Former Korean Singer Plans To Build A Mosque, Muslim Community Denounces
Recently, controversial ex-singer and YouTuber Daud Kim re-entered the spotlight with his latest plans.
Daud Kim, then Jay Kim, began his singing career on YouTube, posting covers and original works before transitioning to Korean lifestyle content.
In 2020, he announced his conversion to Islam, at which point his content began reflecting this.
In mid-April 2023, Kim took to Instagram to announce that he had purchased land intending to build a masjid or mosque in Incheon, Korea. In his post, he left payment information and asked others to help make his “dream” a reality.
However, this has been met with much criticism and warnings from Muslims and those who have interacted with Kim.
In 2022, Kim made headlines as he was accused of converting to Islam “for clout” and his alleged attempted rape of a woman resurfaced. Kim was also reportedly seen clubbing after his conversion, and his wife Mia shared photos of bruises he allegedly gave to her and accused him of running away to avoid divorce proceedings.
Who Is Daud Kim? The Muslim YouTuber Embroiled In Multiple Controversies
With his recent announcement, these allegations have resurfaced, and many Muslims have urged against donating to Kim.
Farah Lee, a Malaysian influencer who lived in Korea for several years, shared a post about why crowdfunding for a mosque in Korea was impossible. Among several other reasons, she brought up that, according to Korean law, raising donations through private accounts is illegal, and getting money back in the case of fraud would be extremely difficult.
Korean influencer Ayana Jihye Moon also urged against donating to private accounts and suggested that those who wish to donate only do so to officially registered organizations, such as the Korean Muslim Federation, which she mentioned.
Tada! #Eid & #Zakat Update 0:
Visited Masjid #Seoul in #Itaewon ! And I was excited to see my name on the donor wall
I will keep on helping, sponsoring and donating for our Ummah if Allah SWT allows.
However, I have #NEVER donated to anyone’s #private account as it’s very dangerous. I hope all of our brothers and sisters can donate to the organization which officially registered somewhere.
As of now, I only donate to Korean Muslim Federation (KMF) in Seoul Central Masjid.
May Allah SWT protect us from all the sins.
Ameen. Eid Mubarak— Ayana Moon’s post caption
Political activist Austin Bashore also cautioned against Kim, sharing his interaction with the former star at a Free Palestine event in Seoul. According to Bashore, Kim “took two pictures and one video of himself, pretended to participate for the video, and left.”
I met Daud Kim at a Free Palestine event in Seoul. I walked up to him, introduced myself, and talked to him for about 5 minutes.
He came, took two pictures and one video of himself, pretended to participate for the video, and left.
Please be cautious of him. https://t.co/846W4nOPTM
— Austin Bashore (美녹색당 오스틴 배쇼어) 🔰🎗️ (@BashoreForOhio) April 17, 2024
Netizens have also taken it upon themselves to warn others of Kim’s past.
‼️⚠️***SCAMMER WARNING*** ⚠️ ‼️
Daud Kim was a scammer be careful not to give any funds to him. Read below to learn more plus he’s a well known rapist, abuser & clout chaser using Islam for contents plus there is a news on Naver about how his lied.
🔗 https://t.co/l5VboQDDHg https://t.co/I2dMHi5GfK pic.twitter.com/JyUNYofT57
— ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨🧸୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ (@yougogurlz) April 17, 2024
Another man using religion to rebrand after being exposed as a sexual predator. https://t.co/hUcZjAwkw5
— inqilāb (@tastefullysaucy) April 17, 2024
Islam in korea is pretty safe without him.
+ Pls take ur time to read this story of ayana moon. A fellow korean regarding what he did to this land and mosque https://t.co/JuSSSuh1Yg pic.twitter.com/E6uA9x1dt0
— ♡𖹭 (@saturdeat) April 17, 2024
While many would support the plans to build a mosque in Korea, it is under the condition that it be done through the correct channels.
