Deity tourism

2 July 2011 Last updated at 23:26 GMT By Catrin Nye BBC Asian Network People usually think of religion in terms of a lifetime of commitment, but could you learn anything from trying one out for a month?

The call to prayer sounds from Eyup Mosque in Istanbul and local Muslims gather on the marble square outside for prayer. Men on one side, women the other, they crowd on mats for the Friday ritual.

Among them this week though are a few faces looking less than confident about what comes next.

Barbra Taylor, from Hawaii, and Terry Goldsmith, from Bury, Greater Manchester, are two of them. They're not Muslim, but guests for nine days.

This is part of "Muslim for a Month" - a programme from social enterprise group The Blood Foundation where participants get to "test-drive" a religion.

"Coming away to do this process, some of my friends have questioned it and said 'are you crazy? Aren't you going to the enemy camp?'," Taylor says.

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I was bemused that something that we take as sacred as religion could become like a shopping mall”

End Quote H Masud Taj Participant "They feel anyone who's even remotely affiliated with the Muslim faith is a terrorist. I just felt this programme is interesting to me, I had an interest in Turkey and also I felt there was a misunderstanding about perhaps the second largest religion in the world."

For Goldsmith it was his changing surroundings at home that inspired the trip.

"One of the things is that there are a large number of Muslim people in the area I live in," he explains.

"I don't really know much about the people and I'd like to learn something of the religion and the culture."

Participants pray, fast, have lectures from Muslim scholars and spend time with local Turkish families. Most are here for their first taste of Islam, but some for a deeper understanding of the Sufi culture of Turkey.

H Masud Taj is an architect from Canada, brought up Muslim in India. There were a number of questions about why he needed to become "Muslim for a Month".

"My first response was that I was bemused, frankly," he says. "I was bemused that something that we take as sacred as religion could become like a shopping mall - try this out for a month.

"It really seemed a very post-modern phenomenon, but, once here it really envelops you with its own world view so I think it's fascinating."

Barbra Taylor encountered concern from some friends

Like many of the participants Taj felt that Turkey was the place to hold this course. It may not have worked in other Muslim countries.

There were tougher moments for participants; some women found being separated from the males in the group somewhat jarring. The organisers say this is all part of the experience.

"I mean these are very hot points that often if they're not dealt with can be blown out of all proportion," says Ben Bowler, of the Blood Foundation.

"The difference is sticking with that and working through that and certainly there is an element of how woman are treated in a religious sense in Islam, which is different from what we would expect in our culture, but this is the point of a cultural exchange if it was exactly the same it wouldn't be interesting."

Taylor says she's taking home a different outlook, although she won't be pushing it with her friends back in America. The subject's still too sensitive she says.

"I've really learnt a lot this trip. We've been fully immersed - praying in a Mosque, the ladies coming to show us what to do, really it's been a real eye opener for me in a positive way."

But the organisers say it's been a tough ride. The title "Muslim for a Month" has 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 going to start running as an alternative and plans for "Sikh for a week" are underway.

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Taiwan marks China tourism first

28 June 2011 Last updated at 11:23 GMT By Cindy Sui BBC News, Taipei Tourists were offered traditional Taiwanese gifts as they arrived Some 300 independent tourists have arrived in Taiwan from China - the first time in decades mainland tourists have been allowed to roam on their own.

Tightly controlled tour groups have been permitted in recent years, but mainlanders are now allowed to visit independently.

Taiwanese officials say they expect a major boost in revenue from tourism.

The move is another sign of warming relations since the election of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008.

In many countries, it is normal for tourists to be able to travel around on their own. But decades of tensions between Taiwan and mainland China have only recently subsided.

China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force if the island ever moved to declare formal independence.

Spying worries

The tourists were showered with media attention and handed gifts including Taiwanese pineapple cakes and bubble milk tea when they arrived.

Previously, the island had feared the tourists would overstay their visas, work illegally or spy on Taiwan. But such fears have given way to hopes of an economic boon from independent Chinese tourists.

Officials estimate the island could earn $300-600m (?188-375m) a year from the independent travellers.

But Beijing and Taipei are not embarking on this major move without caution. For now, only 500 such travellers are allowed to enter Taiwan each day and only those from the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.

Although Taiwan is concerned Chinese spies will now have easier access, the restrictions seem to be coming mostly from the Chinese side.

The tourists must first get permission from China's police before they can visit Taiwan.

That is because unlike the 4,000 Chinese tourists who come here on group tours each day, independent Chinese travellers can do practically anything they want once they get here - including linking up with Taiwan-based Chinese dissidents, Tibetan activists and members of the Falungong spiritual group, which is banned in China.

But many of the tourists who arrived on Tuesday said they simply wanted to see the island at their own pace, while others wanted to visit relatives.

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