Korean churches divided over Yemeni refugees

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Religions

Korean churches divided over Yemeni refugees

Posted : 2018-06-22 16:28

Updated : 2018-06-23 11:42

Yemeni refugees, in this blurred photo to protect their privacy, are in line to receive emergency relief goods in front of the Jeju Immigration Office on Monday. Over 500 Yemenis arrived on the scenic island between January and May this year, seeking asylum to settle in Korea permanently. They flocked to the visa-free island after direct airline services between Jeju and Kuala Lumpur kicked off. / Yonhap

Conservative Christian group NCCK lashes out at Muslim-bashing

By Kang Hyun-kyung

A conservative Protestant group voiced worries about the spread of Islamophobia following media reports about 486 Yemeni asylum seekers on the scenic island of Jeju.

In a statement released Friday, the Human Rights Center of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) lashed out at the Muslim-bashing, urging the government to take necessary measures to better protect the refugees.

"Those who are fanning hatred toward the refugees are exaggerated in their claims that Koreans are in danger of terrorism because of the Yemenis," the statement reads. "They paint the refugees as potential terrorists who would commit crimes."

The NCCK urged the Ministry of Justice to take necessary measures to stop the radicals from willfully spreading misinformation about the Yemeni refugees. They also asked for the government to do more for the Yemenis, rather than simply providing basic humanitarian assistance.

The NCCK statement came days after a Protestant church pastor expressed worries about the Yemeni refugees and urged the government to rethink its humanitarian assistance for them.

Pastor Lee Eok-joo, a professor at the divinity school Calvin University and spokesman of Korea Association of Church Communication, publicly warned of terrorism regarding the Yemenis.

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"If the Korean government sees the Yemeni refugees as a humanitarian issue, it could face grave consequences," he said during a radio program on Tuesday. "We've seen and heard a lot about social problems that occurred in Europe after they took refugees... The thing that I am most concerned about is terrorism."

He claimed Muslims follow their own norms if their tradition clashes with the law of the host country where they reside.

"Their norms come from the Quran," he said. "The thing is there are some elements in the Quran that are not acceptable here in Korea. Domestic violence, for example, is allowed if necessary as men are allowed to beat their wives."

Pastor Lee said those who oppose the Yemeni refugees are addressing realistic concerns, not fabricating stories.

His public opposition toward the Yemenis and the ensuing NCCK statement, which lashes out at those who are spreading Islamophobia, shows Korean churches are divided on the refugee issue.

The backlash against Muslims is not new in this country. In 2016, a couple of provincial governments, including Gangwon Province, were forced to withdraw their plans to designate a halal food zone to attract Muslim tourists in the face of severe opposition from some Christian groups.

Experts say radical Christian groups are behind the Islamophobia.

Lee Jin-gu, a senior research fellow at Korea Institute for Religion and Culture, said Muslim-bashing was created and became evident in Korea after the 2007 Afghan hostage crisis in which 23 Korean church volunteers were captured by the Taliban during their mission trip to the country.

The Taliban demanded a prisoner swap and called for trading 23 terrorists held by the Afghan government for the South Korean hostages. Two Koreans were killed and the rest of the volunteers were released 42 days after they were captured during a bus tour from Kabul to Kandahar.

After the hostage scandal, the Korean church that sent its volunteers to Afghanistan came under fire for pushing for the mission trip at the expense of those volunteers' lives. Korean churches in general also suffered the consequences.

Radicals came to gain the upper hand in some Christian groups as the hostage scandal dealt a blow to Korean churches and their reputation suffered. They intentionally fanned anti-Muslim sentiment in order to divert the public's attention away from them, Lee said during a seminar about religious freedom in Korea in 2010.

hkang@ktimes.com