The Hagia Sophia: A Warning About How Colonization Takes Many Forms
The Hagia Sophia: Not just a building, a symbol of everything that has come before it
The Hagia Sophia: A Dark Warning of Cultural Erosion and Silent Colonization
On December 27, 537, Emperor Justinian I inaugurated the Hagia Sophia as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral, a monumental symbol of the Byzantine Empire's glory and divine power. Little did anyone know, this awe-inspiring structure would become a battleground for centuries, constantly shifting between religious, political, and cultural forces. Today, as the Hagia Sophia stands once again as a mosque, it is not just a historical artifact; it is a warning for the future—a chilling reminder of what’s happening in plain sight, yet largely ignored.
The Hagia Sophia was designed to be more than just a church. Its towering dome, intricate mosaics, and majestic grandeur were meant to project the power of the Byzantine Empire and the Emperor's divine right to rule. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque, and for nearly five centuries, it served as the heart of Islamic power in the region. But in 1935, Turkey’s secular leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk transformed the Hagia Sophia into a museum, marking a break from its Ottoman past.
Then, in 2020, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the shocking decision to reconvert the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. The world reacted, but the reality of this move runs deeper than a mere religious shift—it’s about identity, power, and the quiet but dangerous form of cultural colonization. This isn’t just about one building; it’s a signal of what’s happening globally—how cultural and historical landmarks are being repurposed to erase one identity and elevate another.
Across the Western world, something more insidious is quietly unfolding: churches—many hundreds of years old, deeply embedded in Christian history—are being converted into mosques. In cities like Paris, London, New York and beyond, hundreds of buildings are being repurposed, often with little to no public debate. This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a broader, quiet cultural shift, a redefinition of historical spaces that goes largely unnoticed by the world.
This isn’t about faith. It’s about cultural erasure. When Christian churches are converted into mosques, it’s not simply a religious change—it’s a symbol of colonization, not through military force, but through the subtle re-shaping of cultural identity. This is a quiet form of imperialism, where cultural symbols are replaced or redefined to serve a new narrative.
Turkey’s decision to return the Hagia Sophia to a mosque isn’t just about reclaiming the Ottoman past; it’s part of a broader geopolitical and cultural agenda. And across Europe, the conversion of churches into mosques isn’t just a local issue—it’s a colonial act designed to rewrite history and alter the identity of nations.
We’re witnessing the slow erosion of cultural heritage, and most of the world is either blind to it or simply doesn’t care. The Hagia Sophia—once the jewel of Christian heritage— transformed again into a mosque, it is not an isolated case. Across the world, places of great cultural significance are quietly being recast to serve a different narrative—a narrative of domination, erasing the cultural footprints of entire civilizations.
This matters deeply. The quiet conversion of churches and the changing of cultural landmarks are not mere acts of religious practice—they are the erosion of shared human history. The Hagia Sophia is a warning sign that something much larger is at play, and it’s a warning that the world is ignoring. If we don’t act now, we risk losing not just religious heritage, but the very essence of our shared histories. The identity of nations, the preservation of culture, and the very fabric of humanity are at stake.
What’s more dangerous than physical conquest is the silent colonization that’s happening before our eyes. When we allow the repurposing of cultural landmarks, we risk allowing one culture to dominate the history and heritage of another, all while the world looks away. Colonization doesn’t always involve flags or weapons; sometimes, it happens through the quiet redefinition of sacred spaces and cultural symbols. And this silent shift is far more dangerous because it’s happening without resistance.
As the Hagia Sophia stands today, once again as a mosque, we must confront the fact that this monument is a symbol of something far greater than a mere change in religious practice. It is a symbol of how empires rise and fall, how faiths evolve, and how cultures can be quietly erased, repurposed, and replaced. The Hagia Sophia is more than just a building—it is a call to action. If we do not protect our shared histories, we may lose them forever to the forces of cultural colonization.
The world cannot afford to stay silent. The Hagia Sophia is a stark reminder of what is at stake. If we ignore these quiet shifts, we risk erasing the very history that defines us. The battle for cultural identity is being fought in the shadows, and it’s time we open our eyes before it’s too late.
