Religion: Funeral held for Church founder Sun Myung Moon

Tens of thousands of people have attended the funeral in South Korea of religious leader Sun Myung Moon.

The founder of the Unification Church died earlier this month, aged 92. On Saturday his red and gold coffin was carried into a vast arena filled with mourners near Seoul.

The church, which claims millions of members worldwide, became famous for its mass wedding ceremonies.

But it was also accused of brainwashing converts, often known as "Moonies".

An estimated 30,000 mourners - including thousands from overseas - attended the funeral at the Church's headquarters in the resort of Gapyeong north-east of the capital, Seoul.

Many sobbed quietly as an honour guard, accompanied by members of Moon's immediate family, carried the coffin through the stadium and placed it at the foot of huge portrait.

Moon, who had been suffering from pneumonia, died on 3 September at a hospital in Gapyeong.

He was born in 1920 in Pyongyang province in what is now North Korea, and established the Church in refugee camps in 1954, saying he had been asked by Jesus to set up God's kingdom on Earth.

Moon denied allegations of brainwashing, but spent 11 months in jail in the US - where he moved to in the early 1970s - after being convicted of tax evasion in 1982.

The Unification Church has developed a global business empire, setting up newspapers, arms factories, universities and food distributors.

The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) taught all his followers, through his actions, how to correctly behave towards the dead:

"As a funeral procession went by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up and those with him followed his example. Someone said: Messenger of Allah, this is the funeral cortege of a Jewish woman. He observed: Death is a matter of grief and awe, therefore, when you see any funeral passing you should stand up as a token of respect."


The Ahmadiyya Post, Religion. 15 Sept 2012