Islam Grows Within Gwangju
With Gwangju’s development, the city’s Islamic community is likewise developing.
According to the Pew Research Institute, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with 23 percent of the population comprising 1.6 billion followers.
From the Korean Muslim Federation (KMF), 120,000-130,000 Muslims living in Korea bow to Allah, 
with 45,000 Muslims having Korean descent. In Korea, Islam shares 1.7 percent of the religious population with Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, the Unification Church and other religious belief-systems.
Gwangju News was privileged to interview and receive responses from both Rischan Mafrur, a Muslim Indonesian from Chonnam National University, and Mazhar Iqbal, a Muslim Pakistani from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology.
Both leaders see that needs are being met. “Mosques have a great importance in the life of Muslims. Without mosques, Muslims are like fish out of water.” Gwangju’s Islamic community that participates in mosque services is comprised of international residents from the Middle East, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Both representatives state that Indonesians have the most Muslims in Gwangju, with Pakistanis representing the second largest group.
Mafrur and Iqbal consider the Mosque to be a safe environment where no restrictions exist concerning language, culture or even worship styles, as participants have no need to fear being different. “We share our situations with each other to get solutions to our problems. The Mosque is not only for worship, but it is an important community center for Muslims. So having a mosque in Gwangju is really a blessing,” Mafrur added.
Both leaders love their religion and explained its appeal. “Islam is a beautiful religion which glitters when Muslims try to practice in its spirit. So the people feel attraction when they look at those practices.”
Unlike other world religions, Mafrur and Iqbal would rather invite interested non-Muslims to come into their community, instead of converting them to Islam. Rather than preaching, the pair holds themselves accountable for guiding both the committed followers and those who are interested. So when a new person comes in and desires to know more about Islam, an appointed leader serves by competently sharing the depths of the religion, how to follow Allah and what Muslims are expected to do.
The 2015 Ramadan will commence at sunset on Wednesday June 17, and conclude on Friday at sunset, July 17. According to Belief.net, Ramadan is a month’s remembrance of when Muhammad witnessed revelations and recorded his findings for what would later become the Holy Quran. Thus, Muslims pray to Allah, and sawm (fast) while the sun shines, and then break the fast by enjoying their nightly meals with family and friends.
With a few participating Gwangju residents, both Mafrur and Iqbal consider Ramadan to be a nice celebration, with the entire Muslim community here gathering to enjoy Iftaar (completion of fasting) in the Mosque. The community likewise prepares dishes for over 100 people, with chefs using their own money to prepare communal dishes. “The actual purpose of this event is to get pleasure from the Almighty Allah, as Muslims believe in one Allah controlling all the universes,” said Iqbal.
Mafrur and Iqbal have learned three main lessons as Gwangju Muslims. As part of a religious minority, both leaders desire to accommodate other Muslim brethren by fully representing and respecting different cultures and languages. They have seen firsthand this demonstration of positive behavior by being among Muslim friends and with good Koreans. “One of our friends had a surgery and all the Muslims helped him financially without considering his nationality, language, or culture.”
As Gwangju expands in more ways than just population statistics and size proportions, Mafrur and Iqbal hope to see more halal products and more mosques constructed in the future, for the growing Islamic community.