South Korea: Why locals are resisting building of a mosque in Daegu

The locals and the immigrant Muslims are at loggerheads within the Daehyeong-dong (neighbourhood) in Daegu metropolis of South Korea. At the guts of the controversy lies a mosque, whose building started in December 2020.

South Korea, recognized for dramas and popular culture, is more and more confronted with the problem of a demographic shift. ‘Immigrants’ now represent 3.3% of the entire inhabitants, as per 2020 information and their numbers are anticipated to develop exponentially.

The mosque building in Daehyeong-dong is the newest addition to the fears of the native South Koreans, with many vowing to abandon the neighbourhood as soon as the Islamic construction reaches competitors.

Muslim college students carry out Namaz in one of many homes, picture through Woohae Cho/ The New York Times

Muslim college students, learning on the close by Kyungpook National University, have been utilizing a home in Daehyeong-dong for providing Namaz since 2014.

Things started to vary in 2020 when a bunch of 6 Muslims (from Pakistan and Bangladesh) bought a plot in the identical neighbourhood. In December of that yr, they secured permission from native authorities to assemble a 20-meter-long mosque.

The immigrants argued that the earlier home, which was used for prayer, might ‘only’ accommodate 150 worshippers at one time and lacked a cooling system and ground heating.

Complaints by the native Korean group

The Korean neighbours, who put up with the loud noise and overcrowding within the alley brought about attributable to Namaz for years, opposed the development of the mosque tooth and nail.

They expressed concern {that a} full-fledged mosque would drive extra Muslims to the tiny neighbourhood for prayers, thereby exacerbating the menace of congestion.

A 62-year-old Jang advised The Korean Herald, “We used to live in harmony with the Muslim community in the neighbourhood over the past years, sharing food and gifts during holiday seasons. We didn’t make complaints about their gatherings.”

Protest by Koreans towards mosque building in January 2022, picture through Woohae Cho/ The New York Times

“Imagine large crowds of people pass by your house’s front door several times a day. The sound of people chatting, walking and riding bikes and motorcycles will drive you crazy,” he knowledgeable. Jang mentioned that he would vacate the neighbourhood on competitors of the mosque.

Another lady, who lives in the identical neighbourhood, blamed the Muslim group for overcrowding the slender residential space. She mentioned, “I’ve seen so many of them just park their bikes and motorcycles in the alley. They come and go in groups. It’s obvious that this small neighbourhood will be more congested.”

A 67-year-old Kim Keong-suk advised The New York Times in March, “We are not against their religion. We just can’t have a new religious facility in our crowded neighbourhood, whether it’s Islamic, Buddhist or Christian.” This has elevated fears of a mass exodus of the native Korean group from Daehyeong-dong.

“I had never seen people like them before, and I saw no women, only men, swarming in there,” remarked a 60-year-old resident named Park Jeong-suk. Another resident, Namgung Myeon (59), prompt that the inflow of immigrants can undermine the values, nationwide basis and character of South Korea.

Mosque building will get a inexperienced sign, Koreans use their ‘last resort’

After granting permission for the mosque building in December 2020, the district administration was bombarded with complaints from the Koreans. Under strain from all sides, the officers revoked their approval in February 2021.

The building work took successful for a while. The happiness of the native Korean group was short-lived because the Muslim ‘landlords’ received the case in court docket in December 2021. To add salt to the wound, the highest court docket upheld the choice of the decrease court docket in September this yr.

Appeals made to district officers to ‘relocate’ the mosque have additionally did not deliver beneficial outcomes. Forced by circumstances, Koreans have been attempting to bodily impede the development of the mosque in Daehyeong-dong.

Controversial poster surfaces within the neighbourhood, picture through Muaz Razaq/ The Korean Herald

The ways ranged from parking automobiles on the entrance of the mosque website, placing up severed heads of pigs (thought of haram in Islam) within the alley, cooking pork within the open to taking part in loud music on the time of Namaz.

Several banners have additionally propped up within the neighbourhood. “Islam is an evil religion that kills people,” learn one poster. Another poster learn, “We strongly oppose the construction of an Islamic mosque.” Others included ‘Korean People Come First’, ‘a den of terrorists’ and so forth.

Despite the opposition from the locals, the development of the mosque has reached 60% completion. It is predicted to be operational by the top of 2022.

A mirrored image of South Korean tradition: Anti-immigration chief

Lee Hyung-oh, the chief of the anti-immigration community ‘Refugee out’ has spoken in regards to the matter to The New York Times. “Their rules on the hijab alone are enough reason that they should never set foot in our country,” he mentioned.

Lee continued, “We may look exclusionist, but it has made us what we are, consolidating us as a nation to survive war, colonial rule and financial crises and achieve economic development while speaking the same language, thinking the same thoughts.”

“I don’t think we could have done this with diversity. We are not xenophobic. We just don’t want to mix with others,” he concluded. South Korea had its personal tryst with Islamism.

In 2007, the novel Islamist outfit Taliban took 23 South Korean help employees hostage and killed a Christian pastor.