“Erdoğan’s concern for religious freedom is bitterly ironic in light of his appropriation of Hagia Sophia and Chora monastery as mosques, and of Turkey’s ongoing restriction of the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians in the country.”
More comments below.
More on this story. “Erdoğan: Mobilize Christians Against Israel,” by Jules Gomes, ChurchMilitant.com, May 18, 2021:
VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) – Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan phoned Pope Francis Monday morning, inciting the pontiff to punish Israel for its “attacks against Palestine” by “mobilizing the Christian world and the international community.”
“Israel’s attacks concerned not only the Palestinians but all Muslims, all Christians and the entire humanity,” Erdoğan, a leading denier of the Armenian Genocide and the prime instigator behind the Islamic takeover of the Hagia Sophia basilica, told Francis.
Turkey’s Directorate of Communications reported the conversation and the Holy See Press Office spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the phone call.
Pope Francis met Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace soon after the phone call with Erdoğan. The duo discussed Palestine, interfaith dialogue and U.S. sanctions during a “wonderful audience,” Zarif disclosed on Twitter….
Erdoğan, however, maintained that “occupying Israel — which prevented access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, restricted freedom of worship and massacred innocent civilians in the Palestinian lands — was also trampling on human dignity.”
Refusing to call “Jerusalem” by its ancient biblical and historical name, the nationalist president referred to the Holy City by its Islamic nomenclature — Al-Quds — in his phone call with the pope.
“Israel’s unlawful and inhumane practices, which also violated Al-Quds’ status, must be immediately put to an end, and the entire humanity should join hands against the occupying Israel, which recklessly attacked the sacred,” Erdoğan urged.
In comments to Church Militant, Islamic historian Robert Spencer emphasized that “Israel has not actually prevented access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque or Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or done anything else that Erdoğan accuses it of doing, including restricting religious freedom.”
“Erdoğan’s concern for religious freedom is bitterly ironic in light of his appropriation of Hagia Sophia and Chora monastery as mosques, and of Turkey’s ongoing restriction of the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians in the country,” Spencer noted.
The distinguished historian and author of 21 books on Islam and the Middle East explained how Erdoğan would not find his actions inconsistent because of Islamic teaching that the Muslims are “the best of people, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong” (Qur’an 3:110), and non-Muslims are “the vilest of created beings” (Qur’an 98:6).
“According to Islam, ‘Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are ruthless against unbelievers, merciful to one another’ (Qur’an 48:29). So, Erdoğan demands for Muslims what he would never be willing to grant to non-Muslims,” Spencer observed.
Francis: Not Taking Sides
Francis will not take sides on the issue, it is understood, even though he is ideologically inclined to support Muslims and naïve about the existential threat Hamas posed to Israel, as well the problem of anti-Semitism in Islamic texts….
In his Regina Coeli address Sunday, the pope called for an end to the violence, calling Israelis and Palestinians to “find the path of dialogue and forgiveness, to be patient builders of peace and justice,” and to open up “to a common hope, to a coexistence among brothers.”
Francis delivered a one-sentence non-condemnation of Islam’s takeover of the world’s greatest Byzantine basilica in July 2020, saying: “I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened.”
The Vatican did not disclose contents of the talks in Francis’ phone call with Erdoğan or the pope’s audience with Zarif.
Fred Alan Medforth says
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister accuses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of inciting his compatriots to anti-Semitic attacks in Germany
More:
https://medforth.biz/north-rhine-westphalia-interior-minister-accuses-turkish-president-recep-tayyip-erdogan-of-inciting-his-compatriots-to-anti-semitic-attacks-in-germany/
gravenimage says
Thankd for that grim link, Fred.
Kuffar says
Erdogan dreams of reviving the Ottoman Empire and becoming Sultan, complete with a harem of Christian sex slaves. Male and female.
Wellington says
Pure projection.
Infidel says
If he wants to complain about somebody persecuting muslims, he should b?h about the Chicoms ??
born saturday says
but not so much because china is funding turkey first of all and second the muslims and communists interanationally are members of an unwritten unholy alliance…
Rarely says
The Chinese aren’t acting on principle or similarity of belief but simply and only on opportunity. They aren’t on a mission to convert the World to their way of thinking but only to expand their power and sphere of influence. They seem to be doing a pretty good job of it too.
born saturday says
the magnificent head terrorist, genocidal and responsible for the islamic slaughter of christians in syria and iraq, a modern genocide, in his trillion dollar palace he does not seem to understand a basic thing… that his end is coming, and the turkish nations time to bow down and kneel to ask forgiveness for all the genocides and barbaric slaughter of greeks armenians assyrians and other christians…
islam respects nothing but war… therefore it is time to give the muslim world another bloodshed to remember for a few decades…. only when the war takes place and the jihadists are slaughtered to none will islam ever respect and stop the deception and the multipurpose jihad….i am hoping some are getting ready for this as they should cause i see many people not realising whats coming… including the jihadists internationally…
Rarely says
born yesterday.
It would, of course, be the first time in history.
Crusades Were Right says
Hm, seems like the Sultan of Genocidistan wants a new crusade.
He might just be onto something – but before the “mobilized” Christians liberate “Palestine”…
…perhaps they will notice that certain OTHER lands – CHRISTIAN lands – need liberating from an evil dictator and his COLONIALIST REGIME – one which has a long history of inflicting oppression, enslavement, massacres, ethnic cleansing and genocide on the indigenous Christian nations.
Something for him to ponder the next time he visits the Church of Holy Wisdom, Constantinople, GREECE.
Rarely says
The Chinese aren’t acting on principle or similarity of belief but simply and only on opportunity. They aren’t on a mission to convert the World to their way of thinking but only to expand their power and sphere of influence. They seem to be doing a pretty good job of it too.
somehistory says
mozlums hardly ever hear the word “no” and have they ever from the current pope?
er slug a wan should be told flat-out “NO! and don’t bother asking again.”
er slug a wan is an example of a complete hypocrite. he is a liar and a child of the “father of the lie” and wishes to do the desires of his father.
The pope is a spineless creep who goes whole-hog for working with mozlums to help them reach their goals.
:”very saddened” by the takeover and conversion of the ancient church….why not incredibly angry? wimpy should be his name, but that would be an incredible insult to the cartoon character. Frances even more so.
tim gallagher says
Islam always treats any non-Muslims like crap, so it is an extraordinary level of hypocrisy by Erdogan to complain about the Israelis. I wonder if being a Muslim supremacist, like this scumbag, makes the mind so twisted out of shape and incapable of logical thought and self-awareness that Erdogan isn’t even aware of the extreme hypocrisy he is displaying. The Pope should be telling him to get Muslim regimes everywhere to stop persecuting and murdering Christians and also to hand the Hagia Sophia back to the Christians. This Erdogan is a loathsome individual.
gravenimage says
Tim, I just think Erdogan is happy to use any tactic that furthers his and Islam’s power.
tim gallagher says
Yes, I think that must be the case, gravenimage. Totally cynical and amoral I’d say he is and so he’ll try anything, no matter how hypocritical. A lot of Muslims have no moral sense at all. If it helps evil islam to increase its power, then that’s all that matters. I would love to see this character, Erdogan, crushed like a bug. He does seem to be quite the megalomaniac, that’s for sure. I suppose that the Pope has supported Islam so much that Erdogan figured that he would try this rubbish on and see if the Pope can be fooled again.
GreekEmpress says
I’ll bet not one word was spoken by Pope Francis about the Hagia Sofia, persecution of Christians in Turkey, or the massacre of Armenians in Artsakh by Turkish enabling.
gravenimage says
Erdogan claims Israel restricts religious freedom after converting Hagia Sophia to mosque and oppressing Christians
……………….
Just grotesque projection.
gravenimage says
Francis: Not Taking Sides
…………………….
So hard to decide between the genocidal thugs who started the war and the civilized Israelis defending themselves. This could be worse–but just barely.