37 Korean Troops Embrace Islam, Ahead of Iraq Deployment

muslim

Junior Member
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Say (O Muslims): We believe in ALLAH and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. [QURAN AL-BAQARA:136]

Lo! those who disbelieve, and die in disbelief, the (whole) earth full of gold would not be accepted from such an one if it were offered as a ransom (for his soul). Theirs will be a painful doom and they will have no helpers. [QURAN AAL-E-IMRAN:91]


:salam2:

This is a bit old news but you still gotta know our new family members who were guided to Truth by the Lord of the worlds, ALLAH swt.

Ahead of Iraq Deployment, 37 Korean Troops Convert to Islam

"I became a Muslim because I felt Islam was more humanistic and peaceful than other religions. And if you can religiously connect with the locals, I think it could be a big help in carrying out our peace reconstruction mission." So said on Friday those Korean soldiers who converted to Islam ahead of their late July deployment to the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq.

At noon Friday, 37 members of the Iraq-bound "Zaitun Unit," including Lieutenant Son Hyeon-ju of the Special Forces 11th Brigade, made their way to a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul and held a conversion ceremony.

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Captain Son Jin-gu from Zaitoon Unit recites an oath at ceremony to mark his conversion to Islam at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul .


The soldiers, who cleansed their entire bodies in accordance with Islamic tradition, made their conversion during the Friday group prayers at the mosque, with the assistance of the "imam," or prayer leader.

With the exception of the imam, all the Muslims and the Korean soldiers stood in a straight line to symbolize how all are equal before God and took a profession on faith.

They had memorized the Arabic confession, " Ashadu an La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah," which means, "I testify that there is no god but God (Arabic: Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God."


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Soldiers from Zaitoon Unit pray after conversion ceremony at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul.

Moreover, as the faithful face the "Kaaba," the Islamic holy place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, all Muslims confirm that they are brothers.

For those Korean soldiers who entered the Islamic faith, recent chances provided by the Zaitun Unit to come into contact with Islam proved decisive.

Taking into consideration the fact that most of the inhabitants of Irbil are Muslims, the unit sent its unreligious members to the Hannam-dong mosque so that they could come to understand Islam. Some of those who participated in the program were entranced by Islam and decided to convert.

A unit official said the soldiers were inspired by how important religious homogeneity was considered in the Muslim World; if you share religion, you are treated not as a foreigner, but as a local, and Muslims do not attack Muslim women even in war.

Zaitun Unit Corporal Paek Seong-uk (22) of the Army's 11th Division said, "I majored in Arabic in college and upon coming across the Quran, I had much interest in Islam, and I made up my mind to become a Muslim during this religious experience period [provided by the Zaitun Unit]."

He expressed his aspirations. "If we are sent to Iraq, I want to participate in religious ceremonies with the locals so that they can feel brotherly love and convince them that the Korean troops are not an army of occupation but a force deployed to provide humanitarian support."

SOURCE : http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200405/200405280041.html
 

Abul Harith

Active Member
Staff member
Asalam alaikom

JazakAllahu Khair for sharing this news. Masha'allah it is wonderful to see so many people becoming Muslim all at once. Allahu Akbar.

This just goes to show how powerful and beneficial it is to do dawah and educate those around us about Islam. Allah guides people to the truth and we can only convey the message. If we're sincere and truthful then people's hearts will naturally incline to be part of this pure religion.

By the way, there is a statement at the end of the article which is incorrect. I thought it was either a mistake in the original article or the unit official needs to learn a little more about Islam :)

A unit official said the soldiers were inspired by how important religious homogeneity was considered in the Muslim World; if you share religion, you are treated not as a foreigner, but as a local, and Muslims do not attack Muslim women even in war.

Just as an aside...
Muslims do not attack other Muslim women :astag: In Islam there are strict guidelines on who is a combattant and who isn't. It is totally forbidden to kill innocent men, women and children.

Wasalam,

mu2min
 

azlina_sam

Junior Member
Alhamdullilah..

Assalamualaikum...

Great to know our fellow Korean brothers are Muslims now.. Insya-Allah, may Allah s.w.t guides them to the true religion & that is Islam.. :muslim_child:
 
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