Do mosque staff in Istanbul try to convert tourists to Islam?

At Süleymaniye Mosque, a volunteer approached a tourist left alone for a few minutes (his wife had stepped away to look at Quran books) and began reciting the shahada — the phrase that formally marks conversion to Islam — without clearly explaining what it meant.

In the same incident, the volunteer offered not just the recitation but a full ritual, and tried to hand over some kind of incense or perfume — the tourist, who didn't speak the local language, had no idea what was actually happening.

The traveler who reported this noted it happened only once across all the Istanbul mosques she visited — nowhere else did staff try to push anything.

A similar story dates back to a 2007 student exchange: a Turkish host family that invited foreign exchange students for lunch later offered them a Quran to read in the living room — the guests, who were Orthodox Christians, felt uncomfortable even though there was no overt pressure.

Another experienced traveler says they've picked up free Russian-language Quran copies at mosques many times, just like other tourists do, and staff never tried to pressure anyone into converting.