The first-ever international seminar on Islam in Taiwan will be conducive to substantial relations between the country and the Islamic world, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Lin Chin-chung (
Noting that the seminar not only shows the government's respect for religious freedom but also demonstrates the country's support for promoting exchanges with the Islamic world, Lin said that the Islamic world will gain a better understanding of Taiwan's development in various fields.
A delegation headed by WML Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki is scheduled to stay in Taipei until March 21. While in Taiwan they are expected to visit the Central Election Commission on Saturday to gain an understanding of its vote-counting operations.
The WML, with its headquarters in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, was founded in 1962 to promote Islam, humanitarian aid and cooperation among Islamic countries and organizations. It is one of the most influential non-governmental organizations in the Islamic world.
The history of Islam in Taiwan dates back to the mid-17th century when a group of Muslims immigrated to Taiwan from China together with Koxinga or Cheng Cheng-kung (
Taiwan has about 50,000 Muslim citizens. In addition, about 50,000 Muslims from Islamic countries are working in the country. There are six mosques that sponsor many Islamic religious activities and festivities each year, Lin added.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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