In a column titled “The Muslims in South Korea Need Our Support,” in the Saudi Al-Watan daily, Saudi columnist Dr. Umayma Ahmad Al-Jalahma [1] expressed her concern over the low percentage of Muslims in that country and over Islam’s negative image there. She said that in order to counteract this, the Saudi government must step up its economic and spiritual support for the Muslim minority in South Korea.Saudis see big market for Islam in Korea
The world belongs to Allah and the soldiers of the prophet….
Muslims in South Korea/Confucius must be turning in his grave…
In a column titled “The Muslims in South Korea Need Our Support,” in the Saudi Al-Watan daily, Saudi columnist Dr. Umayma Ahmad Al-Jalahma [1] expressed her concern over the low percentage of Muslims in that country and over Islam’s negative image there. She said that in order to counteract this, the Saudi government must step up its economic and spiritual support for the Muslim minority in South Korea.
The following are excerpts from her column: [2]
The History of Islam in South Korea
“…Recently, [the London daily] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat interviewed [Dr.] Hamza Kyong, [3] lecturer in Middle East research at Shusyan University in South Korea; in the interview, he spoke of the South Korean Muslims’ great need for material and spiritual support. He said that South Korea was completely free of ‘islamophobia,’ but that this did not prevent the distortion of the image of Islam there. Therefore, [he said, South Korean Muslims] need help and support from the great Islamic institutions in the Muslim world.
“This report motivated me to investigate the beginnings of Islam in South Korea, since I already knew that Islam reached [that country] a long time ago. Korean sources have already proven that Islam reached Korea, as it reached the neighboring countries, via traders, because the Muslims’ good nature amazed the local residents and caused them to hasten to accept Islam. Korea’s relations with the Islamic world were renewed by the Turkish forces that arrived in [the country] during the Korean War, in 1955. During this time, the Koreans accepted Islam, and in 1963 the Korean Muslim Federation was founded.
“The Muslims in South Korea are spread across three areas: Seoul, the capital; Busan, and Gwangju. In 1967, the Korean Guidance Ministry [sic] recognized the Korean Muslim Federation. The number of Muslims today [in Korea] is some 20,000, out of 40 million Koreans.”
Conversion to Islam is Dropping Off
“The regrettable thing is that in the past, the number of those who accepted Islam in South Korea reached some 1,000 annually. However, this number has been decreasing since the 1980s, and [today] is [only] about 250 annually. This great difference between the two statistics sets important questions before us Muslims – questions that demand an answer, and subsequently [also] effective Arab Islamic initiatives of Islamic da’wa in South Korea.”
Saudi Arabia Has Always Supported South Korea’s Muslims
“It was important to me to fully understand [the extent] of Saudi Arabia’s support for South Korea’s [Muslims], and I quickly found encouraging [facts], since Saudi Arabia was, as usual, the first in this area.
“Several years after the Korean Guidance Ministry [sic] recognized the Korean Muslim Federation, [Saudi] King Faisal bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz gave financial help to a delegation of Muslims from Korea that arrived to meet with him as he toured Japan in 1971. In the late 1970s, two delegations, one from Saudi Arabia and one from Kuwait, visited South Korea, and proposed establishing a school for Muslim children in the country. [Saudi] King Fahd bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz donated $25,000 annually to this project, which was given to the Korean Muslim Federation.
“In 2008, the daily Korean Times reported that Korean Muslim Federation secretary Kim Huam Yun announced that the [abovementioned] school would open in March 2009. The Korean news agencies reported, citing the Korean Muslim Federation, that the school would be called the Prince Sultan bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Muslim Elementary School, and would serve as a platform for correcting mistaken perceptions of Islam.
“The fact that they chose [to name the school] after the crown prince attests to his positive role in establishing it, as noted by the Korean news agency Yonhap. In the same item, it was reported that Saudi Ambassador to South Korea ‘Abdallah Al-’Aifan donated $500,000 to the [Korean] Muslim Federation.
“It should be noted that the federation is [also] planning to establish [in Korea] high schools, a hospital, and a cemetery for Muslims, and an Islamic university which Prince Naif bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz promised to found when he visited South Korea. But these [plans] have been delayed for several reasons – primarily owing to the sale of the land designated for this aim. [However,] I believe that a solution will be found to this problem, under the direct patronage of Prince Naif.”
“There Should Be a Focus on Islamic Education via Korean Schools”
“I hope that the decision makers in Saudi Arabia, who constantly support good [works], will support Muslims in South Korea – not only with money, but also by sending preachers and clerics who can help the Muslims [there] realize a dream. As Dr. Hamza said, one of the important problems facing Muslims in Korea is education, since the state of religious education in Korea is not reassuring.
“There should be a focus on Islamic education via the Korean schools. This demands aid from the Arab and Islamic states, primarily because the other religions, such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity are very widespread in Korea, and their adherents allocate huge budgets to disseminate them. Meanwhile, the Muslims in Korea face economic problems that hamper the establishment of [Muslim] schools, mosques, and broadcasting centers.”
“[Muslims] Who Address the Other in His Own Language, and Start a Cultural Dialogue [With Him], Can Stress that Islam Respects the Uniqueness of Others”
“Regarding the importance [of establishing] broadcasting centers and satellite channels, Dr. Hamza explained that [Muslims] who address the other in his own language, and start a cultural dialogue [with him] can stress that Islam respects the uniqueness of others. Hamza added that Islam is a world religion that is merciful and tolerant… [W]hat we are seeing today in the world is only a foul wave representing mistaken perceptions of Islam. This wave is still spreading worldwide, due to the informational advantage possessed by the rivals of Islam and the Muslims.
“Finally: There is no escape from pointing out that the Protestant and Catholic churches rival each other in sending out missionary delegations to South Korea, turning this country into the regional Asian center of Catholic missionary activity.”
[1] Al-Jalahma has in the past published several articles of an antisemitic nature: In a March 2002 article in Al-Riyadh, she wrote that Jews butchered teenagers for ritual purposes on the festival of Purim (see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 354, “Saudi Government Daily: Jews Use Teenagers’ Blood for ‘Purim’ Pastries,” March 12, 2002,
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=antisemitism&ID=SP35402 ). The newspaper’s editor in chief later issued an apology for the publication of this article (see Special Dispatch No. 357, “Editor of Saudi Government Daily Al-Riyadh: Statement on ‘Purim’ Blood Libel Articles,” March 21, 2002, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP35702 ). In another article, Al-Jalahma blamed the Rothschild family for the current global economic crisis (See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2091, “Arab Columnists: The Economic Crisis – A Conspiracy by U.S. Government, American Jews,” October 22, 2008, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP209108 ).
[2] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia) September 6, 2009
[3] Our transcription of the Korean names is based on their Arabic spelling.
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{ 10 comments }
Muslim cow, you are NOT wanted in South Korea!!!!
The Sth. Koreans have a successful country – they do not need a sowdee telling them how to run their country. If the swine start trying to change the political scene in Sth. Korea the Sth. Koreans should react with maximum prejudice against these muslim parasites.
assalamualaikum
alhamdilpikul on a sesame seed bun
al Dawah ila alkhair
I pray almighty Allah to continue to guied you
Pray in Jesus’ name, arif – he being the only mediator between God and man. “allah” won’t be taking too much notice of you, he has heads to chop, limbs to sever, planes to hijack, buildings to destroy, jihadis to explode, and counting out the Virgin frequent exploder points keeps
him busy.
what mean is Mullah Lodabullah
because I don’t know
Bringing the peace and the diversity of Islam to South Korea
OnIslam – Showing the true nature of their faith, a diverse Muslim community in South Korea is struggling to overcome challenges posed by a stereotyped media.
“There is a true face of Islam, but it is not seen in the media,” Shariq Saeed, a nine-year resident of Seoul from Pakistan, told Korea Times on Friday, April 13.
“The true Islam is what we see around us here: brothers sharing in peace.”
Each Friday afternoon, Saeed is one of the worshippers who answer the call to prayer that rings out from Seoul Central Mosque.
Seoul Central Mosque is the largest mosque in Korea and was built in 1974 with support from Saudi Arabia.
The white building, flanked by twin minarets, stands out in the grayness of Seoul with the mosque façade decorated by graceful script of Arabic.
Seoul’s Muslim population illustrates the diversity of Islam.
The community formed around Seoul Central Mosque is made up of worshippers from the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Though living peacefully for years in Korea, the Muslim community complained of the stereotyping they face in the media depiction of their faith, which affects the way they are perceived in the society.
“The media shows Muslims as poor people fighting each other, but that is not the truth,” said Mohd Fakrul, an exchange student from Malaysia.
“Sometimes when I tell people I’m a Muslim they are somewhat suspicious.”
At the mosque, Fakrul said the diverse Muslim community reflects the true nature of Islam.
“But just look at us. This is peace,” he said.
Challenges
Finding a unique platform for practicing their faith in the diverse community in Seoul, many challenges were still facing Muslims.
“In Malaysia we have many mosques, but in Seoul there is only one mosque,” said Mohd Fakrul, an exchange student from Malaysia.
“If we need to pray in the middle of the day, it can be difficult to find a proper place.”
Jeon Seung-joon, a Korean Muslim who found Islam in Ireland, said that halal food imposed another challenge for the religious minority.
“Food is very difficult, because I love meat but can only eat halal products.”
Yet, other Muslims found it a great opportunity to move deeper in the faith and share it with Koreans, who are generally unfamiliar with Islam.
“Here I feel more duty to fulfill my duty as a Muslim and if I meet people I can share information about Islam with them,” said Ammar, also from Malaysia.
According to the Korea Muslim Federation (KMF), established in 1967, there are about 120,000 to 130,000 Muslims living in South Korea, both natives and foreigners.
The majority of the population is made up of migrant workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The number of native Korean Muslims is estimated at some 45,000.
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A human rights watchdog recently ruled that assigning an Indonesian Muslim to a job at a pork processing factory is an infringement of human rights.
A similar case was reported to the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of foreign migrant workers, this time involving another Indonesian Muslim worker who was assigned to a dog-breeding farm.
More grievance at Asia One
As are Saudi students in Western countries , these Malaysian ”students” will be missionaries more than students.
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