As the number of Southeast Asian immigrants working in Taiwan rises, the Muslim population here, never significant in the past, has grown as well. This has further enhanced multicultural Taipei’s credentials as a culturally inclusive metropolis.
Originally from Egypt, Khaled Metwally and his wife have worked in Taipei for three years. They like Taipei’s convenience and friendliness. As a Muslim, Metwally has got a real understanding of how much Taipei has transformed in recent years. Compared with what it was like six years ago, when he first arrived in the city, Taipei has more Halal restaurants. This does not only mean that eating out in Taipei is more convenient, but also makes Muslims feel respected.
Salat is the Muslim’s mandatory form of worship, or prayer. “Muslims have to perform salat five times a day. To always conduct salat in a mosque is no small feat. So a clean and quiet Muslim prayer room nearby is much needed,” Metwally said. He discovered that more and more public spaces in Taipei, including Taipei Railway Station, restaurants and freeway stopovers, had set up Muslim prayer rooms; workers could also freely use conference rooms as prayer rooms. Evidently, Taiwan has made some progress in understanding Muslim culture.
Photo: Ethan Zhan, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報詹豐造
To make it convenient for Muslims coming to Taipei, whether for business or pleasure, to perform salat, Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism has set up a Muslim prayer room in the Discovery Center of Taipei inside the government building. It is a quiet, private prayer room, with prayer rugs placed on the ground, their niches pointing in the direction of Mecca. The government also encourages other public spaces, tourist attractions and hotels to provide prayer rooms and facilities for ritual ablution to make Muslims feel more at home. (Translated by Ethan Zhan, Taipei Times)
Source: Yeh Ya-wei, Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government, originally in the Taipei Pictorial, edition 582.
隨著東南亞移工的增加，台北原本為數不多的穆斯林人口與日俱增，為台北市的多元城市風貌更添包容厚度。來自埃及的哈立德（Khaled Metwally），和太太在台北工作三年多，十分喜愛台北的便利與友善，身為穆斯林的他，深刻感受到台北這幾年的轉變。哈立德表示，對比六年前他剛來的時候，這幾年台北的清真餐廳變多了，解決外食不只方便，更重要的是被一個城市尊重的貼心感受。
「穆斯林每天必須做五次禮拜，不可能每次都到清真寺，所以很需要就近有一處乾淨寧靜的祈禱室。」哈立德發現，台北市有越來越多公共空間，包括台北車站、飯店，以及高速公路休息站都紛紛設立祈禱室，上班族也可以自在使用會議室作為祈禱室，足見台灣越來越了解穆斯林文化。
為了方便穆斯林來台北旅遊、洽公時仍能做禮拜，台北市政府觀光傳播局特地於市政大樓內的台北探索館設置「穆斯林祈禱室」，隔絕出安靜私密的祈禱空間，鋪設朝拜毛毯，並以箭頭清楚標示麥加方向，同時鼓勵其餘公共空間、觀光景點及旅館飯店增加祈禱設施，並且推廣設置淨下設施，讓穆斯林感受到用心。（台北時報詹豐造英譯)
文／葉亞薇，臺北市政府觀光傳播局《台北畫刊》第582期
Follow up 課後練習
1) How many times a day should Muslims perform salat?
穆斯林每天必須做幾次禮拜？
2) Where can you find a Muslim prayer room in Taipei?
台北哪些地方可以找到穆斯林祈禱室？
3) Where does the niche on a Muslim prayer rug point to?
穆斯林朝拜毛毯上的箭頭指向什麼地方？
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