اليابان: المسلمون يؤكدون أهمية العبادات وسط الأجواء الرمضانية

خبر من مصادر إنجليزية.

بالرغم من انحصار الأقلية المسلمة فيما لا يتجاوز 10 آلاف مسلم، وَفْق تقديرات الجمعية الإسلامية اليابانية في الدولة ذات الأغلبية التي تعتنق الشنتو والبوذية - فإن المسلمين الذين تتنامى أعدادهم أكدوا أهمية أداء العبادات في حياتهم، وخاصةً الصلاة والصيام.

ويؤكد "يوهي ماتسوياما" - رئيس الجمعية - أنه يهتم بتدريس اللغة العربية لابنته التي تبلغ 8 أعوام، مشيرًا إلى قصة إسلامه قد أتت بعد دراسةٍ، ثم تحوُّل إلى النصرانية، ثم اعتناق للإسلام، وتخصَّص في دراسته وتَسَمَّى باسم "مجاهد"؛ المصدر: شبكة الألوكة.

يرجى الإشارة إلى المصدر عند نقل الخبر - شبكة الألوكة.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

Muslims in Japan observe fasting month of Ramadan

Yohei Matsuyama breaks his daylong fast with chopsticks. He's seated on the floor at a narrow table with a dozen other Japanese Muslim men and boys as they eat "gyudon," a dish consisting of rice topped with beef.

These Japanese Muslims are observing the holy month of Ramadan. The dawn-to-dusk fasting, which is an exercise in self-restraint, is intended to bring the faithful closer to God.

"Praying is very important for me. Praying is more important than work," said Matsuyama, 31, who does postdoctoral research on the history of Islamic thought at Tokyo University.

He lives with his wife and 8-year-old daughter, to whom he teaches Arabic. His family is all Muslim.

Shinto and Buddhism are the predominant religions of Japan. The Japan Muslim Association, of which Matsuyama is the director, puts the number of native Japanese Muslims in the country at around 10,000.

Matsuyama's interest in religion began early. In junior high school, he was influenced by the Bible and considered himself a Christian. But he changed his mind a few years later, converting to Islam at the age of 18.

"I read the basic teachings of Islam on the Internet and thought that's the ultimate religion for me. So I decided to convert," he said.

"Perhaps I was a bit different from the average Japanese," said Matsuyama, who is also known by his Muslim name, Mujahid.

"My family (was) surprised about my conversion," he said. "But my family is open-minded."