87page

87 O v e r c o m i n g o b s t a c l e s The intermixing of cultures that share the Islamic bond in Seoul remains a hurdle to the growth of the Muslim community as a whole. Individuals from all over the Islamic world — Pakistan, Bangladesh, Central Asia, Egypt and North and Sub-Saharan Africa — now call Korea home. The largest contingent, roughly 40,000 of the 100,000 who have immigrated here, is from In- donesia, according to Lee, the imam at the Seoul mosque. Most are laborers, but there are also students, especially from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, teachers and businesspeople. Lee, the Hanyang professor, says Muslim immigrants often hail from more ethnically homogeneous societ- ies. But he thinks it’s an obstacle that can be overcome, given the multicul- tural tendencies of the younger gen- eration. The students who are here now are uniting the different sects and ethnic groups among the immigrant Muslim population. Medilah, the Hanyang University student, and her friend Fadilhah, also a Malaysian student, said that before immigrating, they had both assumed they’d be less religious while living in a place with so little Islamic culture. But their expectations of life in Korea paled to reality. “The surroundings and people — getting to know friends from other countries that are also Muslim — has made me a stron- ger Muslim, actually gotten me more interested in the religion,” Madihah said. Islamic immigrants can thrive in Korea because it’s a country where everything changes quickly and adjustments are made for the good, said Sarah Hassan, who completed her graduate and post-graduate studies in Korea from 2002 to 2008. “Things are moving at a fast pace here in all spheres of life,” she said. Hassan said that when she first moved to Seoul in 2002, even the more quotidian things that were incredib ly difficult, like finding yogurt and cheese, are commonplace now. Hassan, originally from Pakistan, also said that one of the more important aspects of Korean life for her is that it is “very, very safe” for women. According to the OECD Better Life In- dex, there are only marginal differences between the violence reported against men and women in Korea (1.9 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively), with the number of people reporting assault in the past year (2.1 percent of population) still below the OECD average (3.9 percent). “It is safer than any Muslim country,” she said. “I’ve lived here without any of the fear that I would otherwise have to deal with back home.” Medilah, the Hanyang University student, said the main out- ward aggravation she and her friends routinely experience is directed at their headscarves, or hijabs, a garment entirely un- familiar to Koreans. “We get a lot of people staring and asking why we wear it,” she said, laughing. “It’s mostly just ajummas asking us if it’s too hot, and suggesting that we take it off.” Lee, the imam at the Seoul mosque, feels it isn’t too difficult to be a Muslim in Korea — if you live near the mosque, where Islamic-owned businesses proliferate, where there are Halal butchers and the mosque is nearby, and where there’s little drinking going on. But he admits it can be difficult for Muslims outside the area, especially in interactions with non-Muslims in work situations. It can be a burden when the company goes out for dinner, around plates of grilled pork and bottles of soju. “But if somebody wants to keep his religion, he can do it. It just takes hard work.” He believes that in the future, he will see more and more Korean Muslims, though he admits he doesn’t expect a quick increase in numbers. With more immigrants, and the govern- ment’s promotion of multiculturalism, he expects to eventual- ly see a larger Islamic presence in Korea. He also expects to see more Koreans who — even if they do not become Muslims themselves — have a better understanding of Islam. ‘ I t i s s a f e r t h a n a n y M u s l i m c o u n t r y . I ’ v e l i v e d h e r e w i t h o u t a n y o f t h e f e a r t h a t I w o u l d o t h e r w i s e h a v e t o d e a l w i t h b a c k h o m e . ’ S a r a h H a s s a n , f o r m e r s t u d e n t