Tue 14 July 2020: Painting will not hinder prayers, mosque will be open to visitors, Turkey’s top religious body Turkey’s top religious body said Tuesday the frescoes in Hagia Sophia will not hinder prayer. The iconic monument was first built as a church in the Byzantine period. It has Christian mosaics, including one of Virgin […]
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Tue 14 July 2020: Hagia Sophia decision is historic turning point, says head of South Africa’s Muslim Judicial Council ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) – The head of a major Muslim group in South Africa hailed Turkey’s decision last week to turn Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after decades as a museum. The Muslim […]
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Mon 13 July 2020: Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry confirmed it will be imposing a fine of 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,666) for violators entering the holy sites in Mecca without a permit during the upcoming Hajj season, which will be held in a limited capacity this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. A statement from the […]
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Sun 12 July 2020: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey’s decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it represented his country’s will to use its “sovereign rights”. Turkey’s top administrative court on Friday annulled the 1934 government decree that turned Hagia Sophia into a […]
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Sat 11 July 2020: The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday expressed dismay at Turkey’s decision to revoke the museum status of the iconic Hagia Sophia, accusing it of ignoring millions of Christians. “The concern of millions of Christians were not heard,” Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida told Interfax news agency after a top court revoked the […]
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Fri 10 July 2020: A Turkish court said on Friday it annulled a 1934 government decree turning the iconic Hagia Sophia into a museum, ruling it was unlawful, paving the way for Istanbul’s grandest structure to be used as a mosque after an 85-year hiatus. The ruling was made by the Council of State, Turkey’s […]
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Fri 10 July 2020: Even if Hagia Sophia reopens for prayer, it will not stop being gem of world heritage: Turkish presidential spokesman Reopening Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia for prayers will not deprive it of its identity, as it will always belong to the world’s historical heritage, Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey’s presidential spokesperson, told Anadolu Agency in […]
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Wed 08 July 2020: The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called for dismissal of a Starbucks barista who wrote “ISIS” on a Muslim woman’s cup. Aishah, 19, said she and her friend went to buy a coffee at the Starbucks located inside a Target store in St. Paul, Minnesota last […]
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Mon 06 July 2020: Health standards will be the main determinant for selecting this year’s Hajj pilgrims amid the coronavirus outbreak, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Monday, according to official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Seventy percent of this year’s pilgrims will be non-Saudis residing in the Kingdom and 30 percent will be […]
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Mon 06 July 2020: With coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases still surging throughout the world, Saudi Arabia has limited the number of pilgrims to performing this year’s Hajj and put several protocols in place. Saudi Arabia’s Center for Disease Prevention and Control issued on Sunday the coronavirus-related safety protocols and restrictions to be imposed during the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage season, […]
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