Soldiers from Zaitoon Unit pray after conversion ceremony at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Friday.
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.
Ahead of Iraq Deployment, 37 Korean Troops Revert to Islam
“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.
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.”
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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment