Hidden Muslims: A History of the Development and Transition of Muslim Communities in Taiwan ( 1948—2015)

Abstract

Islam has been developing in Taiwan over 60 years. The local Muslim communities in Taiwan are divided into two main groups. The first group came from various provinces in Mainland China to Taiwan in 1949.The second known as "Yunnan Muslims "has been migrating from Thailand and Myanmar to Taiwan since the1980 s. In the past,these seem to have been "hidden Muslims"to the public. That is,most Taiwanese did not know the existence of Muslim communities in Taiwan. However,in recent years,since large numbers of Indonesian workers coming to Taiwan have caught the attention of the Taiwanese media,the public has become aware of Muslim communities in Taiwan. This paper aims to describe and interpret the development and transition of Muslim communities in Taiwan over 60 years and how Taiwanese society looks at the communities that were originally from Mainland China.

伊斯兰教在台湾已有60多年的发展历史。台湾当地穆斯林主要包括1949年从内地来台的穆斯林群体,以及20世纪80年代从泰国与缅甸而来的＂云南籍穆斯林＂。然而这些穆斯林群体并不为台湾社会所知,宛如＂隐身的穆斯林＂。直到近年来,大量印度尼西亚穆斯林来台工作之后,这群隐身的穆斯林才进入大众的视野。