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A 12-year-old autistic, non-speaking boy from Britain whose homemade cake sale became a nationwide symbol of solidarity against anti-Muslim hatred is bringing his message to Türkiye, where he plans to tour some of Istanbul's most famous mosques.
Joshua and his father, Dan Harris, began distributing cakes at mosques last year following an anti-Muslim hate incident carried out by a far-right individual at a mosque in the city of Peterborough.
They shared their excitement with reporters at London's Gatwick Airport ahead of their Istanbul program starting Friday.
Stating that they left the U.K. for a 10-day tour in Türkiye, Dan Harris said, "Türkiye constantly shows its love for Joshie Man. We have an equal number of followers in Türkiye and the UK. I don't know the reason for this, but Turkish people have become one of the iconic communities for our 'Don't hate, bake' campaign against anti-Islam hate in the UK. Joshie Man is also very excited about this."
Emphasizing that Istanbul is home to some of the world's most beautiful mosques, Harris explained that between July 17 and 27, they will visit and distribute cakes at places of worship including the Sultanahmet Mosque, Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque, and Camlica Mosque.
Harris stated that the Istanbul Muftiate supports their mosque visits and campaign, underlining that numerous Turkish volunteers are involved in various aspects of the initiative.
Noting that around 100 Turkish volunteers organized the mosque visits, accommodation, restaurants, and transportation, Harris said, "This situation reflects the love being shown to us."
Explaining that they will stay in a home provided by a Turkish citizen during their time in Istanbul, travel via a vehicle provided by another volunteer for airport transfers and mosque visits, Harris added that another volunteer visited the muftiate to coordinate the schedule for the mosque visits.
Joshie Man, who supports Muslims by distributing cakes against hate, will visit Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia Friday; Suleymaniye and Sehzade Mosques on Saturday; Fatih Mosque on Sunday; Camlica and Uskudar Mihrimah Sultan Mosques on July 20; Taksim Mosque on July 21; and Ortakoy Mosque and Aziz Mahmud Hudayi Mosque on July 24.
In October 2025, a far-right individual named Alexander Hooper entered a mosque in Peterborough, UK, and attacked the congregation and police. Following the incident, Dan Harris and his 12-year-old autistic son Joshua, who live near the mosque, baked and distributed cakes to show their support.
After launching this initiative, Joshie Man and his father received numerous threatening messages, which prompted them to decide to visit even more mosques.
The father-son duo's anti-Islamophobia campaign, "Don't hate, bake," has been carried out across various countries, and they have visited over 100 mosques in the U.K. alone.
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