"I Thought.. I Can't Be A Muslim!" I The Story Of Daud Kim

Summary

Dawud, a South Korean musician, shares his journey of converting to Islam. Raised Catholic, his perception of Islam changed during a trip to Indonesia, where he experienced the kindness and hospitality of Muslims. Facing challenges and depression, Dawud found purpose and peace in Islam. Despite initial resistance from his family and societal misconceptions, he embraced his new faith. Dawud's story highlights the transformative power of belief, the importance of purpose, and his commitment to sharing the positive aspects of Islam with others.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Dawud, born and raised in South Korea, converted to Islam a few years ago after studying music and visiting Indonesia.
• 📜 He originally had a Catholic background, with his birth name being David, which he changed to Dawud after converting.
• 🇹🇷 Dawud plans to move to a Muslim country like Turkey, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia to learn more about Islam.
• 😇 Despite being Catholic, Dawud did not feel a deep belief in God until he started exploring Islam.
• 🌍 His curiosity about Islam began during a trip to Indonesia, where he observed the kindness and hospitality of Muslim people.
• 📹 Dawud started a YouTube channel to share his experiences and insights about Islam, gaining a following and inspiring others.
• 💔 After converting to Islam, Dawud faced rejection from some friends and encountered challenges due to cultural differences.
• 🏠 His family was initially shocked and concerned about his conversion, but they eventually understood and respected his choice.
• 💡 Dawud emphasizes the purpose of life in Islam, which provided him with hope and direction during times of depression.
• 🙏 His biggest dream is to be a good Muslim and help others in Korea find belief and purpose, reducing depression and anger in society.

Q & A

What was Dawud's background before converting to Islam?

Dawud was born and raised in South Korea, grew up as a Catholic, and studied music at university.

Why did Dawud choose the name Dawud after converting to Islam?

Dawud chose the name because his Catholic name was David, and Dawud is the Arabic equivalent of David.

What initially sparked Dawud's interest in Islam?

Dawud's interest in Islam was sparked when he visited Indonesia for a concert and observed the kindness and hospitality of Muslims there, which contrasted with the negative image of Islam he had from media.

How did Dawud's family react to his conversion to Islam?

Dawud's family was shocked, especially his mother, who was initially worried and associated Islam with terrorism. Over time, they began to understand and respect his decision, although they have not converted.

What challenges did Dawud face after converting to Islam?

Dawud faced rejection from some friends and societal misunderstanding about Islam. He also encountered issues like accidental consumption of pork due to lack of awareness about halal food in Korea.

What impact has Dawud had on others since his conversion?

Dawud has influenced some of his YouTube subscribers to learn about Islam and even convert. He has also worked to defend and support the construction of mosques in Korea.

What was Dawud's experience like when he gave his Shahadah (declaration of faith)?

Dawud felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and renewal. He gave his Shahadah at a mosque in Itaewon, Seoul, where he was welcomed warmly by other Muslims.

How does Dawud describe the societal pressures in Korea and their effect on mental health?

Dawud describes Korean society as highly competitive, leading to high levels of depression and a lack of purpose. He believes that belief in God and Islam provides purpose and helps alleviate these pressures.

What does Dawud believe is the biggest lie and truth in life?

Dawud believes the biggest lie is being told 'you can't do it,' and the biggest truth is that 'you can do it' with belief in God and strong motivation.

What is Dawud's biggest dream in life?

Dawud's biggest dream is to become a good Muslim and a good person. He wants to help his fellow Koreans find belief and purpose in life, which he feels is missing in Korean society.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Journey to Islam: Dawud's Story

Dawud shares his background, growing up in South Korea, studying music, and his conversion to Islam. He explains how he didn't feel a deep belief as a Catholic and how his trip to Indonesia sparked his curiosity about Islam. His initial misconceptions about Islam were challenged by the kindness and hospitality of Indonesian Muslims, leading him to explore the religion further upon his return to Korea.

05:02

🌟 Discovering Peace and Purpose in Islam

Dawud describes his struggles with financial instability and stress, and how he started his YouTube channel initially for music. His content evolved to include his positive experiences with Muslims and Islam, which attracted interest and advice from others. He gradually started practicing Islamic rituals, like praying and fasting, and found answers to his life's purpose through Islam, which alleviated his depression and gave him a sense of gratitude.

10:03

🔄 Embracing Islam: From Doubts to Shahadah

Dawud details his journey from having belief in God to officially embracing Islam. Encouraged by a knowledgeable Korean Muslim, he took the Shahadah despite initial uncertainties and the challenges of being a Muslim in Korea. He describes the overwhelming support he received from the Muslim community and the profound sense of renewal and happiness after his conversion.

15:04

💪 Challenges and Resilience as a New Muslim

Dawud talks about the challenges he faced after converting to Islam, including rejection from friends and societal judgment in Korea. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and seeking Allah's help. Despite difficulties, he remains committed to defending Islam and helping others, such as advocating for the construction of a mosque in Daegu.

20:04

🌍 Sharing Islam and Finding Purpose

Dawud discusses his efforts to share Islam with others through his YouTube channel, helping some subscribers convert to Islam. He highlights the importance of having a purpose in life, which he found through Islam. He aspires to be a good Muslim and help Koreans, who often struggle with depression due to a lack of belief and purpose. He concludes by expressing his trust in God's plan and his determination to remain steadfast in his faith.

Keywords

💡Conversion to Islam

The act of embracing Islam as one's faith. The video details Dawud's journey from being a Catholic to converting to Islam, influenced by his experiences in Indonesia and the welcoming nature of the Muslim community he encountered.

💡Catholic Background

Dawud's religious upbringing, being born and raised in a Catholic family in South Korea. This context is significant as it shows the religious shift he underwent, moving from Catholicism to Islam.

💡Cultural Differences

The contrasts between Dawud's native South Korean culture and the Islamic practices he adopted. This concept is highlighted when he discusses the challenges of being one of the few Muslims in Korea and the societal reactions to his conversion.

💡Islamic Practices

The religious duties and rituals in Islam, such as prayer (Salah), fasting (Ramadan), and community gatherings. Dawud's gradual adoption of these practices, even before formally converting, plays a central role in his spiritual journey.

💡Purpose of Life

A philosophical and spiritual inquiry about the meaning and direction of one's existence. Dawud found answers to his existential questions through Islam, which provided him with a sense of purpose and direction.

💡Challenges of Conversion

The difficulties faced by Dawud after converting to Islam, including rejection from friends, societal prejudice, and personal struggles to adhere to his new faith. These challenges are a recurrent theme throughout the video.

💡Islamic Community

The supportive network of Muslims who helped Dawud understand and practice his new faith. His experiences in Indonesia and later interactions with Korean Muslims exemplify the positive impact of this community on his spiritual development.

💡Media Influence

The role of media in shaping perceptions of Islam, often negatively. Dawud discusses how his initial views on Islam were influenced by media portrayals linking it to terrorism, which were later challenged by his personal experiences.

💡Depression and Hope

Dawud's struggle with depression and how finding faith in Islam provided him with hope and a sense of peace. This personal transformation is a key narrative in the video, illustrating the emotional and psychological impact of his conversion.

💡Prophet Muhammad

The final prophet in Islam, whose life and teachings greatly inspired Dawud. He particularly admires the Prophet's perseverance in spreading Islam despite initial resistance, drawing a parallel to his own experiences in Korea.

Highlights

Before converting to Islam, Dawud was a born Catholic raised in South Korea and had no deep religious beliefs.

Dawud's journey to Islam began with a visit to Indonesia where he observed the kindness and hospitality of Muslims, which contradicted his previous perceptions of Islam.

Dawud started practicing Islamic rituals like praying and fasting during Ramadan before officially converting.

The support and positive interactions with Muslims in Indonesia significantly influenced Dawud's decision to learn more about Islam.

Dawud converted to Islam two years ago and took the name Dawud, a variation of his Catholic name David.

Dawud faced challenges after converting, such as rejection from some friends and societal misunderstandings about Islam.

Dawud found peace and purpose in Islam, which helped him cope with depression and the competitive nature of Korean society.

Dawud's family initially reacted with shock and concern, but they gradually understood and respected his new faith.

Dawud uses his YouTube channel to share his experiences and educate others about Islam, leading some subscribers to also convert.

Despite the challenges, Dawud believes in the importance of spreading awareness about Islam and supporting the construction of mosques in Korea.

Dawud emphasizes the importance of belief in God for finding purpose and overcoming life's challenges.

Dawud admires Prophet Muhammad's determination in spreading Islam despite initial resistance, drawing parallels to his own experience in Korea.

Dawud's biggest dream is to be a good Muslim and help Koreans find peace and purpose through belief in God.

Dawud highlights the need for belief in Korean society to combat high levels of depression and suicide.

Dawud is committed to his faith and willing to face any disadvantages that come with advocating for Islam in Korea.

Transcripts

before islam what did you believe in

what are the three biggest challenges

you faced after converting to islam

aren't you afraid of going to jail some

of my friends reject me because they

don't understand i'm being a muslim they

don't have belief because there's no

hope when they are filled with

depression no one help you you can't

find anyone rely on

yeah i don't know i will not i will not

answer

[Music]

you're welcome note thank you so much

for inviting me we want to know your

story who is doubt so i'm boring raised

in korea south korea i'm i think i'm not

a special person because i just i just

live normally in korea and i studied

music in university and a few years ago

i converted to islam and i'm still on my

journey i think is there a particular

reason why the name dawud was chosen oh

so actually i got medication about this

actually when i convert islam when i

decide comfort islam i asked people like

do i have to change arabic name or

something but people said no you don't

have to change your name i'm a born

catholic i'm born catholic because my

parents so my parents gave me the

catholic name it was david just i

changed the pronunciation david to doubt

david and dowd is the same person yeah

right so for fat are you planning to

move to a muslim country in the future

yeah i think so because

what's the reason you don't feel

comfortable in your country

i feel comfortable but uh i think i

should learn more i'm i think i'm still

young and i'm i still i'm i'm not i

don't think i'm good muslim really

because i have too many mistakes still

even after i become a muslim i still

have a lot of mistakes so i think i

should learn more in islamic atmosphere

and more knowledgeable muslim people

what would be the country turkey

egypt arabia yeah every every so i don't

i can't choose yet so i just come here

turkey first this year i want to go

other countries too like maybe next

month i will i want to go saudi arabia

indonesia malaysia then after i travel

around the world then maybe i can choose

one country and then when i live there

for a couple of times and then maybe i

come back to korea and i can do my work

like i can share my knowledge or

something

before islam

what did you believe in i believe in god

i feel like because i'm a born catholic

and my parents are catholic and my whole

family is catholic so we're going to

church when you're a child yes yes of

course when i was young i go to church

with my parents and actually i don't

have that much like belief because i i

just like what's natural way because

everyone go charge so maybe i will go

there and they give me the present and

they give me the foods so i really enjoy

it

but actually i i feel really like happy

with my family and my friends but i

think i don't feel that much belief in

when i was young because maybe i i don't

have chance to think deeply about this

why did you start questioning your

beliefs

you were sitting checking internet what

made you start i should find a way

actually this is really long stirring i

told you i studied music in university

so i wanted to be a musician

magician yeah

like i also released like jazz music and

i have a lot of musician friends so i

have chance to go small concert in

another country and it was indonesia so

i went there you're playing battery

guitar what i play piano guitar a little

bit and i sing sing a song so i had

concert in indonesia jakarta it was

really interesting because i've never

known about islam at all because in

korea there's no knowledge about islam

it's really hard to know about this you

didn't even hear a word about muhammad

islam

no no no no but i only know about

i don't know i can i can say this but i

only know about terrorism because in

korea when i was young there was a 9-1-1

and it was really big news in korea

really big news so i was also very

shocked and they talked about like like

islam blah blah blah so i thought like

islam is kind of some dangerous things

at that time when i was young but when i

come to indonesia i saw many girls who

wear scarf and the guys who have the

beard and pray so i was really curious

what what what

why they're different so i asked them

what is that and they

replied me this is about islam and this

is about their belief and actually they

were really kind and really they have a

lot of hospitality for me they always oh

can i help you i want to help you i want

to deserve you i want to give you this i

want to keep you present so when i was

young i thought like islam is dangerous

thing but when i come to indonesia

people were so different so different

they were so kind and so calm and always

smile and always help other people so i

think this is different than i know it's

totally different so i get interested in

this religion at first and i felt really

good things in there and i come back to

korea actually there were my situation

was not good like financially was not

good and my family stuff not good so i

have to find a job and my musician work

don't make a lot of it was not that

stable so i should work for my family

but it was very stressful very stressful

so because i really want like creative

job i want to make some something like

it's not it can be a music it can be a

video i don't know but i want to make

something but when i was working the

company was not very happy so i started

youtube

so i started youtube but my youtube

channel starts with music i upload my

cover music videos and like that kind of

stuff after that i like suddenly i think

like how do i talk about the feelings uh

in indonesia like suddenly i don't know

why i felt like something like that so i

just tell what i think about muslim

people because

many koreans think islam is not a little

bit dangerous but i felt so many good

things about islam so i talked about

that i shared my feelings in youtube and

like suddenly many people get interested

about this so many people so many people

advised me about islam like oh if you

want to learn islam then maybe you can

ask to him no as to imam you can find

most in korea and maybe you can practice

how to pray

or you can join how to fast in ramadan

so i just slowly practice like i don't

know why but i just i was like just come

into very naturally i just go to i visit

to mosque pray in the mosque and i fast

in ramadan and and through the process i

get my belief have a little bit

developed because when i pray with other

muslims like it feels really amazing

like i i felt like i

someone is helping me like someone is

watching me and someone is like want to

give me the hope because i was really

were you muslim at that time you were

practicing no i wasn't a muslim

i was catholic but i don't have

that much belief you're just trying to

practice but you don't have the belief

in islam yeah i don't have belief but i

just started to practice

a kind of meditation or something yeah

like that's just

at that time i was like oh maybe i can

join like why not like i want to learn

other culture or others religion

and i told you i have i have a little

bit depression at that time really hard

depression and like actually korean

society is very competitive very

comparative and

do you see the squid king

it's like totally same like korean

society it's still the same

there's only one winner and if you don't

win everyone is loser and you think

you're fail fail you're a loser so i

also

thought like oh why my life is like that

why i'm not successful but when i

practice islam at that time i felt like

really different i i felt like i find

something i lost i was lost because i

always thought about that where i'm from

like like like the school teach me every

knowledge about the science maths but

they don't teach me why i'm from and who

am i and where i'm going and after i die

where i go they don't suggest me the way

i have to go in islam i think they give

me the answer that where i have to go

and why do i live i think this is really

important because i was really depressed

because i have no purpose of my life no

purpose like why do i live where i'm

going like what do i have to do i really

have no answer but when i practice islam

and when i'm with muslim friends muslim

people and when i pray like islam guide

me islam answered me about the question

like your purpose of life is to obey

obey allah because the god created us

everything in ramadan i realized that

about the gratitude about the foods

about the water and about my life about

my friends about my family about the

hours everything so after i felt that i

after i realized that i felt like

gratitude to our creator so at the first

time i fasted in ramadan it was like

three years ago you're not muslim then i

was not muslim but i i have belief i

have belief i do believe in god because

i'm i'm in this world and the god only

god teach me and guide me where i have

to go and they only got teach me like

the purpose of the life and how to be

make happy your life so how did you give

the shahadah oh yes yeah it was like two

years ago i think actually i have to

believe after the ramadan

i do have belief

i do believe in god

but i i didn't think about the shahada

because i thought even if i have belief

i can't be muslim because i live in

korea i'm korean the lifestyle is too so

different i think it's not easy you are

the only muslim in your culture in

europe not only muslim but there are a

few but not many but at that time like

some korean muslim messaged me his name

is kharam kimono he studied in medina

right now he graduated

in

university in medina study about the

koran dawa and everything he's his

really knowledgeable muslim guy so he

messaged me i want to help you so i met

him i asked him about this question like

i i have belief but i'm not i'm not sure

i'm not sure

i can be muslim or not and he answered

me he understand about that like nobody

is perfect nobody's perfect and even if

you be a muslim it's not easy to have a

perfect muslim life but if you don't be

a muslim then you can't be any benefits

from this and anything but even if you

do shahada and if you be a muslim and

after that you can change yourself slow

step by step and then god will reward

you more and more because allah our god

is merciful and forgiveness and he's the

greatest so he will help you so if you

be a muslim at first because like you

don't know like you don't i can i can

die right now like like there's a heart

attack or i will traffic accident i

don't know i can die right today or

nobody knows our future yeah so i

so i feel like that way so oh i i i

think i i should be a muslim then

so i

went to dog you didn't tell your parents

at first i didn't

okay

uh so you went to masjid yeah so i went

to masjid in itaewon

and i yeah i do shahada in there

how was the feeling how was the

atmosphere the guys around you

can you describe that moment for us it

was totally amazing it was like when i

find a masjid and there was an imam in

korea he's the most knowledgeable imam

in in korea and

when i found him there was other imams

too there was a meeting at that that day

very out of constance but

uh so i do shahada in there and everyone

in that place congratulations and

welcome to me and welcome to islam and i

felt like

you know that like when i do shahada

ever since every past sins are gone and

you become a new new person you like a

boon baby so i felt like oh this is

really amazing and like happiness i

i can't describe my feelings at the time

it was it was really amazing what was

your family's reaction when they found

out that you converted to islam

actually there i i filmed it

there's a video okay so van

because i i do youtube so i can't hide

it because my family also watch my

youtube so when i talk to my mom she was

so shocked she was so shocked and she

said like how can how can you do that

and

she even talked me like are you going to

be a terrorist

because i i understand because in korea

the because of the image like always the

western media show do negative things

about islam it's because of media so she

was really worried a lot but i tried my

best to explain well about this islam is

not dangerous and this is my belief and

i still love my family and nothing

change it's just about my belief she was

really worried about that but she also

watched my youtube video so she watched

many good muslim kind muslims who helped

me and who explained about islam so she

also started to understand about this

like she have a lot of knowledge about

islam right now because she watch my

video she

doesn't accept islam

not yet in china brothers can pray for

this yeah but she understand and respect

and support me so now what about other

members of your family uh they are so

surprised at first time and my one of my

aunt still messaged me like can you

change your religion again

but they they're surprised but they

support me they they are nothing problem

no problem has anyone from your family

or close circle accepted islam because

of you there is and also

my subscribers sometimes message me like

i saw your video and i want to learn

about islam i want to be a muslim how

can i do that so i message them like oh

i will give you the information the

website and the imam number and where is

the muslim career so some of my

subscribers korean subscribers become a

muslim throw my video so alhamdulillah

i'm i'm so glad i'm really happy about

that what are the three biggest

challenges you've faced after converting

to islam at first when i convert to

islam some of my friends reject me

because they don't understand i'm being

a muslim like my kids also once rejected

from the kindergarten so i think in

korea they are not very open-minded to

other religions i i think i'm not a good

muslim but sometimes people judge about

me a lot like you are muslim then why

you do that why you do that why you do

that this is haram this is haram but i

know and i know i know i'm not perfect i

do mistakes so i think i think i should

try more to repent and try to more close

to allah and try to learn more i think

it's long journey because i just come

into islam and i have to be

more close to god so i think if if i

have that attitude in mind then allah

will help help me i'll always believe

that allah's help

you have a big advantage brother

because for example i get into

adolescence for example 15 years when i

was 15. so i may have so many sins until

this age

but

your exam started three years ago

so you have a lot of advantage compared

to the guy who says this is haram how

can you do that

alhamdulillah be aware of the great work

you have done to defend islam in korea

aren't you afraid of going to jail

yes

i'm from south korea

it's okay it's not north korea we have

freedom of religion and we can't talk

any anything we want we can we can tell

anything i also defend a lot of things

to defend islam because like a few

months ago in tegu the city of korea

there is a con construction of mosque in

there but the residents offended so it

was stopped so like few months ago i

went there as i helped them protest and

work with them to

help their construction of the mosque

yeah it can be problem for me i i don't

care i don't care that much like there's

a freedom in in korea freedom religion

in korea so i can't say what i want so

if there is a disadvantage about this

yeah i i accept that

after becoming muslim did you ever eat

pork by mistake i think so because in

korea

everything is pork base port based

really pork based for example when i go

restaurant i always ask them is there a

pork usually they say oh there's a pork

or when they sometimes they say there's

no pork so i when they say there's no

pork i eat but i feel a little bit

different so i asked them like isn't

this like pork base like the soup is

pork base they say yes and i said you

said there's no pork and they said

there's no pork it's just a soup so like

they they don't have that knowledge

about like halal foods exactly so it's

not easy in korea imagine that you are

sitting in a park a young korean man

comes to you and says

that he knows you and asks you to tell

him about your religion

you have just one minute

what would you say to him i think i have

to explain about the purpose of life

korean society is too comparative and

there many people don't have the purpose

of life so they feel get depression

easily i have to explain them your

purpose of life is obeying god to serve

god and you can find the forever

happiness in there so

if you found the peace in islam yeah you

can find the peace and happiness what

impressed you the most about our prophet

elizabeth

his characteristics his way of living or

a memory from our prophet's life what is

the most impressive thing you think okay

for me when he was tried to spread islam

to the world there was no muslim right

he's the only muslim who could get the

message and who want to spread the islam

the message of islam i feel a little bit

similar because i'm i'm in korea and no

one is muslim i'm the only muslim and i

felt that feelings like how to start

with that like how to

deal how to deal with that but our

prophet muhammad sallam didn't give up i

i think it's impossible thing but he did

he spread islam to the world and now he

started with in in the mecca medina but

now see like far from place like in

indonesia malaysia in the like the west

of africa everyone believes in islam and

in even in south korea i believe in

islam i think this is the amazing thing

and the islam is the most fastest growth

growing up religion in the world so i'm

really

impressed that his personality and his

action his everything but i really

impressed that he did spread islam when

nobody believes islam what do you think

is the biggest lie and the biggest truth

in this world i think the biggest lie is

you can't do it you can't do it you

can't i think this is life because in

korea i told you korea is very

comparative society so if you're not

successful or something many people say

to you you can't do it but it's not like

i can't do everything i can do

everything what i want and it depends on

belief i if i do believe in god and if

if i do believe the help of god and if i

believe the plan of god i can do it i

can try because i have strong motivation

even if you can't reach the goals can

yeah maybe but if you do it with the

strong motivation with your belief then

you can do something even if you can

reach the goal so i think that's it

that's what i think and

the biggest truth is also you can do it

yes same that's what i want to say you

can do it like i believe in the mercy of

god the help of god the plan of god so i

can i can i can do it

what is your biggest dream in this life

i want to be a good person good good

muslim before i die i think it's not

easy thing purpose of life is obey our

god our journey is to go to the jannah i

want to learn more practice more and i

want to do something for korean koreans

too korean culture is a lot of anger and

depression

and i think that one of the biggest

reason is they they don't have belief

they don't have belief because there's

no hope when they are filled with

depression

no one help you you can't

you can't find anyone rely on the

suicide late is the highest korea is the

highest suicide level for example i'm

muslim if there's a good thing i agree

to this is because of god so i gratitude

and if there is a bad thing i also can

think this is just plan of god this is a

trier i can overcome it if you don't

believe god if you're edius if you don't

believe anything then there is a good

thing you think oh i'm successful

because of me so they can be really

organs and if there's a hard thing they

think like oh my word is like this they

blame themselves and they get the

depression and their depression is high

then they suicide or something i think

in korean society really they need the

belief i think imagine that you're a

contestant in squid game and you have to

deceive or lie to someone to avoid

getting killed

what would you do i don't want to die

i don't want to lie

i don't know

you have the right to not answer this

question

yeah i don't know i will not i i will

not answer

okay

thanks for being with us

it was a great pleasure thanks for

inviting me yeah alhamdulillah

hello brothers and sisters and thank you

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