Be Muslim For A Month: Live Islam, Without Converting

From The Guardian | 21st April

 'It has the ingredients of a conventional holiday – experiencing the culture and hospitality of one of the most exciting cities in the world. But few getaways encourage its participants to pray five times a day or try their hand at fasting, especially when those people are not Muslim [...]

The foundation has called the initiative Muslim for a Month, despite it lasting nine days, and wants to offer a 21-day programme in the future. Bowler said most people would find it difficult to take a month off and admitted even the nine-day programme, which offers bed, board, instruction and sightseeing for £600, could have limited appeal.'

"We currently offer Monk for a Month, where people spend time in a Buddhist monastery in Tibet. That is successful. The difference is that there's a curiosity about Buddhism in the west. People are attracted to it, people who do meditation for example."

About Muslim For A Month
Muslim for a Month is a Blood Foundation cultural exchange and spiritual development program hosted by Fonda Ajans in Istanbul, Turkey.

Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone,
ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of
being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged. ~ Rumi

The intention of the program is to foster a spirit of good will and increased mutual understanding between Muslims and the west. It is not the purpose of the program to bring converts to the Islamic faith but rather to strive towards a greater sense of unity among people.


The Facilitators Behind MFAM
Dr. Ahmet Muharrem Atlig (Theologian) was ordained as an Imam in 1989, before starting his graduate studies in the U.S. where he also taught religious studies in high schools for six years. He was the Imam of New Peckham Mosque in London for 5 years and completed his PhD in philosophy in Ireland in 2007. Ahmet is now the director of the Fonda Ajans Company and the Secretary General of Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Platform which is under the umbrella of The Journalist and Writers Foundation in Istanbul. He is the Spiritual Director of Muslim for a Month.

Mr Kudret Altindag is a journalist and writer and is part of a young breed of rising intellectuals within Islam. He has worked for Zaman Newspaper in Istanbul as a domestic correspondent and was the U.S. correspondent based in New York between 2000 and 2005. He is the Deputy Director of Fonda Ajans and also works for the Intercultural Dialogue Platform.

This is a beautiful spiritual effort for interfaith dialogue. Check it out:

Muslim For A Month