French newspaper Le Figaro said that the conversion of the Hagia Sophia Church again to a mosque sends a clear message that the Ottoman (Empire) Caliphate has become the model to follow for modern Turkey.

At the beginning of its editorial, written by Patrick Saint Paul, the newspaper returned to the tenth century AD, when Russian visitors were dazzled to see the central dome of Hagia Sophia, and the gold mosaic covering it, to the point that they commented, "We did not know we were in heaven or on the face of the earth."

She added that for many centuries the Hagia Sophia had remained the symbol of the Christian past of the Eastern Roman Empire until Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad II (Al-Fatih) seized Constantinople in 1453, and their leader, Hagia Sophia, converted from a church of Christians to a mosque for Muslims.

She drew attention to the conversion of the late Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to this great edifice into a museum in the year 1934, which she said transformed the Hagia Sophia slowly and "into a vivid example of seeking reconciliation between the Muslim and Christian Almohads."

But here is the current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Al-Fateh), as the author describes it, bringing it back to the fold of Muslims, which mean at the same time culminating in the deviation from his political plan and achieving his Islamic national dream after 18 years of rule, according to the author.

St. Paul commented on this by saying that this decision is a new nail that is implanted in the coffin of Ataturk, which Erdogan has been destroying his secular state.

The writer considered that it has become possible for Erdogan's new "Sultan" to be proud that by restoring the Hagia Sophia Mosque he has completely restored Istanbul, which is a source of pride for Turkish nationalists.

The writer concluded that Erdogan with such steps says loudly and clearly that he will not remain tied with Western values, indicating that the Turkish President opens thus an irreparable dispute with the West.