The Shias of South Korea? Who are you ? We would be so happy if you could come forward and share
Although I did mention South Korea in this title and that is a particular inner yearning of my own for several reasons which we can get into a little later, for now I would like to send this post out there and hope that anyone who knows anything about the Shia or in general the Muslim community in South Korea can share anything they know. But as I mentioned it also goes out to any new or growing Islamic or Shia communities. (one that comes to mind is San Cristobal, Mexico)
I spent sometime thinking of the South Koreans: about some ancient practices they have in their culture such as their calligraphy, their upper chakra akhlaqs or manners and their habituation to do what's ethical just because it's the right thing to do.
Let's think of it for a second. South Korea is a country that during the 1960's was in poverty and today (40 odd years later) they are one of the leading countries in technology, education and IQ (which may or may not mean a complete intelligence but we can leave the details for later because I have personally come to the conclusion that due to their high ethics and emotional quotience they qualify as intelligence at least in a wholistic secular philosophical view point.
I recently spoke to an Iranian friend over here (a young brother who is presently working on his army service and being an Engineering student working on English and German in his spare time) in Iran and asked what he knew (if anything about the South Koreans). He thought about it for a few minutes and mentioned that we did actually have a group of female (shia convert) South Korean sisters at that time studying at one of the short term programs at Mustafa International University here in Qom. This is the second time I personally came across the mention of Korean Shia converts in Iran. The previous was a single South Korean sister who had traveled some months around Iran. She spoke English so required an interpreter which no...was not I but I got her in touch with a good friend of mine.
Turns out that this sister loved Iran and wanted to spend more time at the University and in the country learning about the culture and the language She said she wanted to come back because she had to leave in that same week but had spend 5-6 months in Iran already.
He next mentioned to me what one of his professors (a professor of Engineering at Tehran University had said to him). He had spent some time (it was not related how long, I think my friend did not ask) in South Korea at the University teaching. In that time he had experienced the conversion of 150 young Koreans to the Shia faith. These were, we were made to understand, at the hands of this single Professor.
So I went searching a bit on Google and found very little. What I did find was this article of the South Korean soldiers who came into the folds of Islam when they were dispatched to Iraq. That story is on U-tube for those of you who like to U-tube-it.
I did not know any of these stories when I initially found a deep connection with the beautiful manners of these people and now yearn to know them deeper. You see right now is the time that they are economically sound but as we see from the self image of the young girls as well as the suicide rate having doubled, the South Koreans are in the positiion to listen and they have the high intellects to comprehend this beautiful deen.
So I personally have a desire to visit and perhaps spend some extended time amongst them to see if we can not satisfy some of their inner yearnings with Islam.
Those of you who are already in South Korea, or have converted to Islam from South Korea, you are the bridges for us. Please keep up up to date on Islam in South Korea.
If you are a born Muslim, please help them to get any of their questions answered and also guide them if they need help.
Please inform us of our Korean sisters and brothers and allow them to introduce themselves to us.
Well, I'll no doubt think of more about this topic later as it comes or as I find more information but for now we are open and waiting for your leads.
Have a wonderful evening. And pray for those looking for the way to the light.
Wasalam
I spent sometime thinking of the South Koreans: about some ancient practices they have in their culture such as their calligraphy, their upper chakra akhlaqs or manners and their habituation to do what's ethical just because it's the right thing to do.
Let's think of it for a second. South Korea is a country that during the 1960's was in poverty and today (40 odd years later) they are one of the leading countries in technology, education and IQ (which may or may not mean a complete intelligence but we can leave the details for later because I have personally come to the conclusion that due to their high ethics and emotional quotience they qualify as intelligence at least in a wholistic secular philosophical view point.
I recently spoke to an Iranian friend over here (a young brother who is presently working on his army service and being an Engineering student working on English and German in his spare time) in Iran and asked what he knew (if anything about the South Koreans). He thought about it for a few minutes and mentioned that we did actually have a group of female (shia convert) South Korean sisters at that time studying at one of the short term programs at Mustafa International University here in Qom. This is the second time I personally came across the mention of Korean Shia converts in Iran. The previous was a single South Korean sister who had traveled some months around Iran. She spoke English so required an interpreter which no...was not I but I got her in touch with a good friend of mine.
Turns out that this sister loved Iran and wanted to spend more time at the University and in the country learning about the culture and the language She said she wanted to come back because she had to leave in that same week but had spend 5-6 months in Iran already.
He next mentioned to me what one of his professors (a professor of Engineering at Tehran University had said to him). He had spent some time (it was not related how long, I think my friend did not ask) in South Korea at the University teaching. In that time he had experienced the conversion of 150 young Koreans to the Shia faith. These were, we were made to understand, at the hands of this single Professor.
So I went searching a bit on Google and found very little. What I did find was this article of the South Korean soldiers who came into the folds of Islam when they were dispatched to Iraq. That story is on U-tube for those of you who like to U-tube-it.
I did not know any of these stories when I initially found a deep connection with the beautiful manners of these people and now yearn to know them deeper. You see right now is the time that they are economically sound but as we see from the self image of the young girls as well as the suicide rate having doubled, the South Koreans are in the positiion to listen and they have the high intellects to comprehend this beautiful deen.
So I personally have a desire to visit and perhaps spend some extended time amongst them to see if we can not satisfy some of their inner yearnings with Islam.
Those of you who are already in South Korea, or have converted to Islam from South Korea, you are the bridges for us. Please keep up up to date on Islam in South Korea.
If you are a born Muslim, please help them to get any of their questions answered and also guide them if they need help.
Please inform us of our Korean sisters and brothers and allow them to introduce themselves to us.
Well, I'll no doubt think of more about this topic later as it comes or as I find more information but for now we are open and waiting for your leads.
Have a wonderful evening. And pray for those looking for the way to the light.
Wasalam
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