Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) says the Taipei City Government should fund the building of a bigger mosque to signal the city’s friendliness to Muslims.
Ko made the remarks on Sunday in response to queries about Taiwan’s inclusion in a US-led multinational coalition to fight the Islamic State group, according to the Operation Inherent Resolve Web site, which, in a list of coalition member states, showed the Republic of China national flag under the heading “Taiwan.”
“When there is an errand to run or a job to do, they call us Taiwan. When they do not need us, they kick us out,” Ko said, before reiterating his commitment to running an inclusive and friendly city, and touting Taipei’s various Muslim-friendly facilities, including the establishment of prayer rooms at city hall.
Ko said he had been invited to attend a service at a Taipei mosque during Ramadan and found that overcrowding was a problem.
The city should use its budget to build “a bigger mosque, preferably close to an MRT [Mass Rapid Transit] station, ” Ko said, adding that he would speak with Minister Without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) about the matter.
When asked for comments, Taipei City councilors appeared to be surprised by Ko’s remarks, with many decrying the timing or propriety of the proposal.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) said the mayor’s suggestion needed to be “proof-read for logic,” adding that the government has “almost no history” of giving financial aid for the construction of religious buildings, regardless of faith or creed.
“The chief issue is Taipei’s migrant workers have no place to go during holidays and the problem should be addressed by involving the representatives of Muslim nations to find suitable and friendly spaces for them,” Ho said.
“If the mayor is serious about the proposal, then of course I will support it as a city councilor, but the mayor needs to think things over before opening his mouth; making light of the proposal might inadvertently show disrespect to our Muslim friends by disappointing their expectations,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chen Lee-hui (陳孋輝) said.
Former imam of the Taipei Grand Mosque Hajj Ishag Ma (馬孝棋) said that although there are other ways to help Taipei’s migrant workers, Ko deserves to be congratulated for displaying goodwill, especially when “erroneous beliefs” about Muslims persist.
“Allah will not blame a man for not doing what exceeds his ability, but gives heart to those who harbor benevolence,” Ma said.
Meanwhile, in response to criticism from some in Taipei’s Muslim community that the mayor had seemingly associated Muslims with terrorism, Ko yesterday clarified his remarks by stating that he did not intend to offend.
He said his comments were prompted by a desire to alleviate overcrowding at the Taipei Grand Mosque in Daan District (大安), which has been serving a large congregation of Muslim migrant workers that its facilities are not spacious enough to accommodate.
Ko said he visited the Taipei Grand Mosque during Ramadan and had inspected Taipei Railway Station at the weekend, where he found that more than 10,000 Muslim migrant workers congregate.
“This shows that there is a religious need,” Ko said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS