A newly-released US State Department report on religious freedom says that Taiwan is taking the initiative to accommodate Muslims.
The report says the government has accommodated Taiwan’s Muslim population by building prayer rooms in public spaces such as train stations, libraries, and tourist spots.
The report also quoted Secretary General of the Taiwan-based Chinese-Muslim Association, Ma Chao-yen, who said that Taiwan is increasingly popular among Muslim tourists. Ma attributed this popularity to efforts towards “improving the Muslim travel environment by increasing training, Muslim-friendly hotels, and halal restaurants by 20% annually.”
However, the report also noted that many migrant caretakers in Taiwan are unable to attend religious services. That’s because they are not covered by Taiwan’s labor law, which guarantees a weekly day off. The report says this problem particularly affects many of Taiwan’s 258,000 foreign caregivers and domestic workers. Most are either Muslims from Indonesia or Catholics from the Philippines.