COVID-19 확산과 이슬람 세계

Abstract

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pedemic, pointing to the significantly increasing positive cases of the virus around the world and the sustained risk of its further global spread. Along with these developments of the outbreak all over the world, the international community has experienced new challenges and problems to date, and it continues to undergo such evolving situations, with far reaching repercussions. Some scholars say that this situation may constitute a paradigm shift in terms of its overall impact to the global society. This indicates that the pandemic is not only causing serious challenges for medical treatment of the virus itself but also generating unprecedented circumstances in international community together with its overarching political, social and economic issues such as a wave of social dislocation and panic, economic depression as well as discrimination and xenophobia in the repugnant nature of racism around the world. It appears that the similar situation goes for the Islamic countries. In addition to its particular chaotic implications in political, social and economic life, Islamic society is also facing considerable difficulties which may require inevitable adjustments of its longstanding religious custom that has followed for more than around 1400 years. As such, with growing global concerns of this pedemic, a chaotic situation also continues in the Islamic world and, in turn, it affects Christian missionary works among the Islamic world with more challenges and issues that need to be addressed. That being so, for Christian, in particular, who have been carrying out missionary studies and tasks for a long time, as part of its duty and responsibility for Christianity in the Muslim world, it is imperative to consider how the Gospel of Christ will be able to be evangelized continuously and in a more effective and secure manner in these challenging situations. Indeed, the current situations would require deeper and more earnest contemplation for a variety of missionary works so as to deal with such chaotic circumstances in the course of Christian missionary works in the Muslim world. Furthermore, going forward, it emphasizes that Christian should take actions more resolutely yet carefully to the very demands of the Gospel in response to these specifically challenging circumstances.