A THAI-based organisation called The Blood Foundation has launched a programme enabling folk to sample a variety of different faiths.
The foundation’s smorgasbord of spirituality, according to the BBC, kicked off with a “Muslim for a Month” trial staged at Eyup Mosque in Istanbul.
Said one participant, Barbra Taylor from Hawaii:
[Some people] feel anyone who’s even remotely affiliated with the Muslim faith is a terrorist … I had an interest in Turkey and also I felt there was a misunderstanding about perhaps the second largest religion in the world.
Organisers report having had a bumpy ride with their “Muslim of the Month” programme. The title has apparently put many people off, with some parts of the travel industry refusing to promote it because of the unease surrounding Islam in some quarters.
“Sufi for a month” is about to start as an alternative … and plans for “Sikh for a week” are underway.
Hat tip: Cliff Knoetz, noted social radical and literary commentator, who said in an email alerting us to this report:
‘Sufi for a month’ is one thing, and going ‘Sikh for a week’ has a certain musicality to it, but the article fails to comment on the ‘Apostate for Eternity’ time-share opportunity which is sure to follow.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 3rd, 2011 at 5:43 pm
I’m not sure i’d survive a month with my questioning nature… I’d be killed by a psycho after a day or two, no doubt.
July 3rd, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Having been raised as a Methodist, a relatively benign branch of Christianity, I have already had far more religion in my life than I needed. On the upside, it is fun to watch the various religions getting gradually more desperate to recruite new members. The really great thing about desperation is that people can spot it a mile away so the more desperate they become, the more folk are going to be turned off.
July 3rd, 2011 at 6:02 pm
How is this batwittery supposed to work; do you just follow the rules and rituals for a week or are you supposed to start believing? Can I turn Muslim for a month marry a second wife and then divorce her on day 27? Hardly worth having your dick mutilated for Jewish for a fewish (days), but persuading Benedict to go reason for a season would be worth while.
July 3rd, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Wicca for a while anyone?
July 3rd, 2011 at 6:22 pm
But having been muslim for a month, aren’t they now apostates and therefore open to being killed?
July 3rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
You’re right, Graham. And what if you die during the month when you are practising one of the heretical faiths? That would indeed be most unfortunate. (“But I AM a believer, Lord: I was just pretending – honestly!”) I have to say, though, that my heart sank when I got to the bit about “misunderstanding” Islam again. How many more times?
BTW I always thought that Eyup Mosque was in Wigan!
July 3rd, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Unbeliever For-Ever?
Yes, my poetic license is now revoked. Sorry.
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Godless ’til I’m gone…
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Unbeliever till I leave yer.
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:19 pm
What Graham Martin-Royle said.
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:11 pm
BTW I always thought that Eyup Mosque was in Wigan!
Groan.
July 4th, 2011 at 12:00 am
What is the penalty for apostacy? Death? Sounds like that free trail month of being a Muslim might be a trap.
July 4th, 2011 at 1:12 am
I wouldn’t do it for a million quid.
July 4th, 2011 at 1:15 am
Or any amount of money really, unless I could buy myself a secure hideaway for when I would inevitably become an “apostate”.
July 4th, 2011 at 1:36 am
While all these puns are fun, I feel I have to be boring and point out the enormous fallacy committed by the participant from Hawaii. She cannot help but suggest that maybe the ‘second largest religion in the world’ is misunderstood, as if the size of this faith has any relevance whatsoever. Ugh. It is such a stupid and frighteningly common mistake.
This is something I have noticed time and again in any debate, discussion or casual conversation regarding religion. As soon as someone brings up the idea of just not believing in something, people become grossly offended at the suggestion that the millions or billions of subscribers to a faith might be wrong. I understand the issue that SOMEBODY has to be wrong and being upset or offended on behalf of other faiths is particularly disingenuous from anyone with a religious point of view, as they have to believe in a ‘right’ answer on some level, but is it really that difficult to comprehend that lots of people can still make the same mistake? Really? The fact that lots of people believe in something doesn’t make that something worth believing in. This is not a difficult concept.
July 4th, 2011 at 6:21 am
Muslm for a month.
With my luck I’d get Ramadan.
July 4th, 2011 at 8:12 am
See how well all these sweet, reasonable religionists coexist!
http://youtu.be/FyfJklPaXFA
July 4th, 2011 at 9:10 am
barriejohn
That’s hilarious! Don’t you just admire how loving religion has made them all.
July 4th, 2011 at 9:42 am
I tried that “gay for a day” once but it made my eyes water.
July 4th, 2011 at 11:39 am
How can you make yourself believe in something? Believing a proposition isn’t an act of will. When someone says they believe something, they are basically saying that the proposition is the explanation about a state of the world that makes most sense to them.
If you believe that Jesus was the son of God but prayed to Allah 5 times a day facing Mecca for “Muslim for a Month”, are you a Christian or a Muslim?
July 4th, 2011 at 11:47 am
Ramadan-a-ding-dong
July 4th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
David Lawson: We said a similar thing over the “Rapture” business. Either you believe something or you don’t – you can’t FORCE yourself to believe, out of fear for instance. What these people are really talking about is following rituals, which is a completely different thing. Evidently, like Lucy’s Santa Claus in a Peanuts cartoon to which I have previously alluded on this site, “God” is an old man and easily fooled!
July 4th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
So if you are Sikh for a week, do you need a note from your doctor?
July 4th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
I am actually trying this Muslim for a Month lark. So far today I have told my landlady she needs to wear a bag over her head; traded insults with my gay neighbours; and considered blowing up the Town Hall.
So just another typical Monday really!
July 4th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Regimus
Shhh! You know where saying things like that leads…
July 4th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
No thanks I’ll just stay as I am an Atheist
July 4th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
That judgment was beyond belief, Daz. I hope no one ever has the temerity to tell that judge to drop dead!
Angie: Sikh and ye shall find.
July 4th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
so- when is one of the Muslims going to try out being a rational skeptic for a month?
July 4th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Shia for a shag? (They’re the “temporary marriage” branch, aren’t they?)
July 4th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
A month is way too long
July 4th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Psychodiva
I’d settle for one of ‘em trying rational anything for a month.
barriejohn
Indeed. Craziest statement by a judge since ‘women can avoid rape by keeping their legs closed’.
July 5th, 2011 at 3:38 am
The only word starting with the letter “C” that refers to a duration of time is: Century, that I can think of anyway to go with “christian for a…”. That’s a long time to submit to a despotic deity and lap up the hate and bigotry. Perhaps muzzie for a moment, Sikh for a second, Hindi for an hour sound a whole lot more attractive than “christian for a (bloody) century”. The concept needs work.
July 5th, 2011 at 7:24 am
@barriejohn, 08:12
Thank you for the link. Why do they call it an Arab festival – is this because calling it a muslim festival would create uneasiness?
Are there still any Arab Christians still alive – anywhere?
July 5th, 2011 at 11:02 am
Induction / Welcome Speech for the Muslim for a Month program
Thanks for all of you who have signed up for this experience and may I say welcome, Welcome to hell… and for those of you who think that is the opening line for a “motivational†closing line such as “hey, but it will be worth it…†you’re wrong. The fact is, there is no upside to islam, get used to it.
First of all I’d like to say that by coming here and getting involved you have all demonstrated a sufficient level of stupidity and lack of free will to qualify for unconditional entry into the Ummah. In fact by coming along voluntarily you have saved us time, effort, money and wear and tear on the camels that we would have expended in coming to get you anyway, and as such you get a free balloon with your new name on it.
Now let’s get the admin out of the way. Please leave your mobile phones, any morals, library cards and car keys (ladies you won’t be needing these anymore) on the desk over there.
Before we move on with the complete indoctrination and brainwashing if there are any of you here who think this isn’t what you thought you signed up for then you are free to leave through the side door over there where you will find a large hairy man with a big knife who will cut your head off. Thanks
July 6th, 2011 at 9:31 am
You can be an atheist muslim, then an atheist sikh, and so on. Thatt might be fun. But I don’t see Cthulhu on the list, or the spaghetti monster…
July 11th, 2011 at 8:56 am
“Christian for Ramadan” and “Muslim for Lent” both make a certain amount of sense – fast dodging.
Sorry about the lateness, I’ve been on holiday in Portugal. Fortunately for me, it was only sunny for a week.