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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

Non-Muslim Dutch visitors gathered at the Fatih Mosque, which is affiliated with the Turkish Diyanet Foundation, located in Amsterdam to receive information about Islam and Islamic arts.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

The Fatih Mosque in Amsterdam opened its doors to more than 1,000 non-Muslim visitors this year during the annual Night of Museums.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

Visitors to the mosque, which is affiliated with the Turkish Diyanet Foundation, received information about Islam, mosques and Islamic arts.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

"The Dutch are very curious about the religion of Islam and the internal structure of our mosque," said Kemal Gozutok of the Fatih Mosque.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

"They want to learn everything from shoe cabinet to minbar, from mihrab to tiles," he told Anadolu Agency.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

A visitor who gave his name as Charn from the US, said that although he lived very close to the mosque he came for the first time.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

"I liked the interior of the mosque very much. The voices of the imams were great," the non-Muslim visitor said in a statement.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

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."

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

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

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

The Fatih Mosque, built in 1920 and converted from a church that was closed due to a lack of worshippers, was purchased by Turkish workers who came to Amsterdam in 1980 to meet the need for places of worship.

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Amsterdam mosque opens its doors to thousands of non-Muslim visitors during Night of Museums

The Night of Museums, or the Long Night of Museum, is a cultural event across Europe in which museums and cultural institutions stay open late.