his. This acts of conversion hints forward at Erdogan attempting to aim the emulation of Ottoman policies of old - the policies of converting non-Islamic sites into Islamic ones; this move would certainly appease the Muslim population of Turkey, but would anger the Christians of Turkey at best. However, these acts are not just mere appeasements - we believe that these are a part of the 'reinvigoration' plans to build a new Turkey under Erdogan's vision: by means of looking on the Civilizations of old in a new, interpretative light - a New Civilization based on the old, similar to what el-Sisi was doing in Egypt as a form of Neo-Pharaohnism (see the aforementioned book and its essay, 'An Assesment of the New Egypt').

This Civilization-based Populism with Reinvigorationist Characteristics - what I call 'Reinvigorationist Populism/Identity Populism' - have been a recurring theme in the changing nature of politics in some countries; the need for a new renaistre (renaissance) in order to bring a New Civilization all under the idealism of one leader has been... appaling. The age of an Ideocratic Populism (leader-populism based on Ideas or Ideals) is slowly disappearing and fading; Identity Populism overtakes the new Populism of the 21st Century. The nature of Civilizational politics, both internal and external, had shifted and changed, along with the nature of existence in experience of Totality and Dasein in the human events of the world, have overthrown the old politics forward into a new one; it had transformed, but that does not means to say the old politics cannot be back; China is still based on Identity Populism (Socialism with Chinese Characteristics; leader-populism based on ideas of Communism), and so does Cuba; but this new phenomenon of Identity Populism had emerged and cannot be overlooked.

Joshua Kyle T. Rovero

Estado Rovero

May 11th 2024