"I became a Muslim
because I felt Islam was more humanistic and peaceful than other
religions. And if you can religiously connect with the locals, I
think it could be a big help in carrying out our peace
reconstruction mission." So said on Friday those Korean soldiers who
converted to Islam ahead of their late July deployment to the
Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq.
At noon Friday, 37 members of the Iraq-bound "Zaitun Unit,"
including Lieutenant Son Hyeon-ju of the Special Forces 11th
Brigade, made their way to a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul and held a
conversion ceremony.
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Captain Son Jin-gu from
Zaitoon Unit recites an oath at ceremony to mark his
conversion to Islam at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul on
Friday. /Yonhap |
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The
soldiers, who cleansed their entire bodies in accordance with
Islamic tradition, made their conversion during the Friday group
prayers at the mosque, with the assistance of the "imam," or prayer
leader.
With the exception of the imam, all the Muslims and the Korean
soldiers stood in a straight line to symbolize how all are equal
before God and took a profession on faith.
They had memorized the Arabic confession, " Ashadu an La ilaha il
Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah," which means, "I testify that there
is no god but God (Arabic: Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God."
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Soldiers from Zaitoon Unit
pray after conversion ceremony at a mosque in
Hannam-dong, Seoul on Friday./Yonhap |
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Moreover,
as the faithful face the "Kaaba," the Islamic holy place in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, all Muslims confirm that they are brothers.
For those Korean soldiers who entered the Islamic faith, recent
chances provided by the Zaitun Unit to come into contact with Islam
proved decisive.
Taking into consideration the fact that most of the inhabitants
of Irbil are Muslims, the unit sent its unreligious members to the
Hannam-dong mosque so that they could come to understand Islam. Some
of those who participated in the program were entranced by Islam and
decided to convert.
A unit official said the soldiers were inspired by how important
religious homogeneity was considered in the Muslim World; if you
share religion, you are treated not as a foreigner, but as a local,
and Muslims do not attack Muslim women even in war.
Zaitun Unit Corporal Paek Seong-uk (22) of the Army's 11th
Division said, "I majored in Arabic in college and upon coming
across the Quran, I had much interest in Islam, and I made up my
mind to become a Muslim during this religious experience period
[provided by the Zaitun Unit]."
He expressed his aspirations. "If we are sent to Iraq, I want to
participate in religious ceremonies with the locals so that they can
feel brotherly love and convince them that the Korean troops are not
an army of occupation but a force deployed to provide humanitarian
support."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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