He added in statements to the (21/7/2020) episode of the "opposite direction" program that it is difficult to deal with Hagia Sophia as part of Turkish history and civilization, because the Turks came from many places and committed many crimes and massacres in order to establish their state and history testifies to that, and Ayia Sofia is a church since its inception, he says.
He added that the Turkish measure will lead to discord between Muslims and Christians, wondering about the addition that would be represented by the conversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque for Islam and Muslims, and pointed out that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by converting the church today to a mosque that does not serve Islam but is tampering with the security of the region.
In contrast, Turkish media Hamzah Tekin said that the Hagia Sophia belonged to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror who took Constantinople by force, and the Hagia Sophia was not registered in the Christian endowment but rather belonged to the Byzantine Emperor who was defeated, and by virtue of the laws prevailing at that time its ownership was transferred to the victor.
He added that Turkey possesses documents that prove the ownership of the Hagia Sophia to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and convert it into a mosque at that time, and Turkey returned it to the Hagia Sophia to a mosque that has proven to be strong and is no longer subject to restrictions and shackles imposed on it 100 years ago, and this decision is a sovereign right of Turkey.
He added that the Turkish decision was welcomed by Christians before Muslims, as it was welcomed by many countries around the world. He expressed his surprise at the attack by some Arabs and Muslims on the Turkish decision, and emphasized that the message of the return of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque must reach the whole world, noting that the facts prompted the other guest to withdraw from the program and not complete the episode.