“Islam is more than a religion, it’s also a lifestyle,” said Abdullah Liu (柳根榮), the imam —or leader — of the Longgang Mosque, who came to Taiwan from Myanmar.
“We have to follow rules in the Koran strictly, but it may be difficult because Taiwan is not an Islamic country,” Liu said.
For example, according to the Koran, the remains of the deceased have to be buried in soil, “but it’s not always easy to find burial grounds in Taiwan, not to mention that many cemeteries require family members of the deceased to reopen the tomb and put the remains of the deceased into an urn after some years,” Liu said, adding that according to Islamic law, when one is buried, he or she should remain buried there permanently.
“Besides, Muslims cannot eat pork, and can only eat Halal meats — that’s not always easy to find,” Liu said.
Manoucherhr Ghorbani-Koshikaki, an Iranian who has been living in Taiwan for over a decade, knows exactly what Liu means.
“When I first arrived in Taiwan, I did not eat anything and only drank water for three days because I didn’t know what I could eat,” Ghorbani-Koshikaki said.
Maria Wang (王天圓), a 15-year-old Muslim living in Bade City (八德), Taoyuan County, has the same concern, but she has found her own solution.
“I usually bring my own lunchbox to school, and when meeting friends for a meal, I go out after eating at home and just sit at the table talking to my friends,” she said.
Social interaction also has its pitfalls.
“Muslims are not supposed to have physical contact with a person of the opposite sex that isn’t a family member or spouse,” Wang said. “So whenever a girl holds out her hand, wanting to shake hands with me when we first meet, I have to just say ‘sorry.’”
Wearing a headscarf is another issue.
“I don’t wear a headscarf to school, I wear it only when I go to the mosque,” Wang said.
“My classmates wouldn’t discriminate against me if I wore the headscarf, but they would look at me strangely,” she said.
Meanwhile, for Muslims who came here as migrant workers, performing the daily ritual prayers five times a day — one of the “five pillars” of being a Muslim — also presents difficulties.
“I work about 24 hours a day — I take care of my boss’ mother, and I do chores and whatever my boss asks me to do,” said a caretaker from Indonesia who wished to be called only “Atan.”
“Yes, I want to perform my daily prayers like a good Muslim should, but how is that possible?” she asked.
While it may still be a while before mainstream society in Taiwan understands Islam, Ishag Ma is hopeful.
In order to help children from Muslim families to retain their religious traditions, the mosques in Taiwan have been offering Koran study classes and summer camps.
“So far, it has been successful,” Ishag Ma said.
“With more and more Muslims from other countries moving to Taiwan, I hope that they would plant the new seeds for Islam in Taiwan,” he said.
RSS