Hagia Sophia: A matter of sovereignty or political narrow-mindedness? | Inside Story

One of the world's most famous landmarks, the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul, has been turned back into a mosque.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the site will be open to Muslim worship in less than two weeks, after a top court ruled the building's conversion to a museum in 1934 was illegal.
Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthdox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.
While UNESCO and Greek, Russian and other church leaders have denounced Turkey's decision, its foreign ministry insists it's a 'domestic issue of national sovereignty'.
But is this an act of religious significance or political narrow-mindedness?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mehmet Celik, managing editor of the Turkish newspaper The Daily Sabah.
Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of the book, 'Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty'

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