(CNN) -- To the devout, the concept of becoming "Muslim for a month" -- or any other religion, for that matter -- could verge on the sacrilegious. "It's a provocative title, 'Muslim for a Month,' so we were bracing ourselves for (criticism)," said Ben Bowler, who runs cultural exchange programs with that name. The tours take non-Muslims from around the world into Turkish mosques and homes for a first-hand experience of Islam. "There has been a little of that -- 'Being a Muslim is for life, not just a month," he added. But overwhelmingly, he said, the response from Muslims has been positive because the tours help to dispel negative stereotypes about the religion and leave participants with an enriched spiritual perspective.
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'Muslim for a Month' is a tour giving non-Muslims an inside look at Islam
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Participants live, pray and fast as Muslims in Turkish homes and mosques
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The aim is to encourage global understanding and a deeper spiritual outlook
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Some travel agents have been wary of the tours, say organizers
Meanwhile, some @placeholder have expressed discomfort with their all-encompassing faith being treated as something that can be dipped into as a touristic experience.