Islamophobia without Islam: Islamising the refugee issue in South Korea

South Korea has never had a substantial population of ethnic Korean Muslims. Nevertheless, it has experienced significant growth in anti-Muslim racism in recent years. Considering that the literature on Islamophobia has largely focused on its evolution in Western countries, this study examines the r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Seo, Myengkyo (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Carfax Publ. 2023
In: Journal of contemporary religion
Year: 2023, Volume: 38, Issue: 2, Pages: 225-241
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B South Korea / Islamophobia / Refugee policy / Migration policy / Contradiction / Society
IxTheo Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
BJ Islam
KBM Asia
TK Recent history
ZC Politics in general
Further subjects:B South Korea
B Opinion polls
B Yemeni refugees
B Islamophobia
B Petition
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:South Korea has never had a substantial population of ethnic Korean Muslims. Nevertheless, it has experienced significant growth in anti-Muslim racism in recent years. Considering that the literature on Islamophobia has largely focused on its evolution in Western countries, this study examines the rise of Islamophobia in South Korea, particularly after the arrival of Yemeni refugees in South Korea’s Jeju Island in 2018. With the media’s strong influence in framing public discourse, the recent government policy regarding the entry of Yemeni refugees has sparked considerable debate on human rights, public policies, and religion. Analysing the results and the influence of public petitions to the South Korean government and opinion polls conducted in 2018 on the Yemeni refugee situation, this study claims that the rise of Islamophobia in South Korea has transformed the refugee issue from one concerning human rights into one concerning religion. Islamophobia is likely to strengthen over time by influencing discussions of, or even Islamising, non-religious issues within the socio-political landscape of South Korea.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2023.2211849