After winning the Grand Prize and 1st place in the Daegu region

Hamza, a third-year student at Yongsan Middle School in Daegu, is a Pakistani-Korean born in Korea. In early 2023, when he was in the fifth grade of elementary school, he demonstrated his exceptional intellect by winning first place in Daegu and second place nationwide in the Bilingual Speech Contest. The languages he speaks—Korean, English, Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, and even Arabic for reading the Quran—number an impressive six.

Hamza is a youth of extraordinary depth of thought, inspired by the independence spirit of Korean patriot An Jung-geun and admiring the humanity of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who built hospitals for the poor.

Influenced by his father, a textile businessman, Hamza dreams of becoming a businessman or a diplomat, and his vision is both delightful and ambitious. He dreams of opening a Korean dessert franchise, "Sulbing," in his father's hometown of Swat, where summer temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius, and he hopes to hold a grand, traditional Pashtun wedding featuring days of singing and dancing. As the second of five siblings, he loves his bustling household, yet he possesses a mature heart, holding back on things he wants to ease the burden on his parents.

All my friends from Daegu also won the Minister of Education Award.

Hamza has one small but desperate wish: to freely buy and eat Korean halal ramen. Paradoxically, halal ramen produced by major domestic conglomerates is exported entirely overseas. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of Muslims staying in Korea face the bizarre reality of having to "re-import" domestic ramen exported abroad, paying as much as 5,000 won per packet.

Fortunately, Yongsan Middle School, which Hamza attends, provides halal school meals—a rare sight nationwide—but once he steps outside, finding a halal Korean restaurant is like finding a needle in a haystack. Meaning "permitted by God" in Arabic, "halal" transcends mere religious commandments to signify "healthy, clean, and safe food." In Europe, even non-Muslims seek out halal products as well-being food, but Korea's perception and infrastructure remain regrettably inadequate.

Out of the global population of 8 billion, the Islamic world accounts for 2 billion (one-quarter). Amidst population explosions toward 2050, the population of the Islamic cultural sphere is projected to grow to anywhere from 3 billion to 5 billion. Combined with the Indian cultural sphere, the 20-million—Correction based on text context/scale: 2 billion—Southwest Asian market is bound to become a core stage for future global business.

Inheriting the Silk Road's culture of hospitality in treating guests with utmost care, and deeply understanding the cultures of two nations with his mastery of six languages, Hamza is already a prepared "global bridge." The reason we must broaden our social consensus and grow our capacity for inclusion regarding specialized diets (such as vegan and halal) is clear. When multicultural talents like Hamza are able to freely unfold their dreams on the stage of the Republic of Korea, our society's future and global competitiveness will grow alongside them. We enthusiastically cheer on the future of Hamza, who is growing boldly as the hope of two nations.

Winning the Minister of Education Award (Gold Medal) at the national competition held in Seoul

With friends from Pakistan

Celebrating Eid with family at the Daegu Mosque