. . . Arthur Stark, Chairman, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“We are appalled by the incendiary and offensive statement made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that characterized the recent conversion of the ancient church and most recently museum, Hagia Sophia, to a mosque as part of ‘return to freedom to Al-Aksa,’ implying that he seeks to take control of the holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, which is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
To have taken such extreme action as to convert a nearly 1500-year-old church into a mosque serves only to stoke conflict. Nothing is achieved by affronting Christians and others worldwide. Nothing is achieved by pitting religious traditions against each other.
Furthermore, this outrageous rhetoric regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque can and has incited violence against Israel and its citizens — and will add to tensions in the region. We condemn it strongly and urge President Erdogan to recant his inflammatory words and actions.”
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