by Paul Antonopoulos
Jul 12 2020
At a time when the news of the conversion of the Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque was not well received by a lot of the world, Iran and Pakistan have expressed their support for Turkey’s provocative move.
Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said they were happy to see the opening of Hagia Sophia for Islamic worship.
Mousavi commented saying: “For the opening of Hagia Sophia for worship, which was accepted with satisfaction by the people of Turkey and Muslims, we also felt joy.”
Referring to the reactions of some countries to this decision, he said that “The situation of Hagia Sophia is an internal matter of Turkey. “This is an issue that needs to be assessed in the context of Turkey’s national sovereignty.”
Meanwhile in Pakistan, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the speaker of the state assembly of Pakistan’s largest Punjab province, called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “courageous” for converting Hagia Sophia.
“We hail President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his courageous decision on the status of Hagia Sophia Mosque. It is not only in accordance with the wishes of the people of Turkey but the entire Muslim world,” said Elahi.
Elahi, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-I-Azam) which is a coalition partner of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, underlined in a statement that the Hagia Sophia Mosque is a part of the common cultural legacy of the entire Muslim world, according to local broadcaster ARY News.
Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, said he welcomed the conversion of Hagia Sophia.
The Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas congratulated Turkey for its decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
“Opening of Hagia Sophia to prayer is a proud moment for all Muslims,” said Rafat Murra, head of international press office of Hamas, in a written statement as reported on Greek City Times.
