Muslim for a Month, run by Bowler's NGO World Weavers, is part of a new breed of cultural immersion tourism being dubbed "pray-cations."

It promises travelers a rich, meaningful experience, by exposing them to religious beliefs and practices "in a country where spirituality is still very much alive," he said.

Bowler, a Thailand-based Australian, has run half a dozen of the tours in recent years, during which participants are taught the basics of Islamic practice, study Islamic history and calligraphy, pray in mosques and live and eat with Muslim families. The itinerary also includes a day of fasting.

During the 10-day or 21-day tours (the "month" in the tour name is slightly misleading, organizers admit), tour members stay in a 400-year-old Sufi lodge in Istanbul's Eyup district, visit the ancient city of Konya to visit the tomb of Sufi mystic Rumi, and admire the ecstatic services of the whirling dervishes who follow his teachings.

Tina Reisman-Boukes, a 56-year-old Dutch social worker and convert to Judaism, took part in one of the tours on the recommendation of her son. He had been on one himself, and given her a book on Rumi, as he believed it would resonate with her.

She said the course gave her a deeper understanding, both of Islam, "as a systematic way to get closer to God," and of herself. The rituals of Islam, she said, helped her in her quest to resolve the "inner conflict between individuality and community."

It also emphasized the connections between all people -- whatever their faith.

"Rumi loved people, not because of what they did or showed, but because he saw the little flame in their heart that waits to be illuminated," she said.

"I was born in Holland, baptized Christian and converted to Judaism ... If I had been born in Turkey, I might have been Muslim. If I had been born in Thailand, I might have been Buddhist. Does it matter?"

Reisman-Boukes's experience reflected the aims of the course, which were twofold, said Bowler: to correct the current "low PR of Islam itself, and religion in general."

Bowler also wishes for the tours to encourage participants in "the search for spirituality" in an increasingly secular world.

"I'm from Australia, my wife is Dutch, so we're both from very secular backgrounds, and it feels like we might be missing out on something," he said.

"It's (a) living, breathing religious experience just being on the tour. We hope they go away not just with a broader understanding of Islam, but with a broader personal spiritual perspective as well."