The Head of Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), Ali Erbaş, on Aug. 2 delivered the sermon while holding a sword during a funeral prayer in absentia held at Hagia Sophia for Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniye, who was assassinated in Iran by Israel.
Erbaş had read a sermon with a sword in his hand several times before despite critiques.
Erbaş first read a sermon with a sword in his hand after Hagia Sophia was opened to worship as a mosque and said, "Reading a sermon with a sword is a common practice that exists in our history and tradition."
In his recent sermon which also coincided with the Friday prayers, Erbaş stated, “Murderers and occupiers are committing brutal massacres in Islamic places, particularly in Gaza, without sparing children, women, the elderly, or the innocent. The ruthless criminals are committing a genocide unprecedented in history. Those who support them applaud oppression with their bloodstained hands and encourage the oppressors.”
In Turkish version of the sermon, Erbaş also talked about sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed the Conqueror and his conquest of Istanbul.
Erbaş had previously appeared with a sword in his hand during a Friday sermon criticizing the massacres in Palestine and once during the Eid prayer.
