Mosque in Itaewon
Posted : 2019-12-10 17:04
Updated : 2019-12-10 17:04
By Lee In-young
On Nov. 25, I visited the Seoul Central Masjid (Mosque) (SCM) in Itaewon. I was on an annual fieldtrip from Hanyang University for those taking the Civil Society course with Professor Joseph Yi.
The place is a short, 15-minute walk from the Itaewon subway station (exit 3). Going up the hill are stores and restaurants selling halal foods originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other predominantly Muslim countries. Other stores sold clothes, phone cards, and other daily necessities for migrant workers and tourists.
The mosque looked somewhat like a Catholic cathedral, with circular architectures on top (minarets). Engraved Arabic calligraphy greeted us at the entrance, meaning "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction."
The Korea Muslim Federation (http://www.koreaislam.org), which operates mosques in Seoul and seven other cities, offers group lectures in Korean, English and Arabic, by online appointment. Our speaker was Jang Huseyin, deputy director of its Dawah Committee.
Jang lectured about Islam and Korean Muslims. To my surprise, more than 100,000 Muslims, mostly migrants but also some native-born, live in Korea. Korea was a popular destination for labor migrants and tourists from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries. I also learned that Islam had a long history in Korea, as Persian and Arab navigators and traders visited the united Silla Kingdom during the 9th century.
Jang explained that, like Korean Confucianism, Islam values filial piety to parents. Many Muslim women wear the hajib (head scarf) or the burqa (full body clothing) to protect their privacy and modesty in public, but Korean women wore similar clothing during the Joseon Kingdom.
According to Jang, Islam shares the same prophets and teachers as Christianity and Judaism, including Abraham and Isaac. Muslims do not eat pork because teachings in books like the Koran say not to eat pork; in fact, the Christian Bible mentions more strictures against pork than does the Koran. Muslims pray during their spare time, not in the middle of driving or other urgent tasks. Christians generally worship on Sunday, but Muslims do so on Friday. An adjacent bathroom allows Muslims to clean their feet before entering the prayer hall. Jang also showed us a traditional, Middle Eastern, wooden bristle for brushing one's teeth.
Jang introduced his life story, as well. An immigrant from Turkey, Jang received a PhD from a Korean university, and married and raised a family with a Korean Muslim woman. It was no problem for his children to enter the school system. Maybe ten or twenty years ago, multicultural families were a novel phenomenon, but now they are commonplace.
Jang asked for questions from the audience. I asked what the terrorist group ISIS had to do with Islam. The instructor said the religion of Islam has nothing to do with ISIS. "There are people who believe in Islam among ISIS, and what they do has nothing to do with the content of Islam." After the lecture, Jang allowed us to visit and even enter the men's prayer hall. It was quiet on Sunday, with only a few men resting inside.
I have lived in Korea all my life, but I had never visited any masjid or talked with Muslims until that day. I only knew about Muslims from the television or movies. I learned a lot by visiting the masjid and talking with its staff. I also learned that Korea is becoming a global, multicultural country, with people of all races and religions. I look forward to visiting the Seoul Masjid next year, and trying some of the halal food.
Lee In-young is a doctoral student in Korean literature at Hanyang University.
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The place is a short, 15-minute walk from the Itaewon subway station (exit 3). Going up the hill are stores and restaurants selling halal foods originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other predominantly Muslim countries. Other stores sold clothes, phone cards, and other daily necessities for migrant workers and tourists.
The mosque looked somewhat like a Catholic cathedral, with circular architectures on top (minarets). Engraved Arabic calligraphy greeted us at the entrance, meaning "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction."
The Korea Muslim Federation (http://www.koreaislam.org), which operates mosques in Seoul and seven other cities, offers group lectures in Korean, English and Arabic, by online appointment. Our speaker was Jang Huseyin, deputy director of its Dawah Committee.
Jang lectured about Islam and Korean Muslims. To my surprise, more than 100,000 Muslims, mostly migrants but also some native-born, live in Korea. Korea was a popular destination for labor migrants and tourists from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries. I also learned that Islam had a long history in Korea, as Persian and Arab navigators and traders visited the united Silla Kingdom during the 9th century.
Jang explained that, like Korean Confucianism, Islam values filial piety to parents. Many Muslim women wear the hajib (head scarf) or the burqa (full body clothing) to protect their privacy and modesty in public, but Korean women wore similar clothing during the Joseon Kingdom.
According to Jang, Islam shares the same prophets and teachers as Christianity and Judaism, including Abraham and Isaac. Muslims do not eat pork because teachings in books like the Koran say not to eat pork; in fact, the Christian Bible mentions more strictures against pork than does the Koran. Muslims pray during their spare time, not in the middle of driving or other urgent tasks. Christians generally worship on Sunday, but Muslims do so on Friday. An adjacent bathroom allows Muslims to clean their feet before entering the prayer hall. Jang also showed us a traditional, Middle Eastern, wooden bristle for brushing one's teeth.
Jang introduced his life story, as well. An immigrant from Turkey, Jang received a PhD from a Korean university, and married and raised a family with a Korean Muslim woman. It was no problem for his children to enter the school system. Maybe ten or twenty years ago, multicultural families were a novel phenomenon, but now they are commonplace.
Jang asked for questions from the audience. I asked what the terrorist group ISIS had to do with Islam. The instructor said the religion of Islam has nothing to do with ISIS. "There are people who believe in Islam among ISIS, and what they do has nothing to do with the content of Islam." After the lecture, Jang allowed us to visit and even enter the men's prayer hall. It was quiet on Sunday, with only a few men resting inside.
I have lived in Korea all my life, but I had never visited any masjid or talked with Muslims until that day. I only knew about Muslims from the television or movies. I learned a lot by visiting the masjid and talking with its staff. I also learned that Korea is becoming a global, multicultural country, with people of all races and religions. I look forward to visiting the Seoul Masjid next year, and trying some of the halal food.
Lee In-young is a doctoral student in Korean literature at Hanyang University.
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