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It is believed that there is no significant presence of Islam in North Korea , where autonomous religious activity in general is almost non-existent. EARLY HISTORY The first verifiable presence of Islam in Korea dates back to the 9th Century during the Unified Silla period with the arrival of Arab and Persia n navigators and Traders . According to numerous Arab Geographer s, including the 9th-century writer Ibn Khurdadhbih , many of them settled down permanently in Korea, establishing Muslim villages. Some records indicate that many of these settlers were from Iraq . Other records suggest that a large number of the Alawi Shia faction settled in Korea. Further suggesting a Middle Eastern Muslim community in Silla are figurines of royal guardians with distinctly Persian characteristics. In turn, later many Muslims intermarried with Korean women. Some Assimilation into Buddhism and Shamanism took place, owing to Korea's geographical isolation from Arabia . Small-scale contact with predominantly Muslim peoples, particularly the Uyghur s, continued on and off. One word for Islam in Korean , ''hoegyo'' (회교, 回敎) comes from ''huihe'' (回紇), an old Chinese name for the Uyghurs. During the late Goryeo period, there were mosques in the capital Gaeseong . Jang Baek-chang , the founder of the Deoksu Jang clan, was an Arab official who emigrated from Yuan China during this period. In the early Joseon period, the Islamic Calendar served as a basis for calendar reform owing to its superior accuracy over the existing Chinese-based calendars. However, due to Korea's geographic and political isolation during the Joseon period, Islam had all but disappeared in Korea by the time it was reintroduced in the 20th century. It is believed that many of the religious practices and teachings did not survive. However, in the 19th century, Korean settlers in Manchuria came into contact with Islamic teachings once again; these became the first Korean Muslims in modern times. 20TH-CENTURY REINTRODUCTION During the Korean War, Turkey sent the second-largest number of troops (after the United States ) to aid South Korea under the United Nations command. In addition to their contributions on the battlefield, the Turk s also aided in humanitarian work, helping to operate war-time schools for war orphans. Shortly after the war, some Turks who were stationed in South Korea as UN peacekeepers began teaching Koreans about Islam. Early converts established the Korea Islam Society in 1955 , at which time the first South Korean mosque was erected. In 1962 the Malaysia n government offered a grant of US$ 33,000 for a mosque to be built in Seoul. However, the plan was derailed due to Inflation . It was not until the 1970s , when South Korea's economic ties with many Middle Eastern countries became prominent, that interest in Islam began to rise again. The Seoul Central Mosque was finally built in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood in 1976. Today there are also mosques in Busan , Anyang , Gwangju , Jeonju and Daegu . According to Lee Hee-Soo (Yi Hui-su), president of the Korea Islam Institute, there are about 40,000 listed Muslims in South Korea, and about 10,000 are estimated to be active practitioners. NOTES |
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