Incheon authorities have decided to close the Korean Center for Arab and Islamic Culture — word on the street is that this was due to complaints by Korean Protestant Christians.
From the Hani:
The city’s excuse for closing the place down is vague, with it claiming it needs to build something it is calling a “global center” in its place. An official with the Korea Middle East Association, the organization operating the cultural center, suggests the real reason is pressure from Protestants. If true, this would be a most serious issue. More than anything else, the problem is that Incheon is discarding the good will it had with Arab nations. It will have nothing to say for itself if Arab countries say they were taken advantage of for the Asian Games and then discarded, and that the move is an insult. Furthermore, the possibility of this leading to religious conflict cannot be excluded, because this could be considered something similar in context to the activities of some Korean Protestants, who have invited international criticism with combative missionary activities such as those in Afghanistan that resulted in the Korean hostage affair.
OK, so an official with the group running the center suggested the real reason was pressure from Protestants. Well, at least he didn’t blame the Jews.
The ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have already reportedly begun lodging protests.
As a local issue, the national government shouldn’t be getting involved as the Hani suggests — other than, perhaps, to tell the Saudis to fuck the fuck off and go back to executing apostates, arresting Christians, banning Bibles or however else they celebrate cultural diversity in the Land of The Two Holy Mosques. Still, shutting down a cultural center due to protests from a particular religious group — if that is what in fact happened — is silly. I mean, Jesus, what’s next? Burning down Buddhist temples?
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Korea’s obsession with the word “global” without caring a bit about what it means is becoming unbearably obnoxious. The irony of tearing down something foreign and replacing it with something “global” makes me cringe.
Too late. Incheon shook hands with the devil, and can’t un-shake ‘em.
For things like this to happen, while Korea is courting business from Dubai and other arabic countries, is not wise at all. Encouraging this sort of frenzied and misguided rhetoric — that does not embody the spirit of Christ’s teachings– will end up causing offense and harm.
”The ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have already reportedly begun lodging protests.”
If it were only the Saudis, the ‘fuck off’ would be apt. But what other Arab nations have lodged complaints? Tunesia? Oman? Morocco? Iraq? It’s a world that stretches from the the northwest African Atlantic coastline, halfway down Africa, and east to the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Does resource poor/export driven south Korea really want to send that message out?
This is outrageous ! ! !
Islam is a religion of peace, and in order to express displeasure they’ll probably saw off a few heads with rusty knives.
Better yet, a Mumbai style attack.
Perhaps a jumbo jet or two into the 63 building.
This will once and for all prove beyond a doubt that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.
By the way,…. did anyone see the massive protests by MOOOOOOOSLIMS around the world condemning the Mumbai attack ?
Yeah, I didn’t either.
Remember, extremist MOOOOSLIMS want to kill all non-MOOOOOSLIMS…..
Moderates only want to kill the Jews.
Shit, and an old prez Kim Young-sam kept on talking about globalization (saegaehwa). My his dreams be fulfilled in Incheon.
The peace loving Muslims will just attack a South Korean Church like they a Christian Church in Egypt recently.
http://www.aina.org/news/20081126035704.htm
Why do you think Koreans what to close the center?
Think!!! It is not hard.
Korean Christians see what Muslims are doing to Christians and Christian Churches in Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia…etc…etc…etc.
No one want to see Muslim violence against Christians here.
This idea is unjustified nonsense, with all due respect. There is absolutely no record of any such thing occurring here nor, according to available news sources, is there any likelihood of such a thing happening either. Nowadays though, the average Muslim does bear responsibility for not speaking out against the violence of those that hide under the mantle of Islam.
Despite the ongoing problems within Islam, there are far more instances of Korean Christian sects burning down Buddhist temples and lopping the heads off of Tangun statues though.
Last summer when I was in Korea, went to visit Shil-luk Temple on the Han river. Saw many a “Impeach LMB!” posters scattered over the complex. With Korean Evangelicals increasingly putting on the mantle of messianic fervour, one wonders whether they’ve taken a lesson from their American brethren and have become emboldened by having one of their own in office.
Kinda like how some people in the US think Obama’s got their back on everything. Like getting their car stolen, or paying their mortgage. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=381gFG4Crr8)
“As a local issue, the national government shouldn’t be getting involved as the Hani suggests — other than, perhaps, to tell the Saudis to fuck the fuck off and go back to executing apostates, arresting Christians, banning Bibles or however else they celebrate cultural diversity in the Land of The Two Holy Mosques.”
You said it.
Korea is different from Europe. They don’t need to look behind their shoulder and go and do things like this.
Korea is also different from the Middle East. They don’t allow you to open Christian churches in many of those countries.
Are you implying that Korea is more mature than some of these Middle Eastern Muslim countries, and thus should not do something like closing down a mosque?
If you say so.
If they were mature people, the world wouldn’t be so paranoid about security.
I’d like to take this chance once again to highlight what a fine job Bush did with domestic security.
”Nowadays though, the average Muslim does bear responsibility for not speaking out against the violence of those that hide under the mantle of Islam.”
Just saw last night where significant Muslim communities in India have refused to allow the bodies of the 11 twatheads to be buried in their graveyards, on the grounds of them violating the Koran and not being Muslims. Anyway, there has been concerted activity against such groups within many Muslim countries. And some Muslims privately detest these groups, and even the religion itself. The resistance gets scant coverage by the press, although there is enough on the English version of al-Jezeera television. Even in a place like I am in, the consequences of speaking out could be severe, although it is long past time.
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