Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
S Korean president calls for religious tolerance amid Islamic bonds row
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
S Korean president calls for religious tolerance amid Islamic bonds row
ANN - Friday, March 4
Send
IM Story
Print
Seoul (The Korea Herald/ANN) - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has said that he wished the South Korean church could help bring the country together, without mentioning its latest fury over a bill on Islamic bonds.
"I hope the Korean church can untie the knots of social conflict and serve as a bridge for national integration," Lee said during the national prayer breakfast in southern Seoul.
"I believe an attitude of understanding and respecting others while restraining oneself is crucial now for our society to harmonise and mature."
Lee did not bring up the Protestant community's strong disapproval of the legislation on Islamic bonds, or sukuk, that caused the ruling Grand National Party to put off deliberations on the bill last week.
Influential pastor Cho Yong-gi, founder of the Yeouido Full Gospel Church, even said he would start a campaign to force Lee out of power if the government continues to push for the sukuk legislation. Other Protestant leaders have threatened to vote against lawmakers who support the bill.
Cho did not attend the congregation Thursday (March 3) as he was travelling abroad on business.
Lee's office has declined to comment on the warnings from the Protestant community, saying instead that the government will continue to persuade those who misunderstand the bill.
Lee's calls for "understanding and respecting others" on Thursday may be his indirect response to the recent furor.
"The Korean church has always been at the forefront of changes to make the society more positive," Lee told some 3,500 Christians attending the annual prayer breakfast.
"(Korea) must strive to achieve reconciliation and peace, starting with us Christians."
Aiming to tap into the Islamic finance market, the government submitted the bill in 2009 to exempt taxes on sukuk. Because the Islamic law forbids charging or paying interests, sukuk bond holders are offered dividends or property leasing profits instead as compensation, raising tax issues. Sukuk investors are put at a disadvantage under the current Korean law as they would be charged with heavier taxes compared to conventional bond investors.
Christian groups like the Korean Association of Church Communication have been pressing legislators to drop the plan to encourage Islamic bond sales, claiming that it grants excessive tax favor to sukuk investors and that it could cause more money to be channeled to terrorist activities.
The parliamentary committee on strategy and finance said it will hold a public hearing on the sukuk bill Friday (March 4) at the National Assembly.
Professors, securities experts and lawyers will take part in the closed-door hearing, the committee said.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Grief-stricken Pakistani Christians bury slain minister Reuters - 2 hours 59 minutes ago
Another Indonesian province outlaws religious sect ANN - Saturday, March 5
Bomb explodes in mosque in Pakistan; 9 killed Reuters - Saturday, March 5
China defence budget to stir regional disquiet Reuters - Saturday, March 5
S Korean president calls for religious tolerance amid Islamic bonds row ANN - Friday, March 4
News Search
Top Stories
NASA Earth observation satellite fails to reach orbit
Police clash with Kadhafi opponents in Tripoli
Libya: live report
Fall in US unemployment sparks optimism
Spanish economy in 'slow recovery'
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
World's sixth mass extinction may be underway: study
Young Mexican female police chief seeks US asylum
Libya live report
Mubarak ally quits as Egyptian PM
World can handle choked oil supplies: Geithner
More Most Viewed »
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Friday, 4 March 2011 Libya live report
Demjanjuk trial to run until mid-May: German court
Japan arrests tech-savvy university exam cheat
Shi'ites stage small protest in Saudi oil province
Libya live report
Libya government accepts Chavez mediation plan: Venezuela
|
US jobless claims drop near three year low
Beijing to trial mobile tracking system: report
Libya jets hit rebel town, crimes against humanity probed
Japan develops mobile phone with human touch
Egypt's PM quits as army seen responding to demands
Pressure relieved as Tunisia refugee airlift kicks in
|
Twitter's Stone: no IPO or funding talks
Suicide bomber kills 10, wounds 26 in Iraq-sources
Iraq PM demands Kurdish forces leave disputed city
|
Iranian navy ships enter Egypt's Suez Canal
Ivorian forces kill 7, post-election toll hits 365
|
Afghan president warns Obama about civilian deaths
China tightens reporting noose on foreign media
Shi'ites stage small protest in Saudi oil province
|
Only 6 percent in China happy, survey finds
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Obama, O'Reilly raise $750,000 in unlikely pairing
U.S. judge refuses to halt new healthcare law
Spielberg studio buys rights to WikiLeaks book: paper
Indonesians shopping less but spending more money
Saudi hardliners disrupt book fair: witnesses
Microfinance guru challenges dismissal from bank
RPT-IMF says may cut New Zealand 2011 growth forecast
Carnival kicks off in Brazil
DreamWorks options movie rights to WikiLeaks books
|
Pakistani stocks end up; rupee flat; o/n rates down
Indonesian teenager arrested for condom possession
Turkish police slammed for fining beer drinkers
Texas man charged with illegal sports event streaming
|
Pakistan's forex reserves fall to $17.50 bln
Zac Posen woos the 'voracious' woman at Paris shows
Indonesian AGO throws support behind local Ahmadiyah bans
Timeline: Apple milestones and product launches
|
Shinsegae to bid for top Korea logistics firm
Foreigners flock to India's world yoga capital
Cambodia says firms lining up to list on new bourse
Election campaign kicks off in Kazakhstan
US military struggles in campus battle
Moscow cancels long-running St Patrick's Day parade
Myanmar suspends rice exports to control price
DreamWorks options movie rights to WikiLeaks books
|
TV show reveals Mike Tyson, pigeon racer
|
Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey on Cowell's X Factor list
|
Star Wars: Episode I goes 3D in 2012
|
Obama, O'Reilly raise $750,000 in unlikely pairing
|
Mubarak ally quits as Egyptian PM
Rome priest sentenced to 15 years for paedophilia
South Korean websites targeted in cyber-attack
World's sixth mass extinction may be underway: study
Medvedev seeks inspiration from reform Tsar
US-TECH Summary
Women flee Sudan's contested Abyei, shots heard
No evidence yet of spying at Renault: French police
World can handle choked oil supplies: Geithner
Libyan rebels, Gaddafi forces battle for oil sites
|
Microsoft's Bing launches deals feature
Mubarak ally quits as Egyptian PM
Nintendo has high hopes for 3DS
China defense budget to stir regional disquiet
|
Young Mexican female police chief seeks US asylum
U.S. contractor to go on trial in Cuba
|
Germany probes 'terror' attack at airport
Nintendo's 3DS contains Toshiba, Fujitsu chips: iFixit
In Kadhafi, web finds a tragi-comic anti-hero
ECB shocks markets with signal of interest rate hike
Hundreds of thousands of downloads for The Daily
Women flee Sudan's contested Abyei, shots heard: U.N
|
Microsoft adds local bargains to Bing results
Tunisia interim president calls July 24 election
|
Surgeon creates new kidney on TED stage
Haitian candidate wary of Aristide's planned return
|
Obama calls on Kadhafi to step down
Search for bodies slows in New Zealand quake
Japan PM Kan says won't call snap election
|
Marvell warns of mobile revenue drop, shares dive
Kevin Spacey, David Fincher build 'House of Cards'
Obama says Libya stalemate a danger
SKorea waiting for North to pick up 27 citizens
Harry Potter London studio tour opens in 2012
US believes missing ex-FBI Levinson agent alive
Dozens of South Korean websites attacked
Marvell quarterly results below estimates
China reports rise in foreign students
Pentagon monitoring Libyan use of air power
China to boost defense spending by 12.7 percent
American faces trial in Cuba on spy charges
Impasse over Bamiyan buddhas, 10 years on
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
French street artist JR launches global project
China to boost defense spending by 12.7 pct
Kevin Spacey, David Fincher build 'House of Cards'
China to boost defense spending by 12.7 percent
Nintendo has high hopes for 3DS
|
Johnny Depp cartoon set to animate box office
Vietnam protests Chinese military drills
Nintendo's 3DS contains Toshiba, Fujitsu chips: iFixit
|
Sheen's legal case against studios not so crazy
Company: Dozens of South Korean websites attacked
Courtney Love to pay $430,000 in Twitter case
Microsoft's Bing launches deals feature
|
Harry Potter London studio tour opens in 2012
Sony says PS3s seized in Netherlands in LG dispute
|
Facebook valued at $65 billion in new investment
|
NY Armory Show showcases world art
Seoul shares gain 1.7 pct on foreign buying, banks
Cuban National Ballet dancers won't leave Canada
POSCO, Lotte, CJ vie for $1.5 bln Korea Express stake
Interview: Doximity gains fans ahead of official launch
|
Seoul shares gain 1.7 pct on foreign buying, banks
Courtney Love to pay $430,000 in Twitter case
|
Lotte unit to invest $400 mln in Pakistan plant
NZ new car registrations falls in Feb
Taiwan heads toward sweeping property tax
Sheen's legal case against studios not so crazy
|
Harry Potter London studio tour opens in 2012
|
Johnny Depp cartoon set to animate box office
|
TV show reveals Mike Tyson, pigeon racer
|
Elizabeth Hurley to appear in Wonder Woman pilot
|
Courtney Love to pay $430,000 in Twitter case
|
Kevin Spacey, David Fincher build 'House of Cards'
|
Libya: live report
Britain's Labour wins by-election, LibDems routed
Apple's Jobs wants iPhone for China Mobile
Libya: live report
Gaddafi forces try to retake rebel town near Tripoli
|
Spanish economy in 'slow recovery'
Thousands of Iraqis defy curbs to protest
Sony says PS3s seized in Netherlands in LG dispute
Yemen rallies grow, Saleh rejects transition plan
|
British advertiser WPP profits soar in 2010
Germany says shooting of U.S. airmen a solo act
|
Several hurt as Sunnis, Shi'ites clash in Bahrain
|
Sony says PS3s seized in Netherlands in LG dispute
U.N. boosts peacekeepers in Sudan's Abyei flashpoint
EU concerned at detention of Turkish journalists
Grief-stricken Pakistani Christians bury slain minister
|
Marines await Taliban move in deadly Afghan valley
EU exec closes antitrust probe into Hollywood studios
Egypt new PM in Tahrir Square, seeks legitimacy
|
Another Indonesian province outlaws religious sect
Hundreds of Jordanians protest and urge reforms
|
Bomb explodes in mosque in Pakistan; 9 killed
Irish coalition talks may miss weekend deadline
|
China defence budget to stir regional disquiet
S Korean president calls for religious tolerance amid Islamic bonds row
Taiwan's Hon Hai is biggest winner with iPad 2 launch: analyst
Frankfurt attack was 'Afghanistan revenge'
Vietnam scrambles to save Hanoi's sacred turtle
Frankfurt attack was 'Afghanistan revenge'
Nepal's ex-rebels finally join new government
POSCO, CJ among bidders for Korea Express stake
Iditarod Race goes high tech with GPS devices
|
Pakistani c.bank to buy govt paper in reverse repo
Brazil foreign chief discusses trade on China trip
Pakistan
Facebook valued at $65 billion in new investment
|
Indian court drops bribery case against Italian
Foster design picked for $2.8B HK cultural hub
Apple's Jobs wants iPhone for China Mobile
|
Britney's single leaks, some predict a club hit
|
Dior hits the Paris catwalk without John Galliano
|
Child star of Oscar-winning film faces deportation
|
EU exec closes antitrust probe into Hollywood studios
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights