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Updated Thursday, September 9, 2010 11:01 am TWN, CNA

Islamic community in Taiwan makes call for tolerance

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Islamic community in Taiwan yesterday called for peace and tolerance, as an American pastor insisted this week he will proceed with his plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 to mark the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attack in the U.S.

“The entire thing is hard to fathom. No matter what religion you practice, the basic tenets call for peace,” said Husein Abu-Ilyaas Chen, the imam of a mosque in Kaohsiung.

The Christian pastor's actions are completely contradictory to what his religion teaches, Chen said.

“We will pray to Allah for him, that he will not be tempted by the devil and will be directed onto the right path,” he added.

Chen said the Islamic community as a whole condemns the action of the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attack and those who continue to inflict harm on others.

“But it is important to recognize that those are the actions of a few individuals and are not representative of the entire religion,” he said.

“In the Bible, Jesus Christ teaches that if a man strikes you on the right cheek, you should turn the left one to him also,” Chen said. “What happened to that principle? The world will never experience true peace if everyone practices an eye for an eye.”

Ishag Ma, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Taipei and secretary-general of the Chinese Muslim Association, also denounced Jones' plan, saying that while everyone has a right to freedom of expression, burning the Quran will only perpetuate a vicious cycle.

“We should be able to deal with disagreements and communicate our differences in a rational manner,” Ma said. “The Quran itself is unoffending. It is a book and a tool to teach people to have charity, tolerance, and respect.”

Ma acknowledged that a small number of Muslims are engaged in extremist activities, but stressed that they are a minority within the religion and their views do not reflect the sentiments of all those who practice the Islamic faith.

“At the same time, we know that Jones and his followers do not represent the entire Christian world,” Ma said. “All we are asking is for everyone to practice mutual respect and tolerance.”

According to Ma, the population of Muslims in Taiwan is around 200,000, with 150,000 being Indonesian migrant workers.

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September 10, 2010 theodorets@

When Muslims are in the minority they call for peace and tolerance to protect themselves. In places where Muslims are the majority, they demand death to infidels, death to America, death to Jews, death to everyone but themselves. There is no point in having Muslims around. What is wrong with Taiwan?

September 22, 2010 dulacro@

theodorets@ wrote:
When Muslims are in the minority they call for peace and tolerance to protect themselves. In places where Muslims are the majority, they demand death to infidels, death to America, death to Jews, death to everyone but themselves. There is no point in having Muslims around. What is wrong with Taiwan?

yes, you're 100% right


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