JAKARTA - Daehyeon-dong, located in the Buk District of Daegu, the third largest city in the country, looks no different from any other residential area in Korea.
Neighbors who have known each other for decades are seen chatting casually in the alleys, while wallet-friendly restaurants and cafes cater to students studying at nearby Kyungpook National University.
But things are not so peaceful in a narrow alley that leads to the construction site of the Islamic mosque, which appears almost derelict with only the metal frame standing. A small yellow tent is set up next to the property, where neighborhood residents have been holding daily protests against the construction.
This uncomfortable cohabitation has been going on for more than a year, ever since Muslim students at Kyungpook National University decided to build a two-story mosque, after demolishing a small house they had used as a place of worship since 2014.
Construction of the new mosque was authorized by the Buk District Office in September 2020 and the land was demolished in December, but it soon sparked friction with Koreans in the vicinity.
Neighbors filed complaints with the district office about noise and dust emanating from the construction site, as well as the noise of worshipers and the smell of their foreign food before construction began. In February 2021, district authorities issued an administrative order to halt construction.
Since then, construction has been postponed indefinitely, while the conflict has deepened.
Currently, Muslims gather for prayers five times a day in a small house used as a temporary place of worship next to the construction site.
"As you can see, this place is too small to accommodate all the students. Only about 20 to 25 of us can come for prayers. We urgently need a bigger space. After we build the new mosque, this house will be used to accommodate female worshipers," said Muaz Razaq, 25, a Ph.D. student studying computer science at Kyungpook, as reported by the Korea Times on May 3.
Razaq explained, the location is ideal for Muslim students who mostly study in Kyungpook.
"Only a five minute walk from campus. Because we have to pray five times a day and also have to do research in the laboratory, the mosque should be close enough so that we can walk, pray, return to our lives quickly," he explained.
But the location is far from perfect for some neighbours. Park Jeong-sook, 60, who lives right next to the mosque construction site, said she would not be able to live there if the mosque was built.
"This is not a religious issue. I would oppose it even if it were a church, cathedral or temple. No sane person would welcome a multipurpose facility, where people come and go every day, to be built right next to their house just a few meters away. away. This is an invasion of privacy," he said.
He continued, for the past seven years since he moved, his family had to endure loud noises whenever worshipers held large gatherings, especially during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, prayer, and worship.
"I didn't even know what Ramadan was before I moved here. It seems like every Muslim in the city gets together after sunset and eats together during that period. Because of the loud noise and exotic smell of their food, we couldn't sleep at all," he said.
"But I don't make a single complaint to the district office even when they have parties at night. I don't want to make things difficult for foreign students, who have come all the way from their home countries," Park said, explaining that her relationship with her Muslim neighbors was not so bad until their sudden decision to build a mosque.
"We're not denying them their religious freedom. And we're not saying they should leave the neighborhood. What we want is for them to find a more appropriate location, where our concerns won't be a problem. We can't understand why a 20-meter high religious facility should be placed. especially here," said Kim Jeong-ae, a woman in her 40s who heads a community group that opposes building a mosque.
According to the blueprint for the construction, the mosque will be eight meters high, while the minaret section will be up to 20 meters high.
Furthermore, Park and Kim are also concerned that Muslims are trying to buy houses in the vicinity, which they see as a move to "expand their territory."
"Realtors contacted residents and asked if they were willing to sell their houses to Muslims. It seems they (Muslims) are trying to solve the problem by buying houses belonging to Koreans. This makes no sense," said Kim.
Islamophobic Claims
On the other hand, Muslims argue that development is a legal process that has been agreed upon and their religious freedom should be guaranteed.
"The spiritual needs of Muslim students must be considered. For example, I work here, there is a football field for me to meet my physical needs, then there must also be a place to fulfill my religious needs," said Razaq.
"And actually, we were shocked when the neighbors protested at first, because they would know that this place has been used as a place of worship for several years by our seniors after they bought the house," he said.
According to Razaq, the house was previously purchased by students studying at the university in 2014. And as the number of Muslim students grew, they decided to build a proper mosque.
He also said the students had been trying to address complaints raised by neighbors, promising to install soundproof walls and a tall chimney in the new mosque, but the neighbors would not negotiate.
The standoff became so intense that both sides set up several surveillance cameras around the alley to keep an eye on each other.
Koreans have installed surveillance cameras in alleyways, fearing they might be attacked by angry Muslims with their protests. Meanwhile, Muslims installed cameras at construction sites, following allegations that some of Korea's neighbors dumped their trash there.
However, some residents, including members of conservative Protestant groups, appear to have gone too far during the protests.
They displayed banners containing hate speech and Islamophobic comments, such as "Muslims who brutally kill people and behead them, get out of this area! Terrorists! Right now!" and "Islam is an evil religion that kills people."
"Some of their expressions during the protest surprised us quite a bit. It was not related to the construction of our mosque. They attacked our religion. They called us terrorists, saying that this place will soon become a terrorist center," Razaq explained.
"But the disappointing part is that they put up such banners outside the school. It embarrasses Muslims and some are psychologically disturbed."
It is known that this case was brought to court after Muslims filed a lawsuit against the district office, for the suspension order to be overturned. The district court ruled in their favor in December 2021, saying the administrative order was issued based on a neighbor's complaint rather than legal reasons.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
On April 22, an appeals court ruled in favor of Muslims, rejecting a neighbor's appeal. They plan to take the case to the Supreme Court.
However, whoever wins the legal battle, this extremely unpleasant situation is expected to continue.
"Of course, we want to go back to the time when we used to live peacefully with foreign students. But now, we have no choice but to fight. We will do everything we can to protect our right to pursue happiness," said Kim.
Razaq said, "We are still ready to sit down and talk to Koreans. But if they just tell us to get out of here, it won't solve the problem."
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