South Korea’s Daegu residents protest construction of a mosque, to hold pork party

South Korea’s Daegu area residents protest the construction of a mosque, to hold a pork party!

Daegu is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.

As reported, the residents of the Daehyeon-dong area in Daegu are opposing the construction of a mosque in the area despite the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that enabled the project to continue.

The protestors who are opposing the construction of the Mosque had earlier roasted a whole pig in the neighbourhood and have announced to will hold another “meat feast” on Thursday.

The Neighbours placed pig heads on the site to protest the construction of the mosque on Wednesday.

The location in discussion is a small corner of Daehyeon-dong in the southern conservative city of Daegu, one of the most acrimonious cultural conflicts in South Korea at present.

As reported, a group of Muslims have bought one of the properties here and have set out to build a mosque.

As reported, the land is co-owned by six Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Now neighbours, with no legal means to stop them, are resorting to extreme measures to drive them out.

According to the Korea Herald report, the town adjacent to Kyungpook National University became a hot spot for conflict after the construction of a mosque was approved by the local authorities in 2020.

After the project became a point of contention, the Daegu Buk-gu office issued an administrative order halting the construction, but the order was retracted after the Supreme Court in September ruled that the project was legal.

Korea Herald reported that the conflict has continued with the anti-mosque committee roasting a pig in the alleyway to the construction site and a student was fined 300,000 won ($244) for pushing a resident to discard a banner supporting the construction in October.

As reported, the anti-mosque committee held a pork party in December.

“We are just sharing our food with neighbours. If the landlords want us to respect their culture, our culture should also be respected,”, the anti-mosque committee claimed.

The authorities attempted to intervene, but there were few results.

As reported, the Daegu’s Buk-gu office offered to purchase properties near the mosque and proposed two alternative sites for the mosque’s construction.

The anti-mosque committee plans to announce its position on the purchase offer on Thursday, while the owners of the land on which the mosque is being built have rejected the idea of alternative sites, reports The Korea Herald.

“Korean neighbours also cooked pork in the alley several times apparently to annoy Muslim students,” said the 26-year-old Muaz Razaq, a Pakistani Muslim who studies computer science at Kyungpook National University.

“Some played loud music during our prayer time and switched it off once we finished, Muaz Razaq added.

South Korean experts and civic groups have expressed their concerns over the sharpening conflict surrounding the mosque construction.

In an interview with the local media, Professor Chung Yong-kyo of Yeungnam University said, “An attitude of admitting difference is needed between both parties. The state should also play a more active mediating role, thereby preventing either party from going too extreme.”