Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — A group of 25 Taiwanese Muslims arrived in the Kingdom last Sunday on a journey of a lifetime.
“Although we are small in numbers in comparison to other countries, but coming to the most sacred place on planet earth, we believe our steadfast iman (belief) and our taqwa (piety) weigh as much as those of Muslims from other parts of the world,” said head of Taiwanese Haj delegation Dawood Ma Te Wei.
He said the Haj delegation of Taiwan is extremely impressed and is very grateful for the “first class” arrangements made by the Kingdom’s government for pilgrims.
“The manpower, the security arrangement and the financial expenditure have helped make everything most convenient for pilgrims,” Dawood said.
Taiwan is a fertile land and its citizens enjoy religious freedom, he added.
Although Muslims are a minority in Taiwan, yet they have received and enjoyed the best support in every aspect from the Republic of China government, Dawood said, adding, “The authority offers support on developments in Muslim-friendly tourism.”
Islam is a growing religion in the Republic of China on Taiwan. There are around 60,000 Muslims in Taiwan, representing about 0.3 percent of the population.
There are also more than 180,000 foreign Muslims working in Taiwan from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and 30 other nationalities.
There are eight mosques in Taiwan. According to the Tourism Bureau, as of May 2015 there were 70 halal restaurants in the country.