Islam in Taiwan

[10] In Taiwan, one branch of this Ting (Chinese: 丁; pinyin: Dīng) family descended from Ajall Shams al-Din Omar resides in Taixi Township, Yunlin County.

[13] There are also two families in Keelung whose ancestral shrine contains a Quran and examples of Arabic script, although they did not understand the significance of these objects until contacts were made recently with the newly arrived Muslims in Taiwan.

[10] Similarly, two or three families in Tainan are reported to observe funeral customs more associated with Islam rather than Taoism or Buddhism, such as ceremonial washing of the body and wrapping it in white cloth, although in other aspects of their life they are normal Taiwanese.

[17][7] Many of them were soldiers and government employees at the time and came from provinces were Islam is strong such as Yunnan, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Anhui and Gansu (mostly southern and western regions of China).

There were Muslims serving as ranking officers of the armed forces, notably Lieutenant General Ma Ching-chiang which once became one of the top advisers of President Chiang Kai-shek.

[21][22][23] In 1989, Taiwan implemented a polity of allowing more migrant workers to fill up blue-collar jobs in the growing industrial sectors, many of them come from Muslim-majority countries in South and Southeast Asia.

[31] In April 2005, President Chen Shui-bian led a delegation from Taiwan to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by a chartered China Airlines flight.

In May 2010, wife of the owner of Shin Hua Hang Fashion Co. in Taipei County was charged for forcing her three Muslim Indonesian employees to eat pork for seven months.

Ku Yu-ling, chairperson of TIWA, said that the root of the problem lies in the government repeatedly delaying including migrant caregivers under the Labor Standards Act to protect their basic working rights.

[41][42] Currently, there are various Taiwanese Muslims working as civil servants, military personnel, engineers, doctors, lawyers and professors at higher learning institutes, trade and industry sectors.

In 2019, the government provided subsidies to a number of stalls of the night market to encourage them to apply for halal certifications from the International Muslim Tourism Industry Development Association.

[75] The certification was made by the Indonesian Ulema Council after their food, drugs and cosmetic products provided were certified Halal, as well as having a Muslim prayer room.

He said that Taiwan needs to have some of the Islamic spirit of standing in awe of the supreme God, upholding peace and justice, helping the weak and poor, promoting social stability, being content with what one is and working hard.

He further added that in recent years, Taiwan has made significant progress in expanding affairs with the Muslim world, creating a win-win situation for all parties involved and also triggering more interest in Islam among Taiwanese people.

[104] Before releasing a delegation for the 2013 Hajj pilgrimage at the Presidential Office Building, President Ma Ying-jeou said that Islam has enriched Taiwan's cultural diversity despite being a minority religion.

[109] Upon receiving the returning Taiwanese from the pilgrimage, President Tsai Ing-wen said to the group for them to foster closer ties with the Muslim world for the sake of mutual benefit and assistance.

President Tsai welcomed them with an Arabic greeting and praised Islam for being one of the most influential religion in the world that emphasizes peace, justice and the obligation to help the poor.

[121] Since 2011, Taiwan has been working hard to capture the growing market of Muslim travelers, such as providing more and more Muslim-friendly restaurants and hotels, including facilities such as signs pointing to the direction of Kaaba for prayer, and shooting promotional movies.

[131] In September 2014, Taiwan took part in promoting its 51 Muslim-friendly restaurants and hotels as well as its 13 scenic areas which have Muslim prayer rooms during the MATTA Fair in Malaysia in a bid to attract Malaysian visitors.

[145] NCCU President Wu Se-hwa expressed that the exhibition would help Taiwanese people gain a better understanding of Islamic culture and lead to further exchanges between the two sides.

In conjunction with the main exhibition, the organizers also hold some spin-off events, such as Halal food fair, Muslim music concert, Islamic calligraphy demonstrations and tour to Taipei Grand Mosque.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Foreign Affairs Minister David Lin said that the symposium represents a confidence by the world Muslim community in the promotion of religious equality by the government.

Lin also added that Taiwan has helped the conflicts happening in parts of Iraq and Syria by aiding more than US$8.25 million in assistance, including 350 prefabricated shelters to refugees.

[148] The 16th General Assembly of the Regional Islamic Dawah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) was held in December 2015 in Taipei, the first time in Taiwan.

The summit involved experts from academics, literary, art and business sectors, who shared their experience in addressing issues related to Islam and ways to create a better environment for Muslims in Taiwan.

Many younger generations also prefer to spend their limited leisure time in places like karaoke, bars, nightclubs and cafes due to the lack of interest and the perception that there is little to gain from religion when success in Chinese culture is defined by wealth and status.

[165] In August 2021, Vice President William Lai and Pan-Green Coalition were mocked in PTT Bulletin Board System by using mistranslated references to some Islamic terminologies.

Currently it has 13 branches, including in Keelung, Guanyin, Taoyuan, Taichung, Changhua, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Donggang, Pingtung, Yilan, Daxi, Hualien, Pintung, while the head quarter in Taipei.

This community was founded to allow Muslim students from different cultures to hold joint worship, Islamic agenda, exchange ideas, and social activities.

[190] Based on the sequence of their publicized establishment date, they are: Besides mosques, Taiwan also houses several dedicated small-size Muslim prayer rooms, such as in:[191] [200] National Central University Taoyuan- at 2F, Vivo Plaza (next to the Student Club Center) .