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Monday 27 Apr 2015 - 11:29 Makkah mean time-8-7-1436
(Picture from OnIslam)
South Korea, (IINA) - South Korea's efforts to better understand Islam, both as a culture and religion, have reaped fruits with thousands of Muslims integrated into the social fabric of the Asian country, OnIslam reported.
"These days, Koreans do not discriminate against me on the basis of being a Muslim, and this was not always the case," the Korea Herald reported quoting Kyung Hee University student Mohammad.
"When I came here in 2010, Koreans gave the cold shoulder to Muslims or those who headed to the Muslim prayer room. It was troubled time for people like me." But positive attitudes toward the Muslim community were propelled by dialogue and interfaith activities hosted by Korean Muslims over the past years.
"Each year, there has been a dialogue among multiple religions here. We discuss ways to coexist and cooperate with each other," explained Imam Lee Ju-hwa of the Seoul Central Mosque.
Besides dialogue, Koreans were encouraged to attend free Arabic classes along with seminars and lectures about Muslim faith traditions.
"Three years ago, two students came to study Arabic. Now, more than 100 students visit here and learn Arabic a month," Kim Sang-kyu, an executive of an Arabic Center, stated.
"As most Arabic speakers are Muslims, Korean students learning Arabic get a chance to understand the Islamic culture by communicating with Muslim teachers."
According to Imam Lee Ju-hwa, it was the 2007 kidnapping of Koreans citizens in Afghanistan that triggered curiosity among Koreans about the world's fastest growing religion.
It is noteworthy that according to the Korea Muslim Federation (KMF), established in 1967, there are about 120,000 to 135,000 Muslims living in South Korea, both natives and foreigners.
SM/IINA
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