"I Thought.. I Can't Be A Muslim!" I The Story Of Daud Kim
Summary
TLDRDawud, 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
- ๐ Dawud, born and raised in South Korea, converted to Islam a few years ago after studying music and visiting Indonesia.
- ๐ He originally had a Catholic background, with his birth name being David, which he changed to Dawud after converting.
- ๐น๐ท Dawud plans to move to a Muslim country like Turkey, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia to learn more about Islam.
- ๐ Despite being Catholic, Dawud did not feel a deep belief in God until he started exploring Islam.
- ๐ His curiosity about Islam began during a trip to Indonesia, where he observed the kindness and hospitality of Muslim people.
- ๐น Dawud started a YouTube channel to share his experiences and insights about Islam, gaining a following and inspiring others.
- ๐ After converting to Islam, Dawud faced rejection from some friends and encountered challenges due to cultural differences.
- ๐ His family was initially shocked and concerned about his conversion, but they eventually understood and respected his choice.
- ๐ก Dawud emphasizes the purpose of life in Islam, which provided him with hope and direction during times of depression.
- ๐ 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
๐ 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.
๐ 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.
๐ 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.
๐ช 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.
๐ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กConversion to Islam
๐กCatholic Background
๐กCultural Differences
๐กIslamic Practices
๐กPurpose of Life
๐กChallenges of Conversion
๐กIslamic Community
๐กMedia Influence
๐กDepression and Hope
๐กProphet Muhammad
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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Who was Malcolm X?
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