Greece
Culture
The Mosque of the Janissaries, a Landmark of Chania, Crete
The Mosque of the Janissaries in Chania, Crete is one of the most recognizable buildings on the entire island, which is the largest in Greece.
Once ruled by the Ottomans for centuries, Crete is home to many reminders of that...
Culture
Erdogan: Conversion of Hagia Sophia into Mosque "Crown of 2020"
In an address to the nation, Turkish President Erdogan called his decision to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque the "crown of 2020."
Culture
Council of Europe Condemns Conversion of Hagia Sophia from Museum to Mosque
In an official statement released on Friday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) condemned Turkey's July 13 decision to convert the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque.
PACE's Committee on Culture, Science, Education & Media...
Greece
Athens Opens First-Ever Official Mosque to the Faithful
After a fourteen-year wait, the first ever-official mosque began operating in Athens on Monday, welcoming Muslims for prayer.
“A long effort by successive governments since 2006, when Law 3512 was passed, has been completed. Greece sends a clear message inside...
Culture
Greek President: Conversion of Chora Museum to Mosque "An Act of Symbolic Violence"
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Friday called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent decision to convert the historic Chora former Christian monastery to a mosque "an act of symbolic violence dictated by political arrogance."
After the conversion of Istanbul's Hagia...
Diplomacy
Greece Reacts to Monastery of Chora Being Turned into Mosque
Greece's Foreign Ministry on Friday spoke out very strongly against Turkey's decision to turn the Byzantine monastery of Chora into a mosque, saying it was "another provocation against religious people everywhere in the world and of the international community that...
Greece
Thousands Attend Hagia Sophia Prayers As Monument is Converted to Mosque
Thousands of worshipers, many waving Turkish flags, gathered at Hagia Sophia for Friday prayers as the UNESCO World Heritage Site was officially inaugurated as a mosque.
The 1,500-year-old site became a museum in 1934. But earlier this month, a Turkish...
Greece
Pope Francis "Deeply Pained" as Hagia Sophia Becomes Mosque
Pope Francis said on Sunday that he is “deeply pained” over the decision by Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque.
In a very brief, improvised remark, Francis, speaking from his studio window...
Culture
Official UNESCO Statement on Reconversion of Hagia Sophia into Mosque
UNESCO, the United Nations body tasked with the identification and preservation of sites with the greatest significance to the world's priceless common heritage, issued a statement on Friday regarding Turkish President Erdogan's official decree turning Hagia Sophia, the greatest...
Greece
Erdogan Signs Decree Turning Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on Friday to formally declare Hagia Sophia a mosque, mere minutes after Turkey’s administrative court annulled a 1934-dated decision that paved the way for the use of the 15-century-old structure as...
Greece
Erdogan Defies World, Orders Hagia Sophia to be Turned Into Mosque
Turkey's top administrative court, the Council of State, announced on Friday that the 1934 conversion of Constantinople's Hagia Sophia into a museum was unlawful, paving the way for its reconversion into a mosque despite strong international opposition.
Turkey's President Recep...
Greece
Erdogan Fans Flames by Threatening to Convert Hagia Sophia into Mosque
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Michael Goodyear*
Hagia Sophia, once Eastern Christianity's greatest cathedral, is undoubtedly one of the most important monuments in today's Istanbul.
Steeped in Byzantine history, it served as one of the largest cathedrals in the world, the center of Orthodoxy for nearly...
Diplomacy
Turkish Newspaper Claims Hagia Sophia Could Soon Become a Mosque
A story on the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak's front page on Tuesday claimed that a recent decision by the Turkish Council of State could be used to convert the famous Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.
The decision of the...
Diaspora
First Mosque in Modern Greek History Opens in Athens
The first Muslim mosque to open for worship in Athens since the establishment of the modern Greek state opened its doors in the capital city on Friday.
After numerous delays, for a variety of reasons, the mosque in the Votanikos neighborhood was...
Greece
Athens' First Mosque Set to Open, Despite Far-Right Vandalism
The first Muslim mosque to open for worship in Athens since the establishment of the modern Greek state is set to open its doors in the capital city this Friday.
After numerous delays, for a variety of reasons, the mosque in...