Religion

Taiwan 2002

Religion

Islam

Chinese Muslim History
The spread of Islam among the Chinese is one of many examples that follow the Islamic teaching "no compulsion in religion." (Qur'an 2:256) The first Muslim envoys to China were officially recorded in a.d. 651, proving that the Chinese royalty of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was introduced and invited to Islam more than 1,000 years ago. The messengers were well received and the Chingchiao Mosque 清教寺 was built in the capital city Changan as a gesture of goodwill.
Between a.d. 651 and 798, a total of 39 Muslim delegations visited China. However, it was the constant flow of merchants who came eastward from the Islamic world through the Silk Road and Spice Road, married local Chinese, and eventually formed a new ethnic group--Hui 回族, that truly carried out the mission of spreading the Islamic teachings. According to an official chronicle, around 4,000 Muslims had been living in Changan for more than 40 years by a.d. 787.
Quanzhou, now named Jinjiang, a coastal city in the southeastern Fujian Province, was one of the four ports open to foreign merchants in the Tang dynasty. Mosques built in Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Hangzhou (all coastal cities) can be traced back to as early as the eighth century. Around 1350, a Ting Muslim clan 丁氏 migrated to Chendai 陳埭 to escape ethnic violence. The Ting descendents were almost completely sinicized by 17th century, including the families that came to Taiwan.
In 1376, a Kuo Muslim clan 郭氏 escaped from Quanzhou to the remote Baiqi 百崎 in Huian County near Quanzhou. They maintained their religion for five generations until another social unrest destroyed their mosques and faith. Nevertheless, more than one hundred of the seventh to 10th generations Baiqi Kuo's reverted to Islam. Their offspring joined the troops that Koxinga led to Taiwan in the mid-17th century, among other Muslims and non-Muslims. Some of these soldiers made Taiwan their permanent home, leaving historical traces that are still visible in Lukang, Tamsui, and other places. By the time of Taiwan's retrocession to China in 1945, however, most of the descendants of these Muslims no longer embraced Islam; at best, only a few Islamic burial traditions were still observed.

Muslims in Taiwan
Approximately 20,000 Muslims accompanied the central government to Taiwan in 1949; most were soldiers, civil servants, or food service workers. Two Muslim organizations reestablished themselves in Taiwan: the Chinese Muslim Association (CMA) 中國回教協會 and the Chinese Muslim Youth League 中國回教青年會.
Differences in everyday habits and customssuch as food and drink or religious ceremonies and activities--limited contacts between Muslims and the mainstream Taiwanese during the 1950s. Believers in Islam depended to a large extent on a liaison network that regularly met in a house on Lishui Street 麗水街 in Taipei. By the 1960s, realizing that return to the mainland would not be likely in the immediate future, Muslims in Taiwan began to engage in permanent occupations. Although there was still a considerable degree of interdependence in the community, Muslims began, primarily out of professional need, to have increasingly frequent contact with the mainstream society. In the past five decades, the first generation of these Muslim immigrants to Taiwan has gradually passed away. Many of the second and third generations Muslims married converts. Ethnic background does not pose any obstacle when new converts join the family of Islam.
Taiwan's busy urban lifestyle has been a trial to both converts and hereditary Muslims. Only a few Muslim women have adopted the traditional veil; and a handful of halal butchers and restaurants prepare meat according to the strict Islamic food observances. Attending prayer services every Friday is another test for Muslim employees. In addition, all prayers are conducted in Arabic, which means that every adherent must learn the language despite linguistic constraints.
Since the 1980s, thousands of Muslims from Indochina came to Taiwan in search of a better life. Many of them are descendents of the nationalist soldiers who fled to Myanmar and northern Thailand after the communists took over their homeland--Yunnan Province. Three out of the six mosques in Taiwan are currently lead by imams from this part of the world.
Three Arabian-style mosques, constructed in Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Lungkang, have joined Taipei's two mosques in meeting the needs of Muslim faithful during the 1980s. These three mosques cost a total of US$2.7 million, half of which was funded by overseas donations, predominantly from the Middle East. In addition, a four-story apartment building financed by Muslims in the Tainan and Kaohsiung areas has been built on a piece of donated land in Tainan to serve as a mosque. The Taipei Grand Mosque, on the verge of being demolished several times because of disputes over land deeds, was recognized as a Taipei City religious heritage site in 1999 after being surveyed by academics and scholars. The four-decade old mosque will be protected on its present site.
The CMA has been sending Muslim students overseas to receive formal Islamic education for decades and the Taiwan Muslim community retained weekend classes for their young since World War II. The new generation of the scattered Muslim population are not merely working to preserve their faith and identity, but also actively introducing their religion to the people on Taiwan. For instance, the Association has developed a plan to "educate the secular educators" and obtained approval from the Taipei City Bureau of Education 臺北市教育局 to hold introductory courses for primary and secondary school teachers during summer vacations. Providing authentic Islamic information to public school teachers is intended to eliminate stereotyping and misunderstanding.
Like all members of the international Muslim community, Muslims in Taiwan must observe their five basic duties, including the pilgrimage to Mecca. On February 17, 2001, a total of 24 Muslims from Taiwan began their religious journey and returned on March 12. As the number of Muslims traveling to and through Taiwan increased, the Kaohsiung International Airport administration has accepted the CMA's suggestion and set up a prayer room for Muslims in its terminal in July 2001, and the CKS International Airport followed suit in August.
As of 2000, Taiwan was home to approximately 54,000 Muslims. It also had 34 mullahs, six mosques, five libraries, and one publishing house with six publications. Nearly 88,500 Indonesian and 90 Malaysian workers also resided in Taiwan by July 2001 and many of them participated in the activities of the local congregation. The mosques liaise with the local authorities on behalf of these Muslims in emergency situations to provide timely assistance.

Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		Religion
		Islam Chinese Muslim History The spread of Islam among the Chinese is one of many examples that follow the Islamic teaching "no compulsion in religion." (Qur'an 2:256) The first Muslim envoys to China were officially recorded in a.d. 651, proving that the Chinese royalty of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was introduced and invited to Islam more than 1,000 years ago. The messengers were well received and the Chingchiao Mosque 清教寺 was built in the capital city Changan as a gesture of goodwill. Between a.d. 651 and 798, a total of 39 Muslim delegations visited China. However, it was the constant flow of merchants who came eastward from the Islamic world through the Silk Road and Spice Road, married local Chinese, and eventually formed a new ethnic group--Hui 回族, that truly carried out the mission of spreading the Islamic teachings. According to an official chronicle, around 4,000 Muslims had been living in Changan for more than 40 years by a.d. 787. Quanzhou, now named Jinjiang, a coastal city in the southeastern Fujian Province, was one of the four ports open to foreign merchants in the Tang dynasty. Mosques built in Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Hangzhou (all coastal cities) can be traced back to as early as the eighth century. Around 1350, a Ting Muslim clan 丁氏 migrated to Chendai 陳埭 to escape ethnic violence. The Ting descendents were almost completely sinicized by 17th century, including the families that came to Taiwan. In 1376, a Kuo Muslim clan 郭氏 escaped from Quanzhou to the remote Baiqi 百崎 in Huian County near Quanzhou. They maintained their religion for five generations until another social unrest destroyed their mosques and faith. Nevertheless, more than one hundred of the seventh to 10th generations Baiqi Kuo's reverted to Islam. Their offspring joined the troops that Koxinga led to Taiwan in the mid-17th century, among other Muslims and non-Muslims. Some of these soldiers made Taiwan their permanent home, leaving historical traces that are still visible in Lukang, Tamsui, and other places. By the time of Taiwan's retrocession to China in 1945, however, most of the descendants of these Muslims no longer embraced Islam; at best, only a few Islamic burial traditions were still observed. Muslims in Taiwan Approximately 20,000 Muslims accompanied the central government to Taiwan in 1949; most were soldiers, civil servants, or food service workers. Two Muslim organizations reestablished themselves in Taiwan: the Chinese Muslim Association (CMA) 中國回教協會 and the Chinese Muslim Youth League 中國回教青年會. Differences in everyday habits and customssuch as food and drink or religious ceremonies and activities--limited contacts between Muslims and the mainstream Taiwanese during the 1950s. Believers in Islam depended to a large extent on a liaison network that regularly met in a house on Lishui Street 麗水街 in Taipei. By the 1960s, realizing that return to the mainland would not be likely in the immediate future, Muslims in Taiwan began to engage in permanent occupations. Although there was still a considerable degree of interdependence in the community, Muslims began, primarily out of professional need, to have increasingly frequent contact with the mainstream society. In the past five decades, the first generation of these Muslim immigrants to Taiwan has gradually passed away. Many of the second and third generations Muslims married converts. Ethnic background does not pose any obstacle when new converts join the family of Islam. Taiwan's busy urban lifestyle has been a trial to both converts and hereditary Muslims. Only a few Muslim women have adopted the traditional veil; and a handful of halal butchers and restaurants prepare meat according to the strict Islamic food observances. Attending prayer services every Friday is another test for Muslim employees. In addition, all prayers are conducted in Arabic, which means that every adherent must learn the language despite linguistic constraints. Since the 1980s, thousands of Muslims from Indochina came to Taiwan in search of a better life. Many of them are descendents of the nationalist soldiers who fled to Myanmar and northern Thailand after the communists took over their homeland--Yunnan Province. Three out of the six mosques in Taiwan are currently lead by imams from this part of the world. Three Arabian-style mosques, constructed in Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Lungkang, have joined Taipei's two mosques in meeting the needs of Muslim faithful during the 1980s. These three mosques cost a total of US$2.7 million, half of which was funded by overseas donations, predominantly from the Middle East. In addition, a four-story apartment building financed by Muslims in the Tainan and Kaohsiung areas has been built on a piece of donated land in Tainan to serve as a mosque. The Taipei Grand Mosque, on the verge of being demolished several times because of disputes over land deeds, was recognized as a Taipei City religious heritage site in 1999 after being surveyed by academics and scholars. The four-decade old mosque will be protected on its present site. The CMA has been sending Muslim students overseas to receive formal Islamic education for decades and the Taiwan Muslim community retained weekend classes for their young since World War II. The new generation of the scattered Muslim population are not merely working to preserve their faith and identity, but also actively introducing their religion to the people on Taiwan. For instance, the Association has developed a plan to "educate the secular educators" and obtained approval from the Taipei City Bureau of Education 臺北市教育局 to hold introductory courses for primary and secondary school teachers during summer vacations. Providing authentic Islamic information to public school teachers is intended to eliminate stereotyping and misunderstanding. Like all members of the international Muslim community, Muslims in Taiwan must observe their five basic duties, including the pilgrimage to Mecca. On February 17, 2001, a total of 24 Muslims from Taiwan began their religious journey and returned on March 12. As the number of Muslims traveling to and through Taiwan increased, the Kaohsiung International Airport administration has accepted the CMA's suggestion and set up a prayer room for Muslims in its terminal in July 2001, and the CKS International Airport followed suit in August. As of 2000, Taiwan was home to approximately 54,000 Muslims. It also had 34 mullahs, six mosques, five libraries, and one publishing house with six publications. Nearly 88,500 Indonesian and 90 Malaysian workers also resided in Taiwan by July 2001 and many of them participated in the activities of the local congregation. The mosques liaise with the local authorities on behalf of these Muslims in emergency situations to provide timely assistance. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution