Security Bolstered for Muslims
By Kim Tae-jong
Police have beefed up security for Muslims living in Korea out of fear over a backlash on Islamic people following the killing of the second Korean hostage Monday night.
Six policemen were dispatched to the Seoul Central Mosque in Yongsan, the biggest mosque in the nation, with 20 on standby around the area.
A Seoul police officer said it is a precautionary measure against a possible retaliation against Muslims. He added that so far Muslims have never been exposed to attacks here.
But the Korea Muslim Foundation's official Web site was inundated with threatening messages and has been temporarily shut down.
On July 29, a drunken man in his 40s visited a mosque in Busan and raged around breaking windows, before he was whisked away by policemen.
The mosque in Seoul suffered from a series of threatening phone calls by furious Koreans.
``Without precautionary protective measures here, we are not so sure about our safety,'' an official from the Seoul Central Mosque said. ``But so far, there hasn't been any accident.''
He hoped Muslims in Korea, who also pray for the safe return of the Korean captives, should not be a target for any terror due to the abduction.
But as the anger on terrorists can lead to tragic incidents such as violent attacks on innocent Muslims in Korea, the police and Muslim communities have taken extra precautions.
In June 2004, when a Korean was abducted and executed in Iraq, a 29-year-old man carrying a knife burst into the Seoul Central Mosque in an attempt to harm worshippers.
It is estimated that there are some 100,000 Muslims living in Korea, and about 70 to 80 percent of them are foreigners.
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