In 2014, third level institutions received about 100 thousand applications for registration by young people from Muslim countries. To "avoid discomfort" they are adapting to include separate kitchens and dormitories.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - "Halal" food, Muslim prayer rooms and even kitchens and dorms. This is how Korean universities, among the best in Asia, are adapting  to meet the needs of the growing presence of Muslim students who spend about four years in South Korea to achieve their qualification.

The phenomenon is due to the "Korean Wave", which is the government policy that seeks to attract students from all over the world to its university system. That's why, today, almost all major universities in the capital are doing "everything possible" to make Muslim students feel at ease.

Kookmin University has a room of 40 square meters for the 86 Muslim students studying there. The construction was financed by Saudi Arabia, and the room is called "The Saudi Club". The Kyung Hee University has a similar building, while Sungkyunkwan University has decided to devote an entire dormitory, which now houses about 170 male students.

Even the Christian colleges have adapted. While they may not have opened a real "Islamic prayer room", some areas have a "multi-faith prayer room". The Ewha Womans University, run by a Protestant denomination, opened one in 2012; the Catholic Sogang University added one in 2013.

The Hanyang University has gone further, and in 2013 built a separate kitchen for Muslim students who want to prepare "halal" food  according to the dictates of the Islamic religion. Among other things, says the 24 year old Jafar - from Pakistan - it makes business sense: "At first it was almost impossible to find halal food and it was expensive. In universities instead you can eat spending a lot less money. I'm happy ".

The indigenous Muslim community of South Korea does not exceed 40 thousand. In contrast, the number of students and tourists who come from Islamic countries is constantly growing: in 2014, there were 100 thousand admission applications from students who want to obtain a visa and who have indicated in the documents that they belong to Islam.

 

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