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Turkish Military Sees Opportunity in Vulnerable and War-Torn Places

Namo Abdulla

   WASHINGTON - A Turkish government decision earlier this month to turn
   back Istanbul's historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque after more than 80
   years as a museum has renewed debate over the direction of the Muslim
   country, with some experts saying President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
   through his expansionist policies at home and abroad, is attempting to
   revive a new Ottoman Empire.

   Built in 567, the third and current Hagia Sophia was a major Christian
   church until a 15th-century sultan converted it into a mosque. In 1935,
   the secular founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turned the
   Byzantine edifice into a museum for all to visit.

   Despite global condemnation, Hagia Sophia held its first prayer service
   Friday. Wearing a religious head covering, Erdogan participated in the
   service by reciting verses from the Quran. He later called converting
   the site into a mosque his great achievement and "the rebirth of our
   nation."

   "Erdogan sees himself as the caliph of the Muslim world," David
   Phillips, director of the Peace-Building and Rights Program at Columbia
   University, told VOA.

   Outside Turkey, the Islamist-leaning leader is pursuing an expansionist
   policy, Phillips said.

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