<p>Okay.
so i know this is random but i have this question that has been nagging me for a loooong time.</p>
<p>I’ve been taking Korean as a foreign language for 3 years now. II love Korean and Japanese culture, much to my parent’ appointment (azra, WHY U LYK ASIANS??) someday i want to go to Korea and japan but the thing is, i can’t bow because im a muslim and yeha…muslim’s can’t bow.
How do I explain this to a korean? I don’t know…I mean, I can explain this to some American korean but the people in Korea are traditional, would they be offended? (this goes for japan too)</p>
<p>thnks guys!!! (oh and please don’t say anything offensive, i will hunt you down and shave off your eyebrows in your sleep!!!) :)</p>
<p>If you are going to a place where bowing is customary(not all places have people who bow), then I think you should follow their practices, especially if you’re going to a place voluntarily. And also, I think it’s ridiculous that you can’t bow. Will you be commiting a mortal sin if you… BOW!!!</p>
<p>It is a mortal sin…I’m serious.
Because, Muslims can only bow to God. That’s why when we perform our 5 Daily Prayers, bowing is one of our positions. We are only slaves to our God.</p>
<p>anyways…how did this get so religious? ah, i should have anticipated this. well, whatever.</p>
<p>Hm. For Muslims, bowing and shaking hands with married women are severe sins.</p>
<p>That being said, bowing in Japan and Korea comes at two levels. The full bow is used infrequently, only when being polite.</p>
<p>A more casual half bow, half nod is more common when meeting or leaving people. In Korea, this is what you will see much more. In Japan, a simple conversation is often accompanied by four or five ‘nods’ that show emphasism and agreement. You don’t bend your waist, but rather your neck. Would nodding be a violation of Islam?</p>
<p>In any case, its hard to explain a tradition not known to anyone, not just Korea. In any case, I garuantee Koreans and Japanese alike will not be offended if you don’t bow- you are a foreigner after all. They just might be confused, and you’ll have to explain your customs.</p>
<p>You probably should only explain to people you’ll know for a long time. If its someone you meet once, they wont mind since you’re a foreigner and they understand that foreigners have different customs</p>
<p>I really love Korea+japan too. I live in Asia, I am Thai, so I understand your status</p>
<p>but it is really hard for you to explain to every Korean and Japanese you meet</p>
<p>One who don’t bow other especially the older is realized as one who has a bad manner and in the our society, he may receive some ignorant or something like this because both Korean and Japanese has their own strong culture. It is hard to stand in Korean society without bowing</p>
<p>I don’t know whether this is a absolute sin because my friends are Muslim and they also pay respect others who are older by begging( I don’t know how to explain this action)</p>
<p>Hi, I’m Korean! As long as it’s not a formal setting, it wouldn’t matter. It’s not like you’re going to bow to the lady at the supermarket or anything. The only times I bow to people is when I’m at church or at a family get-together.</p>
<p>When I first read the title of this thread, I thought it said “Koreans and Bowling”.</p>
<p>To me what matters is not the physical act of bowing, but rather why you are bowing and what is going on in your heart and in your head at the time of the bow.</p>