South Carolina US Senate candidate Mark Lynch pledged to impose severe economic sanctions on Turkey until the Hagia Sophia is returned to the Orthodox Church.
In a direct challenge to incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Lynch criticized the senator’s silence during the 2020 transition of the Hagia Sophia from a museum back into an active mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Under Lindsey Graham’s watch, the Hagia Sophia was turned over to the Muslims in 2020,” Lynch stated. “Instead of challenging the handover, Senator Graham remained silent. He failed to leverage US influence or international pressure to stop what I consider an act of cultural theft.”
Lynch described the site’s status as “one of the greatest injustices in Christian history,” promising that, if elected, he would ensure the cathedral is returned to the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Legislative proposal: “The Return the Hagia Sophia to the Church Act”
As the centerpiece of his primary campaign, Lynch announced he would introduce federal legislation titled The Return the Hagia Sophia to the Church Act. The bill’s key provisions include:
- Comprehensive trade embargo: A total ban on all US imports from Turkey, valued at approximately $17.52 billion in 2025, to remain in effect until ownership of the Hagia Sophia is transferred to the Greek Orthodox Church.
- Coalition building: A formal invitation for leaders from Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions to assemble at the US Capitol upon the bill’s introduction to galvanize legislative support.
Beyond the Hagia Sophia, Lynch framed his platform as a broader effort to combat the “takeover of Christian heritage sites” globally, while pledging to oppose similar perceived threats within the United States.
Under Lindsey Graham’s watch, the famous Christian cathedral Hagia Sophia, was turned over to the Muslims in the year 2020 on behalf of the United Nations. Instead of fighting against the handover of the Hagia Sophia to the Muslims, Lindsey Graham was silent. He didn’t even… pic.twitter.com/DX5HlKTMAo
— Mark Lynch for U.S. Senate (@MarkLynchSC) April 26, 2026
The Hagia Sophia, commissioned by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and completed in 537 AD, served as the primary seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for nearly a millennium. Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque.
In 1935, under the secular reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, it was designated a museum. Its 2020 redesignation as a mosque by President Erdogan drew significant international criticism, including an expression of “deep regret” from UNESCO.
This proposal marks a sharp escalation in Lynch’s primary challenge against Senator Graham.
Related: Hagia Sophia: The Center of Greek Orthodox Faith Through the Ages
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