Taipei Eid al-Fitr celebration draws thousands

Taipei, March 22 (CNA) Thousands of people gathered at Daan Forest Park in Taipei on Sunday for an Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of Ramadan, offering plenty of activities and food catering to the varied interests of visitors.

A spokesperson for Taipei's Department of Information and Tourism, which held the event, told CNA on Sunday evening that this year's attendance was still being tallied and no final figure was yet available.

The spokesperson indicated, however, that it was expected to exceed 30,000, noting that turnout had been around 30,000 in each of the previous two years, with this year's higher number due in part to the good weather.

The annual event featured performances, workshops and a halal bazaar with around 40 booths offering everything from food and Muslim-themed merchandise to public service information.

One of the attendees enjoying the halal food at the event was Yoni, an Indonesian caregiver who attended with an elderly man, surnamed Tung (董), she has cared for for the past seven years.

"He likes shawarma," Yoni, 52, told CNA, explaining why she brought Tung to the event for a third year in a row.

Grateful that Taipei has put together the event for the Muslim community for years, Yoni said being a Muslim in Taiwan was "not particularly difficult."

One example she gave was that her employer respected her wish to fast during Ramadan despite the physical demands of being a caregiver.

Sharing a similar view was Ahmed Salahelden, an Egyptian student who has attended the event almost every year since arriving in Taiwan five years ago to pursue a doctorate at National Taiwan University.

A Muslim himself, Salahelden said he had not found much information about Taiwan being Muslim-friendly before coming to the country, but after arriving, he found that Muslims can practice "all their traditions and customs here without any problems."

During his time in Taiwan, "I didn't find any kind of discrimination based on my religious beliefs," Salahelden said.

The 35-year-old said there was still room for improvement, however, noting that while prayer rooms had been provided at academic institutions and major MRT stations over the years, more such spaces were still needed.

"That's our main concern," he said. "A prayer room is just a small room that fits everyone and doesn't make any trouble."

While Salahelden praised Taiwan as "extremely Muslim-friendly," Taiwanese participant Esther Liao felt things could be better, saying that some Taiwanese still treated "people wearing headscarves" and "blond foreigners" differently.

Liao, in her late 20s, said Taiwanese people her age tended to approach "those who were clearly European or American," hoping to strike up a conversation, make friends or practice their English.

"But when people see Muslims, they do not approach them," said Liao, who studied Arabic and Arab culture at a university in Taiwan and spent a year as an exchange student in the Middle East.

"People may now be more inclined to keep their distance out of respect," she said, noting that the situation, while not ideal, is still better than before when Taiwanese were often neither respectful nor willing to engage.

At the event's opening ceremony, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the event reflected Taipei's identity as "a diverse, inclusive and welcoming city," and that "regardless of ethnicity, culture or national borders, we are all one family."

Taipei's Eid al-Fitr celebration has been held annually at Daan Forest Park since 2018, and this year's event ran from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in line with previous years.

Currently, around 300,000 Muslims from more than 40 countries live in Taiwan, the majority of whom are Indonesian foreign workers, according to Yaser Cheng (鄭泰祥), chairman of the Taipei Grand Mosque.