Secularization vs. Religionization: Ramadan and the Fate of Hagia Sophia on Turkish Social Media

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, regularly sparks religious-political discourse on social networking sites (SNS) in Turkey. Last year, they focused on calls for China to grant greater freedom of religion and conscience to the Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang province. This year, however, the discourse floated internal Turkish issues, including levels of commitment to the fast of Ramadan, and disagreement over efforts of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) to convert the famous Hagia Sophia building into a mosque. This discourse reflects the division in Turkish society, between the conservative-traditional public that wants to accelerate the process of religionization that Turkish society has been undergoing in the last decade, and the secular public that wishes to maintain its identity.

Ramadan has a profound effect on the daily life of Muslims due to the limitations on daytime eating, drinking and smoking that are in force for the entire month. In Turkish society, the decision to observe the fast of Ramadan has become a sign of commitment to Islam. Therefore, friction between traditional people and secular ones who declared publically on SNS that they did not intend to fast during Ramadan led to a dispute between the two camps. Using the hashtag #Wewouldforbidfasting, which became popular on SNS, secular people mocked those who fast by claiming, “while Muslims are hungry, non-Muslims continue their technological advancement.” Secular users stressed the damage the fast does to physical and mental health, using the hashtag #Idontfastbecause. There were those who refused to believe that the anti-religious slogans were indeed shared by secular people, and claimed that they had actually been posted by supporters of the government who wanted to disparage the secular camp and widen the gap between it and the traditional public, which is evident in both worldview and lifestyle. Against this backdrop, many secular users stressed the importance of secular values, including freedom of religion and conscience, and sharply criticized anti-religious tweets.[1]

Within this internet discourse, there were also users who highlighted the damage done to secular Turks’ freedom of religion and conscience by the “Fast Patrols” (or “Beating Patrols”) that use violence to enforce the fast.[2] A few users testified that the Istanbul Police had randomly arrested some people who were smoking in public, which is considered a violation of the fast.[3] Conversely, traditional users expressed fury at the anti-religious tweets and banded together under the hashtag #Don’tdisparagemyfast, while others praised the commandment to fast and the tradition that brings families together.[4] Several traditional users even compared people who choose not to fast to animals. Additional fuel was added to the fire when Prof. Mustafa Aşkar used the same language to describe Turks who chose not to pray, while speaking on one of the government-sponsored television programs broadcast daily at the end of the fast. The comments made by Prof. Aşkar shocked the Turkish SNS, and led to strident responses and denunciations,[5] including the use of the hashtag “There’sapimpatTRT” (Turkish Radio and Television).[6] Following the response of SNS to Aşkar’s comments, even the Presidency for Religious Affairs joined the censure and used its Twitter account to stress that these remarks were inconsistent with the values of Islam.[7]

The Presidency for Religious Affairs (Diyanet), headed by Mehmet Görmez, is a government agency with the grandiose budget of close to $21.4 billion for 2016,[8] which makes it a key player in the move towards increased religiosity in Turkey. In addition to providing religious services and implementing many projects with this goal, Diyanet strives to increase awareness of Islam using a wide range of media including, but not limited to, SNS, as well as its own television channel. Inter alia Diyanet is leading the effort – supported by many Islamists in Turkey – to convert the Hagia Sophia building into a mosque. Until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, the building served as an Orthodox Church. After the conquest, Sultan Mehmet II (“Mehmet the Conqueror”) gave orders to convert the church into a mosque. In 1934, during the rule of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, the building was again transformed, this time into a museum. During the renovations, the ancient depictions of Jesus and his mother Mary etched into the building’s walls were revealed.

Using the hashtag #OpenHagiaSophiaErdoğan” to address President Recep Erdoğan directly, supporters of Diyanet called for reconverting Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Many users paraphrased Sultan Mehmet II’s slogan, “Either I will conquer Constantinople or Constantinople will conquer me” and wrote, “Either Hagia Sophia will conquer us or we will [conquer] Hagia Sophia,” accompanied by a poster (pictured above).[9] The Presidency for Religious Affairs took the additional step of broadcasting its daily Ramadan television program of prayers and readings from the Koran from Hagia Sophia. This move was received positively by traditional users on SNS who expressed a desire to ‎pray in the historic building on a regular basis. Conversely, secular users were angered by the decision and stressed the importance of Hagia Sophia to humanity as a whole, and the need to main the status quo there. A few of them even suggested converting the museum not into a mosque but rather into a church. The disagreement prevailing in the SNS discourse surrounding Hagia Sophia had a negative influence on the relationship between Turkey and Greece. Greece, as an Orthodox Christian country, is worried about the possibility that the building might be converted back into a mosque. As a result, the Greek ambassador in Istanbul visited the site, while one of Diyanet’s television programs was being filmed, and reported on the situation to Athens. Many Turkish users on SNS perceived the Greek ambassador’s visit to Hagia Sophia as a blatant violation of Turkish sovereignty, and demanded that the museum be transformed into a mosque without further delay. As a result, the Greek ambassador in Istanbul visited the site, while one of Diyanet’s television programs was being filmed, and reported on the situation to Athens. Many Turkish users on SNS perceived the Greek ambassador’s visit to Hagia Sophia to be a blatant violation of Turkish sovereignty, and demanded that the museum be transformed into a mosque without further delay.[10]

The public discourse on Turkish SNS during the last month demonstrates the rift between the traditional and secular publics in Turkey, and the lack of tolerance and mutual respect between the camps. While the secular side considers the fast of Ramadan an excuse used to impose restrictions on their lifestyle and an expression of religious coercion, many traditionalists complain that the secular public is inconsiderate. The tension between the camps emerges from the process of religionization occurring in Turkish society in response to the desire of conservative-traditional forces to redefine the country’s national identity. Not for nothing do they consider keeping the dictates of Islam and initiating processes with a religious nature the “completion of the conquest of Constantinople.” The significance of these moves is the imposition of a traditional lifestyle on the secular public, similar to the manner in which secular forces previously led Turkish society. Moreover, domestic issues with potential ramifications for Turkey’s international relations, as in the case of Hagia Sophia, are also influenced by this dispute.