This year in Holland the Week of the Holy Birth is to be celebrated with the cooperation of a wide range of people; the aim is that people in Europe will become better acquainted with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The mosques, societies and waqfs (religious foundations) in Holland are coming together to carry out preparations for the Week of the Holy Birth. Cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Tilburg, Eindhoven, Deventer and many others will be commemorating Prophet Muhammad with a variety of seminars and conferences throughout the month.

HOLY BIRTH CELEBRATIONS ARE BEING PREPARED IN THE AJAX STADIUM

Five mosques connected with the Foundation of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) of Turkey in Holland (Fatih Mosque, Haci Bayram Mosque, Eyup Sultan Mosque, Kuba Mosque and Emir Sultan Mosque) are working together to hold a multifaceted celebration. For the first time Prophet Muhammad will be commemorated in a football stadium; the celebrations are being held in the Ajax Amsterdam Arena Stadium, which has a capacity of 52,000. The heads of societies and the imams of the mosques came together at the Eyup Sultan Mosque in Amsterdam and confirmed the program.

Yasin Bozaci, one of the program organizers, the director of the Amsterdam Osdorp Haci Bayram Mosque, said that their intention was to describe Prophet Muhammad better to the Turks and other ethnic groups in Holland. Bozaci said "With this aim we invited Dr. Mehmet Emin Ay. With his participation we will hold a celebration that is worthy of the Prophet in the Amsterdam Arena Stadium for the first time. There will be no admission fee."

The event will be also be open to the participation of Non-Muslims around Europe.

For more information, please see zaman.com.tr