REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Trips to European countries can be done while observing Islamic practices. It can also introduce travellers to the close relationship between the Islamic world and Europe in the Middle Ages, according to the travel trade.
"A trip to Paris, for instance, can reveal the historical fact that Leonardo da Vinci, was once requested by one of the Ottoman Sultans to design a bridge on the Bosporus Strait linking Asia and Europe," the Country Manager of Indonesia's Kuoni Global Travel Services, Arief Hidayat, said.
This showed the close relationship between the Islamic world and Europe at the time. "It also gives us an insight into people-to-people relations, and strengthens tolerance among different faiths," explained Arief.
Some accounts mentioned that Da Vinci designed the bridge in 1502. If only Sultan Bajazet II had accepted Da Vinci's design, the bridge would have been built across the Golden Horn bay in Istanbul -- it would have been the longest at that time, at 346 metres.
Arief said on tours managed by Kuoni Global Travel to Western and Eastern Europe, Muslim travellers could observe Islamic values. For example, Kuoni Global Travel always ensured that every restaurant visited by the tourists served halal foods certified by local authorities. And, the travel schedules were tailored to the prayer time so that Muslims could still worship in mosques even while they were in Muslim-minority countries.
"We have Muslim ambassadors to conduct a preliminary survey to ensure every restaurant provides halal-certified food, and find the location of mosques that are convenient for tourists, so that they will not be late to perform the worship," said Arief.
He added that Kuoni also provided tourists access to Muslim communities in European countries so that they could see Muslims' harmonious life amidst people of different faiths.
Muslim friendly
Tourism industry players, including hotels and restaurants, in European countries are providing special services tailored to Islamic rules. They provided halal food and mosques or comfortable prayer rooms for Muslim travellers.
"Tourism businesses in Europe are increasingly aware of the needs of Muslim tourists, such as halal-certified food from authorized institutions and mosques or comfortable prayer rooms," Muslim Product Ambassador of the world tourism company Kuoni Global Travel Services Maulana Gunawan Surbakti stated.
Surbakti pointed out that the number of Muslim tourists visiting Europe is increasing. In addition, the number of Muslims in European countries is also growing rapidly. Currently, the Great Britain is a country in Europe, with the highest growth in the number of Muslims.
Surbakti noted that as a result of the two conditions, Muslim tour service providers found it easier to provide halal food and mosques or comfortable prayer places.
Halal food is one that adheres to the Islamic law, as defined in the Quran. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe in the name of Allah. Moreover, halal food, including beverages, must be free from alcohol and other harmful substances.
Surbakti stated that before taking Muslim travelers to European countries, Kuoni Muslim Ambassador had conducted a survey of the restaurants and cafes providing halal food.
"We do not just want to receive verbal recognition from the restaurant owners or chefs that the food they sell is halal, but they must present a halal certificate from the authorities," Surbakti explained.
In addition, they are on the lookout for mosques located along the route trip, so that Muslim tourists will not be late in performing prayers.
"We set the travel time in line with the prayer schedule for three times, such as dawn prayers, zuhur, and ashar for one time in the noon and magrib and isya for one time in the night. Thus, we will not miss offering prayers five times a day," Surbakti noted, adding that tours managed by Kuoni are led by Muslim tour guides, who understand the Islamic rules of worship and travel.
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