Around 200 people visit Seoul Central Masjid a week inquiring about Islam. Most of these people come during the weekend on Saturday and Sunday, all eager to learn what Islam is truly about. Upon walking into the Mosque myself, I found two South Korean teenagers talking passionately with a Turkish Imam in the head office. The two young men were dressed like most teenagers these days: faded jeans, latest tee-shirt designs and one with spiky hair. “I am looking for a religion to follow,” said the young South Korean. “I had already been to a church and a temple, now I am here.” But with the delight I felt on learning that so many people are walking into the Mosque to learn about Islam, the realization of such an important Islamic foundation in Korea being in an acute need for material support also dawned on me. From receiving visiting Imams, bilingual Islamic teachers, publications on Islam and financial aid, the mosque was in need of all these. “We are mostly funded by the local Muslim community and Korea Muslim Federation” said A. Rahman Lee, Ju-Hwa, Imam of the Mosque. “We do get financial aid, especially form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however they are mostly seasonal, such as in Ramadan while we really are in need of continuous aid.” “As you see, more and more people are becoming interested in Islam and are coming to the Mosque for guidance and we are understaffed to handle such large numbers,” explained Imam Abdul Rahman. The Mosque, the first place of prayer for Muslims in South Korea that was built in 1967, is in desperate need for more Islamic scholars to visit and give lectures all the year round. “We are in dire need of bilingual scholars from Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt to address the Korean Muslim community,” explained the Imam. During his visit to South Korea, Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz had donated a generous amount to build a primary school for Muslim children on the premises of the Mosque. Islam was first introduced in South Korea in 1955 through Abdul-Guar Kara lsmailoglu, the Imam of the Turkish contingent which participated in the Korean War. Since then more than 100 thousand foreign Muslims live in Korea. Around 50 percent of Koreans say that they practice no religion, but according to the government statistics, no less than 255 religious associations are registered in Korea. __
