Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives: "Find where Islamic religious beliefs intersect with current events. Research a Western news source on the story and summarize the article fr..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/world/asia/05island.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=north%20korea%20attacks%20south%20korea&st=cse
Yeonpyeon Is Ghost Town after North Korean Attack – NYTimes.com
Shorty after 200 rounds of North Korean artillery fire, Chang Woon-il, a sixty-four year old fisherman quickly became a lonely figure. After packing as much food possible, he took a ferry to the South Korean mainland. Chang Woon-il reported that his homeland was hit after the day he got back from a visit to the Yellow Sea last week. He reported that 80% of the 1,350 citizens that live in Yeonpyeong were afraid of returning to their homeland because of the attack. According to the NYTimes, two South Korean marines and two civilian construction workers were killed. Those few who decided to stay have said that Yeonpyeong is home to their families ever since the peninsula was established; also, the island is known for its tasty crabs. Ever since the attack, the residency of the area has significantly decreased, although the event attracted journalists and anti-North Korean activists. NYTimes describes the debris as follows: “About a half-dozen areas were struck by what appeared to be clusters of artillery shells or rockets, which left blackened stretches of burned-out homes that still smell of smoke. In other places, blasts had blown out windows or pried off corrugated roofs, tossing them like twisted ribbons onto the street.” According to town hall, twenty-five homes were destroyed and seventy-eight were damaged. South Korea made some efforts to modernize out-dated bunkers and air raid shelters in Yeonpyeong. One fisherman Park Chul-hong joked that “If they [citizens] don’t come back, that means that we get all the crabs for ourselves.” Despite his bravery to stay, Mr. Chang, the oyster fisherman never returned to the warzone ever again, - even though it is one of the best places to fish.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=821968&scroll=1
details - وكالة الأنباء السعودية - واس
Saudi Arabia’s perspective on increasing tensions between North and South Korea’s peninsula
In March, North Korea torpedoed the corvette Cheonan, the South Korean warship. This event led to the death of forty-six sailors. South Korea urged North Korea to punish those who were responsible for the incident. North Korea simply responded by refusing to investigate the case. However, the head of North Korean delegation Colonel Ri Shin Kwon said that South Korea and North Korea should try to resolve situations from a humanitarian point of view. So ‘Thursday’s meeting’ took place on the Korean peninsula; an officer from the South and an officer from the North met at 10 a.m.
This is some background leading up to the artillery fire
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010112788080
The Saudi Gazette – North Korea ups the ante
On Tuesday, North Korea shot artillery fires on the Island of Yeonpyeong Island, West of the Korean peninsula as tensions grew between South and North Korea. The artillery fire resulted in four casualties (two marines and two civilians). Although recent fires did not hit South Korean territory, many citizens near the border fled to air raid shelters when they saw white smoking rising from North Korean territory. China also warned South Korea and the US that they are not to practice military acts near the coastline of China. North Korea’s KCNA newscaster proclaims that “South Korea is setting the stage for the brink of war by practicing war exercises targeted at the North.” Due to this aggressive language and heightened tensions, the Korean economy was depressed by 2.2%. This bombing was the first North Korean aggression towards the South since the Korean War (There was not enough evidence to back up the torpedo incident above). Because of this, the South Korean defense minister resigned his position. Lee Myung-Bak quickly named former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Kim Kwan-jin to the post.
Although there aren’t many differences between the two articles, NYTimes does seem pro-Korea, whereas Saudi Arabia seems somewhat neutral (although they criticized the North Korean newscaster). Also NYTimes interviews many witnesses of the actual incident whereas Saudigazette focuses on how the event affected the economy and how political leaders reacted to it. So overall I think that this was a bad topic to choose for connections to Islamic beliefs, but I can somehow conclude that the Saudigazette does not seem to give too much detailed information because in the sixth commandment of the Quran, it is written: “Thou shall not lie or give false testimony” and there are many points of view in this current event.