“The Dutch are very curious about the religion of Islam and the internal structure of our Mosque,” Kemal Gözütok of the Fatih Mosque told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The Night of Museums, or the Long Night of Museum, is a cultural event across Europe since 2005. During the event, museums and cultural institutions stay open late to introduce themselves to new potential patrons.

The first event, Lange Nacht der Museen in German, took place in Berlin in 1997. In 2005, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the International Council of Museums joined to promote this event.

Visitors to the Mosque received information about Islam, mosques, and Islamic arts.

A visitor who gave his name as Charn from the US, said it is the first time for him to visit the mosque, though he lives very close to it.

“I liked the interior of the mosque very much. The voices of the imams were great,” he said.

Another visitor, Jaap Kapteyn, cited the importance of participating in the Night of Museums as a mosque and promoting Islam with art activities and works.

“This affects the perspective of the Dutch – who value art very much – about Islam.”

“It is a very good way to combat Islamophobia in the Netherlands,” he added.

Islam is the second-largest religion in the Netherlands as 4% of the population follow the faith according to 2010–11 estimates.

Most reside in the nation’s four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

Source: AboutIslam.net

The Council of Europe released the images last week for a campaign against anti-Muslim discrimination.

A slogan on one advert read: “Beauty is in diversity as freedom is in hijab”.

Several prominent French politicians condemned the message and argued the hijab did not represent freedom.

But some Muslim women who wear headscarves said the reaction showed a lack of respect for diversity and the right to choose what to wear in France.

France’s youth minister, Sarah El Haïry, said she was shocked by one poster, which showed a split image of one women wearing a hijab, and one not.

In an interview on French TV, the minister suggested the poster had encouraged women to wear headscarves. She said this message jarred with the secular values of France, which had expressed its disapproval of the campaign.

A spokesman said the tweets were part of an anti-hate speech campaign led by the inclusion and anti-discrimination department of the Council of Europe.

Source: BBC