Tuesday, February 15, 2011

World Muslim League to hold seminar in Taipei

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Religious leaders and scholars from more than 20 countries are scheduled to participate in a seminar organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) Feb. 21-22 in Taipei, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The seminar, titled "Dialogue: A Human Common Bond" and co-organized by the Muslim World League and the Taiwan-based Chinese Muslim Association, will be held at the National Central Library, said Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of the MOFA's Department of West Asian Affairs, at a press briefing.

The Taipei seminar, Lin said, will be the second time the MWL has taken its religious conference overseas and the first time the religious dialogue will be held in Taiwan, one of the founding members of the MWL, which was established in 1962.

One of the largest Islamic nongovernmental organizations, the MWL receives most of its funding from Saudi Arabia.

"The holding of this seminar in Taipei shows recognition of Taiwan's religious freedom, " Lin said.

Led by MWL Secretary-General Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, scholars and leaders from Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia and Taiwan will attend the two-day seminar.

The conference will try to promote dialogue between different religions and peace while also campaign against extremists who use Islam as a tool to promote terrorism, according to Lin.

Islam is not a major religion in Taiwan, which is dominated by Buddism and Taoism. According to Ishag Ma, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Taipei and secretary-general of the Chinese Muslim Association, there are around 200,000 Muslims in Taiwan, with 150,000 of them being migrant workers from Indonesia.

In Taiwan, mosques can be found in Taipei, Jhongli, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls