Afghanistan [late last month] was taken over by the Taliban and people were panicking. The capital, Kabul, suffered terrorist attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.
As US and NATO forces retreated, terrorist attacks left many people homeless, and after US President Joe Biden ordered counterattacks, the two sides fought, suffering heavy casualties.
On Taiwanese Internet forums, people were ridiculing the international community, mocking the capabilities of Muslims, making fun of Islamic texts and doctrines, and showing great disrespect to Islam, one of the world’s three major religions with 1.9 billion believers.
This hurt the Muslim community in Taiwan and prompted the Islamic Association of Taiwan to issue a statement.
This so-called “parody culture,” satirizing real life, is prevalent in the entertainment industry. In this era of online information and extreme news, it is often used to tarnish the image of political figures. It seems humorous and comical, but is irresponsible and humiliating.
Since the terror attacks in the US on Sept. 11, 2001, the world has been paying increasing attention to Islam, and differences of faith are yet another source of misunderstanding as we try to understand the complexities behind terrorism and the clash of civilizations.
This is particularly true in monotheistic cultures, where there is no god other than the one true God. This makes tolerance and acceptance between religions important issues that we must understand.
The mockery of Islam on Taiwanese Internet forums is not only ill-advised, but it also damages the nation’s international image and affects diplomatic relations.
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, in 2015 was attacked by terrorists, leaving 12 people dead, raising the terror alert in Paris to its highest level and forcing schools to close in one of the greatest threats to security in France in the modern era.
The reason was that it had published cartoons ridiculing the Islamic Prophet Mohammed, which led to discontent among Muslims, and threats and attacks from extremists.
This tragic case is a reminder to all of us who live in nations that enjoy freedom of expression that we should respect others in what we say and do.
We should refrain from making frivolous jokes about other people’s religious beliefs, because it hurts others and is of no benefit to ourselves, and it could even endanger the public.
Liu Wei-ting is a postdoctoral fellow at Academia Sinica.
Translated by Perry Svensson
We are used to hearing that whenever something happens, it means Taiwan is about to fall to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) cannot change the color of his socks without China experts claiming it means an invasion is imminent. So, it is no surprise that what happened in Venezuela over the weekend triggered the knee-jerk reaction of saying that Taiwan is next. That is not an opinion on whether US President Donald Trump was right to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro the way he did or if it is good for Venezuela and the world. There are other, more qualified
The immediate response in Taiwan to the extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US over the weekend was to say that it was an example of violence by a major power against a smaller nation and that, as such, it gave Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) carte blanche to invade Taiwan. That assessment is vastly oversimplistic and, on more sober reflection, likely incorrect. Generally speaking, there are three basic interpretations from commentators in Taiwan. The first is that the US is no longer interested in what is happening beyond its own backyard, and no longer preoccupied with regions in other
As technological change sweeps across the world, the focus of education has undergone an inevitable shift toward artificial intelligence (AI) and digital learning. However, the HundrED Global Collection 2026 report has a message that Taiwanese society and education policymakers would do well to reflect on. In the age of AI, the scarcest resource in education is not advanced computing power, but people; and the most urgent global educational crisis is not technological backwardness, but teacher well-being and retention. Covering 52 countries, the report from HundrED, a Finnish nonprofit that reviews and compiles innovative solutions in education from around the world, highlights a
A recent piece of international news has drawn surprisingly little attention, yet it deserves far closer scrutiny. German industrial heavyweight Siemens Mobility has reportedly outmaneuvered long-entrenched Chinese competitors in Southeast Asian infrastructure to secure a strategic partnership with Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, Vingroup. The agreement positions Siemens to participate in the construction of a high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. German media were blunt in their assessment: This was not merely a commercial win, but has symbolic significance in “reshaping geopolitical influence.” At first glance, this might look like a routine outcome of corporate bidding. However, placed in
RSS