A 12-year-old autistic boy from the U.K., who launched a campaign distributing cakes at mosques following anti-Muslim hate incidents, has brought his "Cake Not Hate" initiative to Istanbul, where he will spend 10 days visiting mosques and offering homemade cakes to worshippers.
Joshua Harris, known as "Joshie Man," and his father, Dan Harris, visited Süleymaniye Mosque after the noon prayer to begin their campaign in the city.
Carrying a bag bearing the slogan "Cake Not Hate," the father and son handed out homemade cakes to worshippers and tourists in the mosque courtyard.
The family later visited Şehzade Mosque, where they continued distributing cakes to visitors. Some people who met Joshua also took photographs with him.
Joshua has already visited Fatih Mosque on Sunday, Büyük Çamlıca Mosque and Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Üsküdar on Monday, and Taksim Mosque on Tuesday. He is next scheduled to visit Ortaköy Mosque and Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque on July 24 as part of his 10-day program in Istanbul.
The campaign began after a far-right anti-Muslim hate incident at a mosque in Peterborough, England, last year.
In October 2025, far-right extremist Alexander Hooper entered a mosque in Peterborough and attacked members of the congregation and police officers.
Following the incident, Dan Harris and his then-12-year-old autistic son Joshua, who lived near the mosque, baked cakes and distributed them to worshippers as a gesture of solidarity.
After launching the initiative, the father and son received numerous threatening messages. In response, they decided to visit even more mosques and continue their campaign.
Their anti-Islamophobia "Cake Not Hate" campaign has since expanded to several countries, while the pair have visited more than 100 mosques across the U.K. to promote solidarity and stand against anti-Muslim hatred.
