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People walk towards the now closed Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul
TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing an international backlash over his decision to repurpose Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum as a mosque.
Mr Erdogan declared the iconic sixth-century building, which was originally a cathedral, a mosque and open for worship on Friday, following a court ruling that annulled the 1934 decision to turn it into a museum. He said it would remain open to visitors of all nationalities and religions.
World leaders and the heads of many Christian congregations expressed their dismay at the decision, warning that it would inflame tensions between Muslims and Christians much as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s determination to build a temple to the god Rama on the site on the site of the Babri Masjid mosque has between Muslims and Hindus in India.
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