Be a Muslim for a month

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Pioneering westerners seek intercultural understanding in Turkey.

In February 2011 a group of 10 people coming from 8 countries (Holland, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, Israel, USA, Ireland and Germany) were in Istanbul for the inaugural 9-day Muslim for a Month program. They came seeking a greater understanding of Islam, to gain deeper insight into the worldview and to experience the daily life of ordinary Turkish Muslims.

The programme has been designed to foster greater intercultural understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. The itinerary combines academic lectures, cultural exchange and tourism with actual immersion into Islamic spirituality through the exploration of Sufism. The group of 10 pioneers prayed the daily Muslim prayers in Mosques around Turkey, including the famed Blue Mosque in Istanbul and participated in a day of fasting so as to experience the religion from the inside, thereby coming to a deeper appreciation of the people. “As a Catholic” says Joan aged 73 from Australia, “this program has been seriously insightful with an outcome of total surprise and great benefits to understanding the Muslim people and their religion. 

Muslim for a Month is the latest cultural immersion program from Blood Foundation, an NGO registered both in Holland and in Thailand. Blood Foundation, whose motto is One World One Family, are known in Asia for the renowned Monk for a Month temple-stay, – a Buddhist immersion program in Thailand that has been welcoming men and women to temple life since 2008.

“The purpose of the Muslim for a Month program is to offer people an actual authentic experience of Islam as it is lived by millions of common people” says Ben Bowler, one of the co-founders of Blood Foundation. He continues “it isn’t about religious conversion but rather to foster greater understanding between people and building those human bridges of friendship and sympathetic affection which can lead us to peace.”

During the stay in Turkey, Muslim for a Month guests are based at a historic Sufi Lodge near the old walls of Istanbul. The program includes daytrips to the Ottoman cities of Bursa and Erdine as well as a two-day visit to Konya where the tour culminates in a pilgrimage to the tomb of Rumi, once of the world’s most beloved poets and mystics. Apart from immersion in the religious life, guests also experience Turkish culture and hospitality through a series of luncheons and homestays. An evening with the Whirling Dervishes is a major highlight of the program.

Ben R, aged 26, an Israeli-born Jew now living in Holland had this to say about the program:

“I wouldn’t know where to start to describe my feelings about Muslim for a Month.  I guess it’s just best to say that it was an unforgettable, life changing experience.  We’ve had lectures from beautiful intelligent and most of all inspiring people and we’ve met the loving face of Islam.  I will never forget the hospitality and generosity of the Turkish people.  There are no words to describe it, you’d have to taste it for yourself.  To anyone who thinks about embarking on this journey I would say:  come, come, whoever you are…”

Muslim for a Month is running 9-day programs every month and one 21-day extended program each year. Sufi for a Month programs are also offered for those more inclined towards personal spiritual development rather than cultural-religious immersion.

Blood Foundation is a hybrid social enterprise-NGO dedicated to promoting the sister/brotherhood of humanity. Founded in 2008 along the Thai-Burma border where they run schools for refugees they also operate a series of cultural immersion programs such as Monk for a Month, Muslim for a Month, Sufi for a Month and the coming Sikh for a Week.

www.muslimforamonth.com

Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite. Get FREE contents guide to Sustainable Destination Report CLICK HERE: Special Offer on Sustainable Tourism Marketing Guide CLICK HERE Special Offer on Sustainable Tourism Ministers Briefing CLICK HERE