Re-conquest of Constantinople

Vehbi Kara is just another Islamist columnist who would not surprise you. He writes for this columnist’s favourite Islamist daily, Yeni Şafak.

• Burak Bekdil
• Sigma Insight Turkey

His column on January 11th did not offer readers a revolutionary view –nor was it expected to– but was useful in trying to decipher the “conquest fetish” among conservative Muslims.

Mr Kara wrote: “Devout people (Muslims) view Hagia Sophia as a symbol of Islam’s domination in these lands … It (as it is officially a museum and closed to Muslim prayers) is a bleeding wound … Its reopening to (Muslim) prayers will be the re-conquest of Istanbul. As long as it remains (a…

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