Hello. I am Selim I. Today, I will tell you about Islam, which accounts for about 87% of the population of Indonesia. This is an article written with the intention of lightly looking into Islam and other religions. Please read it casually.

☪️ Who do you believe in?

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The Islamic conversion ritual is called "Shahada". Shahada sometimes refers to the phrase used in the same ritual. Think of it as a one-sentence summary of Islamic faith. The Arabic phrase for Shahada is "La ilaha illallah, Muhammadun rasulullah." Translated, it means "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." In other words, Islam is a religion that worships one God. The God believed in Islam is called Allah (pronounced roughly as "Allah" in Arabic). Some people in Korea call him Allahsin, but this is incorrect. Allah already means "God" in Arabic.

In Islam, it is argued that the God they believe in is the same as the God of Judaism and Christianity. Some fundamentalist Protestants find this uncomfortable. Therefore, Islam argues that Allah is a different God from Yahweh/Jehovah of Christianity because Islam does not recognize the Trinity (orthodox Christianity and heretical Christian Shahada). However, by the same logic, it can be concluded that the God of Christianity is also a different God from Yahweh/YHWH of Judaism. There are no Protestants who argue that their God is different from the God of Judaism.

Ultimately, although there may be differences in how we view the same God, it is most convenient to think that the God of Islam is the same as the God of Christianity or Judaism.

Allah is a singular noun meaning "God" in Arabic. The plural form is ila. Allah is said to be derived from the Aramaic word "Allah," which was the mother tongue of Jesus. This "Allah" is further derived from the Hebrew word "Elohim." To be precise, Elohim is a majestic plural expression (used intentionally as a plural for reverence) meaning "God" in Hebrew, so it can be considered to correspond to the singular form "El" in Hebrew.

🇰🇷 More connected to Korea than you think?

Koreans are often unfamiliar with or uncomfortable with Islam. This is because Islam is not a familiar religion in Korea. However, do you know that Korea is more closely connected to Islam than you might think? Islam was introduced to Korea around the 9th century and it is estimated that a community existed at least until the mid-15th century. Compared to Catholicism which came in later during the Joseon Dynasty and Protestantism which arrived in the late 19th century, Islam was the first religion to enter Korea.

You might say "No way...", but the existence of Muslims in Korea can be confirmed through the tombstone of Ramadan bin al-Mutasim, a Korean Muslim from the Goryeo period. However, Islam was temporarily discontinued due to the suppression of Neo-Confucianism, which served as the national religion during the Joseon Dynasty. It is said that it settled back in Korea through Turkish soldiers who participated in the Korean War in the 20th century.

Although unrelated to Islam, there are some similarities between Islamic culture and Korean culture. One example is the fact that pork was not eaten. "I ate pork yesterday, though?" Some of you may say. Today, pork, a staple ingredient in Korean cuisine, was rarely consumed by Koreans until the early 20th century. This stems from the nature of pigs. Pigs are animals that share their diet with humans. In other words, they eat what humans eat. Unlike cows, dogs, and chickens, pigs do not provide any benefits to humanity besides their meat. For these reasons, pigs have traditionally been one of the animals shunned in East Asia. Of course, it was not religiously shunned like Islam, so wealthy people who could afford to raise pigs ate them. In the future, if you have a Muslim friend who cannot eat pork, why don't you try bridging the cultural gap by saying "Our ancestors didn't eat it either"?

🕌 What Features Does It Have?

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Islam has a major doctrine called the Six Pillars of Faith and Five Pillars of Practice. It refers to six beliefs and five obligations. Here, the six pillars mean the following.

1. Belief in the Oneness of God

2. Belief in Angels

3. Belief in the Scriptures: The Scriptures refer to the Torah, Psalms, Gospels, and Quran. However, in Islam, it is believed that the Scriptures except the Quran have been edited, so they are only referenced and not used in worship rituals.

4. Belief in Prophets (Apostles): This means believing in 25 prophets, from Adam to Jesus and including Muhammad, the final prophet. However, in Islam, it is said that there are countless prophets sent by God, and only 25 prophets are mentioned in the Scriptures.

Some view Mary as a female prophet, but the vast majority do not consider Mary a prophet. (Correcting incorrect information.)

5. Belief in the Day of Judgment

6. Belief in Divine Decree: This is the belief that God has predetermined all the destiny of my life.

Also, the Five Pillars are as follows.

1. Shahada

2. Prayer: In Islam, one prays five times a day, which is called Salat (Solat in Indonesian). They are called Fajr (Subuh), Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha respectively. Similar to Christians (universal churches like Catholicism or Orthodox Christianity) who pray facing east, or Jews who pray facing Jerusalem, Muslims must pray facing the Kaaba🕋 (Haram Mosque) in Mecca. This is called Qibla.

3. Fasting

4. Zakat: This refers to giving 2.5 percent of one's wealth to the poor. It is similar to the Christian tithe, but those earning less than approximately $4,000 per year are exempt, it is said.

5. Pilgrimage: It consists of the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah) and the greater pilgrimage (Hajj), and it is said that the one corresponding to the 5 obligations is Hajj. By the way, it is said that when one completes the Hajj, the title 'Hajji' is added before their name.

🇮🇩 When Did It Come to Indonesia?

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You probably already know this, but Indonesia was originally a region far from Islam. Even looking at a world map, the distance to Mecca is farther than any Islamic region in the traditional era. But how did Islam come to such a region? I don't know exactly when Islam arrived. However, it is known that in Java, it began to spread in the late Majapahit Empire and was completely established during the Mataram Sultanate (around the 17th century). Today, ethnic Chinese in Indonesia mostly believe in Christianity or Buddhism, but in the early period of Islamic expansion, it is said that ethnic Chinese were the main ones who adopted Islam. In fact, Zheng He, the figure who led the Ming treasure voyages that brought about the decline of the Majapahit Empire, was also a Chinese from the Ming Dynasty but was a Muslim.

Thus, Islam came to Indonesia relatively recently in its history. Because of this, it is said that in some areas of Java, there are people who are Muslim but follow traditions completely different from orthodox Islam. Also, because Islamization continues and has not stopped even today, the younger one is, the more likely they are to be more familiar with orthodox Islamic teachings.

🕌 Mosque, Musalla?

In Islam, as mentioned earlier, you must pray five times a day. Because of this, wherever you go, prayer facilities are equipped. A place where you can conveniently pray is called a Musalla, and what corresponds to a place of worship called a temple or church in Christianity is called a Masjid (mosque). In these Masjids or Musallahs, the Adhan (the call to prayer) is broadcast five times a day. Also, male Muslims must attend congregational prayers at noon on Friday. At this time, they go to the Masjid to pray.

💣 Islam, Not a Religion of Terror?

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In Korea, due to the influence of terrorists such as the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan, and ISIS, when people think of Islam, they think of terrorists. From the perspective of Muslims, there are many unjust aspects to this. First, such terrorists often advocate extremely radical doctrines from an Islamic perspective, which are close to heresy. In Korea, when heretical churches cause controversy, Protestants claim they are heretics and different from us, and the majority of Muslims think similarly. And in countries where such terrorists run rampant, most are countries with unstable security. You probably haven't heard that Islamic armed groups in Indonesia are active and causing state-sponsored terrorism. This is because Indonesia has stable security compared to those countries.

Finally, religious extremism and terrorism are things that happen in other religions as well. It's just that the media doesn't mention them in relation to religion. For example, in India, Muslims are oppressed by Hindus, and in Myanmar, the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, are being oppressed by Buddhists. In the Philippines, a representative Christian country in Asia, Muslim minorities are oppressed. It is questionable whether Korea is free from extremism. A few years ago on Buddha's Birthday, a large group of Christians gathered in front of Jogyesa Temple, shouting through megaphones that "Buddhism is wrong" and playing hymns through large speakers. There have also been cases where they burned Korea's first cathedral because it was larger than their church building, and went to Bulguksa Temple and shouted "collapse" because it is not a Christian cultural heritage. These extremists also target Islam, having shouted "collapse" at the Itaewon Mosque, and sometimes distribute books that distort Islamic doctrine because of the small number of believers. However, the media doesn't cover these incidents or mention them in relation to religion.

Despite my nickname, I am not an Islamic believer, and I will study more about detailed information on Islam and share it with you in the future. If you've lived in Indonesia for a long time, you may know more than I do.