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www.groovekorea.com / December 2014 80 Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com) COMMuNITy Choosing Korea, keeping the fa ith Having shouldered the misunderstandings perpetuated about Islam worldwide, Korea’s Muslim community perseveres A n afternoon prayer call sounding from the Seoul Central Mosque drowns out the ambient noise for- ever churning through the city — the blare of storefront K-pop, the low rumble of pedestrian traffic and the shouts of taxi drivers — as Seoulite Muslims climb the steep cobblestone path to gather together in worship. The cookie-cutter frame- work of modern urban Korean architecture gives way all at once to colossal columns and arches that hover impressively over Itaewon’s nightclub district. The alley leading to the mosque is a jumble of dilapidated bars known by one of two nicknames, depending on which community you see (or don’t): Hooker Hill and Homo Hill. This juxtaposition of spiritual center and alternative underground is a testament to the underlying ten- sions of a society struggling with conflicting cultural and social influences that Korea has not yet recon- ciled. Other prominent cultural communities in the area are largely based on parameters like ethnicity and language. The Muslim community of Seoul, by con- trast, is diverse in and of itself, creating a very small but dynamic subculture spanning dozens of coun- tries, evident among the array of faces, languages and accents layered beneath hijabs and prayer sets. Story by Leslie Finlay / Photos by Dustin Cole and Mirela Pencheva Additional reporting by Dave Hazzan and David Phillips Stories from the In Between offers profles of communities that are often marginalized in Korea. — Ed. STORIES fROM ThE IN bETWEEN
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