AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The years-long dispute over the construction of a mosque in the city of "Daegu," South Korea, has entered a new phase with the proposal of local officials to allocate new land to the Muslim community. According to South Korean media reports, this mosque was initially supposed to be built near Kyungpook National University for the use of Muslim students, but the dispute over the land allocated to the project had confronted the construction process with lengthy legal and judicial challenges.
Daegu city officials on Monday proposed that another location be provided to the Muslim community for the construction of the mosque; a proposal that was met with the agreement of Muslims. The "Kyungpook Dar al-Iman" Islamic Center announced that the Muslim community of Kyungpook National University, after reviewing the mayor's proposal and considering the problems they have endured over these years, has decided to accept the new land in the "Buk" district as the alternative location.
The new proposed land was previously the site of a police station, and its area is approximately half of the land of the current mosque construction site. However, the Muslim community has announced that acceptance of this location is conditional on compensation for the costs incurred for the previous project. According to the published report, Muslims have so far spent about 350 million won, equivalent to approximately 253,000 dollars, in the mosque construction process and are demanding the repayment of this amount by the municipality.
Local officials have so far neither accepted nor rejected this condition and have announced that negotiations to reach an agreement will continue. Officials of the "Buk" district also announced that they will try to reach an agreement within the framework of the law and will pursue the possibility of receiving financial support from the central government of South Korea to cover the relocation costs.
The dispute over the construction of this mosque in Daegu has continued for several years, and the matter had also extended to judicial processes. The intended mosque was planned to meet the needs of the Muslim community, especially Muslim students of Kyungpook National University. The agreement to examine an alternative location can now provide the path for resolving this dispute through negotiation between the Muslim community and local officials.
Officials of the Buk district, expressing hope for a peaceful end to this dispute, announced that this dispute has continued for years and they hope that through dialogue and agreement between the parties, the case of the mosque construction in Daegu will be resolved peacefully.
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