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
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS