Shillong, August 11: Meghalaya State BJP President Mr Ernest Mawri sent objection to the UNHRC for converting Hagia Sophia Church into a Mosque in Turkey. The objection letter was sent to Mr ChangrokSoh Chair-Rapporteur, Working Committee of Communications United Nations Human Rights Council and terms this act as Abject Violation of Human Rights (Freedom of Religion) in Turkey through Conversion of Hagia Sophia Church into a Mosque.
Mr Marwri sai that there have been many instances where an original place of worship of one religion was converted into a place of worship of another religion by some theocratic leader. Such conversions are a direct violation of one of the most basic human rights – the freedom to practise religion without causing harm to others.
The United Nations Human Rights Council should intervene in all such cases around the world, and work to revert the status of such converted places of worship to their original faith and form.
Many of these places of worship were converted centuries ago. Since then the demography and the political structure of many such countries have changed. Therefore, an argument may be put forward that restoring such places to their original faith does not make sense in the present scenario.
However, we want to reinstate that all such conversions of religious places were a result of suppression of the rights of the less dominant community at that time, and/ or the autocratic, non-secular beliefs of the leaders then. In any case, all such conversions are a symbol of religious dictatorship that has no place in today’s progressive and tolerant world.
Hagia Sophia was first constructed in 360 A.D. by the Byzantine Emperor,Constantius. It was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 404-415 A.D. The Hagia Sophia as it stands today is the third structure built on the site. It was completed in 537 A.D. It was not constructed by destroying, demolishing or converting a mosque or place of worship of any other existing religion!
For almost a millennium after its construction, Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in all of Christendom. Even today, it is the 20th largest Church in the world. Millions of devout Christians have pilgrimaged and worshipped at the Hagia Sophia and have been blessed with the fulfilment of their wishes, and the answering of their prayers.
Their stories of miracles and enlightened have been passed down through generations, and today it is a matter of belief for billions of Christians across the world. To covert such a place of worship into that of another is sacrilege of this belief of billions of people, and of the very foundation of today’s polytheistic world that yearns to achieve peace and prosperity through religious freedom and tolerance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, Meghalaya Pradesh, India is the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India (which is the largest political party in the world). We believe that all people have an equal right to practice their own religions without causing harm to others and without forcing others to convert their religious beliefs. Mr Mawri said in the letter that they live and work by the principles of “sabkasaath, sabkavikas, sabkavishwas” which means “Everyone’s support, everyone’s development, and everyone’s trust.” Equality is the single most important right for us.
Thus, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia to a Mosque in Turkey has hurt the belief system of our party. And it has hurt the religious sentiments of thousands of Christian members of our party, as also that of millions of Christian citizens of our state and of our country, and of billions of Christians of the world.
“I, as the President of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and a staunch practising catholic, am also personally pained by this unwarranted and forceful conversion of the Hagia Sophia”.
Mr Marwri request to Chair-Rapporteur to treat this letter as an official complaint against the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and the start of Islamic prayers there. In this regard, I have enclosed the filled HRC Complaint Procedure Form with this letter.
The BJP President of Meghalaya State Unit hope that will find my complaint admissible and that you will take cognisance of this gross violation of human rights in Turkey, and take appropriate action to enable the restoration of the basilica to its original faith.
