By IINA
Seoul : Saudi Arabia delivered $500,000 yesterday to a religious organization here to help build the first Islamic school with a regular elementary school curriculum in Korea, where Muslims are considered a minority. Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Korea, Abdullah Al-Aifan, handed over the donation to the Korea Muslim Federation at a ceremony in Seoul so it can be used in building an elementary-level school here as early as March next year. “It’s my firm belief that the donation to fund the establishment of this school will greatly contribute to the confidence of the Korean Muslim leaders for the future,” Al-Aifan said in a speech.
The federation, which claims there are 150,000 Muslims in this country of 49 million — many either Christian or Buddhist — said the school will mainly teach foreign Muslims living in Korea and seek to expand by drawing local children interested in Islamic teachings. Tentatively named “The Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Islamic Elementary School in Korea,” the school will also adopt Korea’s elementary-level curriculum to serve as a complete alternative to a regular school, said Lee Seung-hui, a federation official.