TV presenter Fatin Dağıstanlı, who works for the pro-government Akit TV, has called for the restoration of the caliphate following a recent decision by the Turkish government to convert İstanbul’s ancient Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last Friday signed a decree converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque. “This message [concerning the conversion of Hagia Sophia] was important. This should be followed by the restoration of the caliphate. Following the establishment of Turkish Republic, the Turkish Parliament abolished the caliphate in 1924.