Hong Joon-pyo: "I hope there are no prejudices or misunderstandings about Islam"

"Just a Religion"... Mention of Construction Conflict at Daegu Islamic Center

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, appealed for inclusion by posting consecutive messages emphasizing religious harmony on his social networking service (SNS) in celebration of 'Buddha's Birthday.'

On the 27th, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "If you want your religion to be respected, you should not reject other religions," expressing concern about recent religious conflicts occurring in parts of Daegu. He added, "For Daegu to advance as a global city, it must embrace all people and all religions."

In another post on the same day, Mayor Hong referred to stories from the Old Testament, explaining, "The roots of Islam are the same as Christianity." He further stated, "Islam is divided into Sunni and Shia sects, with 80% of Muslims being moderate Sunnis, and the hardline Shia making up about 10%, mostly residing in Iran and Iraq," adding, "Extremist Islamists labeled as terrorists constitute less than 0.1% even among the Shia."

Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu

Mayor Hong revealed that he gained knowledge about Islam during a visit to Morocco over 20 years ago and since then has had no prejudice or misunderstanding about Islam. He said, "Whenever a religion was introduced to a country, there was always martyrdom and sacrifice. Buddhism was like that, and Christianity was like that," and expressed hope that "there would be no more prejudice or misunderstanding about Islam."

Finally, Mayor Hong concluded his message by saying, "Islam is just another religion," and "We should not hate each other but embrace one another and simply believe in our own religions."

Mayor Hong’s posts are interpreted as remarks regarding the ongoing conflict over the construction of an Islamic mosque in Daehyeon-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, near the west gate of Kyungpook National University, which has persisted for three years.

The conflict over the mosque construction began in September 2020 when seven Muslim international students at Kyungpook National University jointly applied to Daegu Buk-gu Office to change the use of a single-family house to a 'Type 2 Neighborhood Living Facility Religious Assembly Hall' for mosque construction. After residents learned belatedly that the Buk-gu Office had granted the building permit, about 350 residents submitted a petition opposing the construction. In response, the Buk-gu Office issued an administrative order to halt construction until the complaints were resolved through agreement with the residents.

In retaliation, the mosque builders filed a lawsuit against Buk-gu to cancel the construction suspension order. The courts, including the first and second trials and the Supreme Court, ruled in favor of the builders. However, conflicts between residents and international students have continued. Some residents of Daehyeon-dong placed pig heads in front of the mosque construction site and held whole pig barbecues and samgyeopsal (pork belly) parties there. Since consuming pork is taboo and considered sinful in Islamic civilization, these actions by residents have been criticized as acts of hatred and discrimination that do not respect religious freedom and diversity.