Taipei Grand Mosque’s Role in Preserving Islamic Identity in Taiwan
In this mosque, yesterday’s students, as today’s teachers and volunteers, have taken the helm of religious education for the next generation so that the chain of transmission of Islamic identity is never interrupted.
According to the Muslimsaroundtheworld website, in a small and gradually growing Muslim community in an environment of religious freedom, openness, and social integration in East Asia, a question arises that goes beyond traditional education: How can Islamic identity be preserved and transmitted without interruption from one generation to the next?
The answer to this question is embodied today in the experience of the Taipei Grand Mosque, the capital of Taiwan. It is an educational project that has lasted for more than twenty years. The mosque has successfully transformed children who learned the Quran and the principles of Islam here into teachers and volunteers who have returned to educate the next generation.
The closing ceremony for the 2025-2026 school year for the mosque’s weekly Islamic school demonstrates that true success lies not in the number of students or certificates awarded, but in creating a continuous cycle of education. Some teachers today are in the same positions they held as young students years ago, receiving knowledge and guidance.
This educational model represents a significant test in preserving Islamic education in Taiwan’s Muslim community. The school combines teaching the Holy Quran, Arabic language, and Islamic studies with preparing qualified individuals who are capable of conveying the message and continuing to pass it on to future generations, thereby preserving Islamic identity and strengthening its presence from generation to generation.
Read More:
The Taipei Grand Mosque hosted the closing ceremony for the weekly Islamic school for children and teenagers, where students were honored and certificates and awards were distributed. However, the most important aspect was the presence of several teachers and volunteers who had previously studied in the same classes as the children.
This development demonstrates the school’s success in achieving a goal that goes beyond traditional education; preparing members of the Muslim community to become part of the educational process itself in the future, ensuring the continuous transmission of knowledge, values, and experiences across generations.
For more than twenty years, this weekly Islamic school has been fulfilling its mission, offering educational programs for children and adolescents in the fields of the Holy Quran, Arabic language, Islamic culture, and moral education.
Over the years, the impact of the program has gone beyond graduating new groups of students. It has also cultivated a cadre of young people from within the mosque itself, some of whom have returned years later to participate in teaching, supervision, and volunteer work. This gives the project a strategic dimension that goes beyond the boundaries of direct education.
The program is based on an educational philosophy that prioritizes Islamic education, manners, and conduct, and stems from the belief that building a Muslim character comes before acquiring knowledge and skills.
Therefore, teachers are keen to instill the values of respect for the mosque and the Holy Quran, discipline, cooperation and responsibility alongside the teaching of Islamic sciences. This helps children develop a balanced Islamic identity that is able to interact positively with the surrounding community.
The role of volunteers in sustaining Islamic education and providing a role model for other communities
The school benefits from the participation of teachers and volunteers from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Chinese speakers, new Muslims and members of the Muslim community living in Taiwan.
This diversity enriches and broadens the educational process and allows children to experience the cultural diversity of the Muslim world in a single educational environment that combines the preservation of identity with openness to society.
Small Muslim communities face the ongoing challenge of ensuring the transmission of religious knowledge and Islamic values from one generation to the next. However, the experience of the Taipei Grand Mosque offers a practical model for addressing this challenge through long-term investment in children and youth.
The children who are educated today may become the teachers of tomorrow, and the volunteers who serve in the school today are often its graduates. This creates a continuous cycle of learning and giving back, preserving the Islamic identity, and empowering the Muslim community to grow and flourish.
Taiwan is an island in East Asia with a population of approximately 23 million. The Muslim population is estimated to be around 300,000. The Taipei Grand Mosque is one of the most prominent Islamic institutions in the country and a leading center for providing religious, educational, and cultural services to the Muslim community. This experience confirms that the success of Islamic institutions is not measured by the number of activities or celebrations they organize, but rather by their ability to prepare new generations who will continue to build the Muslim community generation after generation.
4356079
