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several students have discussed with Professor Llyod (OIA) regarding the buffet at canteen 3 which has halal problem issue. Pertaining to this, we try not to justified anyone, instead we try to make it sounds more official. Thus, the international Muslim students would like to propose official halal certification through the CMA. Now, Professor Llyod still discussed this matter with the school representative. Let us pray so that the school will approve this proposal.
One of the example of the interaction between Indonesian Muslim students with Chinese Muslim is when the NTUST student want to proceed halal canteen in their campus. NTUST canteen provide halal food since late 2010. To make sure the halal procedure, the Indonesian Muslim student regularly check the canteen’s kitchen by themselves to know the chicken and cooking process.
In the first process, Imam Musa, the previous Imam in Taipei Grand mosque, personally helping the students on explaining about halal procedure to the canteen and university management. However, currently the canteen has different person who cook and there is no a proper knowledge transfer from previous one. And this canteen does not have a formal halal certification. CMA give halal certification for food products, hotel and restaurant inside Taiwan. While TIHDA certified Taiwanese products for exporting to Middle Eastern countries.
Student in NTUST come to CMA to ask the halal procedure for their canteen, including documents and requirement for a restaurant or canteen to get this certification. CMA also offer a training for hotels and restaurant who want to get Muslim-friendly title in order to support government’s program to promote tourism. CMA also made a halal food and Muslim-friendly catalogue for Muslim traveler.
4.4 Challenges for Social Adaptation
Based on the field research and interviews with Indonesian Muslim and Chinese Muslim in Taipei, Taoyuan, Chungli, Taichung and Kaohsiung, I asked all the interviewees about what are the challenges for Indonesian Muslim and Chinese Muslim to do social adaptation.
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a. Communication and Language skill
All of the interviewees are agree that the biggest challenge for interaction and relation between Indonesian and Chinese Muslim is language skill. In many cases, there is some misunderstanding and it make the communication among them become more complicated.
This challenge somehow creates a barrier and grouping among the Muslim community.
Compare to Indonesian Muslim male workers, Indonesian female workers who work in domestic sector usually can speak Chinese fluently because they used to communicate with their employer intensively. While the reason why Indonesian Muslim male workers can’t speak Chinese fluently is because their job demand not really needed language skill.
Sutardji (30 years old) was the former vice president of FOSMIT in 2013. Based on his experience, he feels that there is still gap on interaction and relation among Indonesian Muslim with the other Muslim in Taiwan. He said;
“It is look like there is a high wall that separate us. We don’t have any single activity for all Muslim in Taiwan. In the past, we ever tried to initiate a program that can unite all the Muslim in Longgang mosque to strengthen our solidarity. However, it was failed and there is no other initiative to re-start this program.”
The reason of this program’s failure perhaps due to language barrier. Sutardji added:
“It is very difficult to find any translator or interpreter that can be available in whole time when holding an event. Once, we ever helped by the member of Jama’ah Tabligh who can speak Chinese, English and Arabic. But because they only stay for a short term, so we can’t keep them. We also ever asked Indonesian students who study in National Central University to be our interpreter, but the obstacle is their tight schedule for researching and studying.”
Sutardji added, that to show the existence of Muslim in Taiwan, several years ago there is a project to collect the number of Indonesian Muslim through Indonesian Muslim communities. It was organized by Taipei Grand Mosque, in order to give statistical information about the number of Muslim in Taiwan. Their expectation is to advocate a special holiday for Muslim in Taiwan, especially for migrant workers who works in informal sector, to do their Eid prayer (especially if the Eid is on weekdays). However, after 4 years, there is no updates and follow up about this project.
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b. Time and Flexibility
Although Indonesian female workers have better language skill, however they have limited time and less flexibility on joining activities and direct interaction with people outside their work place. Based on the regulation, the workers should have day off once a week, but in fact, many female workers only get one day off per month. This is also become the reason of “innovation” for Indonesian Muslim communities to create “On Air” communities to keep learning Islamic teaching and interact with their Indonesian friends.
For those who are working in formal sector, perhaps their difficulty not as much as the Muslim worker in informal sector (especially care taker, factory worker and sailor). Not only in the matter of proper place to pray, but also the tight schedule of work time. Most of the Taiwanese employer do not know and sometimes ignore this religious needs of Muslim workers. Because of this problem, most of Chinese Muslims, who tends to keep their religious practices, are change their work place and prefer to work in company which owned by Muslim or open their own business. But for foreign Muslim, this option will be very difficult for them.
c. Difference in Culture and Habit
Some negative image to Indonesian workers are many of them often violate the mosque regulation, didn’t keep the cleanliness, noisy and forgot to silent their cellphone when inside the mosque. Some problems ever occurred during Eid pray. At that time, there are many Indonesian Female workers come to mosque, but they are too noisy while the Imam doing the khutbah, many of them selling products inside the mosque (in the pray room), and many of them taking pictures (with their friends). And these activities disturb the other visitor and make them feel uncomfortable (Mrs. Novi, Kaohsiung).
Not all Indonesian Muslim who visit mosques that aware with the mosque regulation and adab. Many Indonesian women who come are not wearing hijab and not a proper clothes.
The man smoking in mosque area even though there is a prohibition ban. Some others do not keep the cleanliness of the mosque, doing trade/ selling goods inside the mosque and quite noisy when talking with their friends. These kind of behavior often criticized by Chinese Muslim.
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d. Difference in Religious Practice and Mahdzab
People are on the move, and so are their faith (The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2012). And not only faith, but culture, habit and tradition also brought together with them. To fulfil their religious needs in Taiwan, the Indonesian Muslim have some Islamic activities but still with the Indonesian characteristics. Although Indonesian Muslim and Chinese Muslim share same faith and beliefs, but there are some different habits that might be the cause of potential conflict among them. The majority of Indonesian Muslim workers in Taiwan have traditional Islamic background, so that some of worship ordinances are different with the Chinese Muslim.
Between Indonesian Muslim and Chinese Muslim, there are some differences on practicing religious activities, but it doesn’t makes a big problem. As the example, Indonesian Muslim (especially the workers with Nahdatul Ulama background), they practicing yasinan and recently nisfu sya’ban (the night of 14th day in Sya’ban, the 8th month in Islamic calendar).
However, this practice is not happened among Chinese Muslim, and Kaohsiung mosque didn’t forbid this practice openly, only give some advices and information to Indonesian Muslim. Indeed, yasinan already become a habit for Indonesian Muslim especially from Nahdatul Ulama background, although they are not in their home country, but they bring this culture and still practicing in Taiwan.
Mr. Kahlil argued that this yasinan activity also useful for keeping the Muslim brotherhood, building the society’s relations and to treat “homesickness” with their home. Yasinan activity is held regularly every month in Kaohsiung mosque and also in Indonesian store close to the harbor. It attracts the interest of Indonesian workers to come and gather. The Kaohsiung imam originally coming from Burma, but he has been in Taiwan for 20 years.
He knows about Indonesia and ever visited Indonesia. He also knows about Nahdatul ulama and Muhammadiyah issues.
Another critics from Pakistani or Bangladeshi Muslim, that is woman should not singing (even for religious or Islamic activity) and they cannot read the Quran in front of man. The adab for interaction between man and women should be strictly implemented. In some cases, Indonesian Muslim activities are hold at night due to time limitation and day-off of the workers, and there is no room separation between man and woman, they simply differ the order of seat. Woman should be stay at home and not coming to the mosque.
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When there is criticism, it’s more likely related to sharia law, not because the behavior or cultural differences. Music in the mosque is not suitable in Taiwan. Islamic spirit and culture also sharia. But if they want to recite Quran or nasheed is okay.
e. Mosque Management Regulation
Access and facility in the mosque are depends on the mosque management and imam. In early 2000’s, Indonesian Muslim who live in Taipei often use Taipei Cultural Mosque as the center for their activities. But during the renovation of the mosque and because there is a misused case of some Indonesian workers, so they move to Taipei Grand Mosque.
According to some Indonesian workers, limitation on access and permit to use the room in the mosque can be seen from some regulations such as rental fee, bureaucratic process for borrowing room. Previously, the regulation is not as strict as now. These regulations affected in the decreasing of activities in the mosque and the Indonesian Muslim should try to find another place to do their regular activities.
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5. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION 5.1 Conclusion
From this research, it is found that there are many factors for both Indonesian Muslim and Chinese Muslim as ethnic minorities and religious minority in Taiwan, to adapt their social live in order to preserve their identity and to survive as the minority. While at the same time, to create a better environment, they introduce the Islamic values and culture through some events. Of course in their social adaptation, they need to do cooperation, however in fact, sometimes there are some misunderstanding and miscommunication due to language barrier and different ethnic background.
In terms of number, Indonesian Muslim indeed a lot. From my interview with the Chinese Muslim, all of them say that with their size, Indonesian Muslim represent the general image of Islam and Muslim in Taiwan. However, they face the challenge of losing their identity and culture, because of the assimilation with Taiwanese and Chinese culture (sinicization).
Hence, Islamic mentoring, guidance and support from various Muslim communities in Taiwan is very important for Indonesian Muslim. Therefore, the existence of Indonesian Muslim communities and their activities can help the workers to maintain freshness, and give spiritual strength. These communities can be the medium of aspirations and to maintain brotherhood and solidarity among Muslims towards goodness.
In the third chapter, it is already explained how the intra-social adaptation among Indonesian Muslim communities, and in the fourth chapter about inter-social adaptation and relation between Indonesian Muslim communities and Chinese Muslim. As the ethno-religious minority in Taiwan, the solidarity among Muslim is a must and cooperation to handling challenges and problem is highly needed for both side.