A Taiwanese diplomat reads the Qur'an on a Jordanian radio, and tells how the occupation soldiers in Jerusalem subjected him to a "religious test" - (video)

Amman - “Al Quds Al Arabi”: The resident representative of the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Ismail Ma, revealed that the Israeli occupation soldiers subjected him to a “religious” test so that he could enter Al-Aqsa Mosque and pray there. Ismail Ma, a Taiwanese Muslim diplomat, explained in an interview On Tuesday, with Radio Al-Balad, that during one of his private visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the occupation soldiers present at the gates of Al-Aqsa did not believe that he was a Muslim, and he was subjected to a test of reciting Surat Al-Fatihah so that they would allow him to enter. He was allowed in.

During the dialogue, which was moderated by colleague Muhammad Al-Arassan, the Taiwanese diplomat, speaking fluent Arabic, recited Surat Al-Falaq, and indicated that he memorized an entire uncle’s part in the Holy Qur’an.

He also talked about an old visit of the late King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan to the capital, Taipei, which the Taiwanese people remember well, during which he gave the former Taiwanese president an authentic Arab horse, whose descendants Taiwan still retains to this day as a token of friendship between the two countries.

Relations with Jordan On the history of the Jordanian-Taiwanese relations, Ma explained that diplomatic relations between the two countries began in the year 1957 and are deeply rooted, although they witnessed a major turning point in 1977 due to the political circumstances. There are close reciprocal relations between Taiwan and Jordan, in addition to cooperation in several projects and programs There is also close cooperation between public and private bodies in the field of exchanging experiences and humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees after 2014. He stressed that the volume of economic exchange in some years reaches more than 400 million dollars, indicating that the volume of economic exchange in some years reaches more than 400 million dollars, indicating The most important thing that Jordan imports from Taiwan are computer supplies, electronics, machines, auto parts, textiles, and others, while Taiwan imports from Jordan phosphates, potash, Dead Sea products, olive oil, etc., in addition to the presence of 5 Taiwanese companies operating in Jordan in industrial areas such as Al-Hassan City in Irbid In Karak, Shobak and Sahab Industrial Area, the exports of Taiwanese companies investing in Jordan constitute one third of the total export volume of clothing. Obstacles facing Taiwanese investment in Jordan, Ma said: “The total cumulative Taiwanese investment for 2020 in Jordan amounts to 51 million US dollars, and the largest of these investments is the textile industry investment. It provides more than 3,000 job opportunities for the local population.” The war between Russia and Ukraine On the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Taiwanese ambassador pointed out that his country’s situation “is different from Ukraine economically and strategically,” calling on all parties to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis to promote dialogue and consultation by peaceful means. Beijing has seen the Ukrainian crisis and its eyes on Taiwan, amid fears that the Chinese Communist Party will seek eventual reunification with it, while the Taiwanese army has declared a state of alert. In Ukraine and its condemnation of Russian violations, it also calls on all parties to strengthen dialogue and consultation by peaceful means, resolve differences rationally and work together to maintain regional stability. He added: "The Taiwanese army is ranked No. 22 among the world's most powerful armies, and has more than 1.8 million soldiers, including more than 1.6 reserve forces. The Taiwan Air Force is ranked No. 14 in the world with 739 aircraft, while the Taiwanese fleet is ranked No. 22 with 117 naval units..and this army will do everything in its power to preserve the independence of the Taiwanese territory.” Regarding the fear of the future of the relationship with the People’s Republic of China, in addition to the fears of the repetition of the scenario of Ukraine and Russia, to be applied in China, the Taiwanese diplomat stressed that his country “is different from Ukraine. Economically and strategically, from an economic point of view, Taiwan is an economic power, with a mature and diversified economy, a strong presence in international markets and huge reserves of foreign currency. As for the strategic point of view, the difference lies in the fact that Taiwan is an island surrounded by the sea, unlike Ukraine, which shares a wide land border with Russia.” Peace, prosperity and development in Asia are the common responsibilities of all countries of the region. Therefore, issues across the Taiwan Strait are linked to regional peace, noting that “Taiwan will fulfill its responsibilities in maintaining regional security by continuing to expand goodwill and maintaining stable, consistent and predictable relations across the strait.” The Palestinian Issue Regarding Taiwan’s position on the Palestinian issue, he said May: "Taiwan calls for peace in all countries of the world and demands an end to human rights violations in all parts of the world regardless of their lineage or religion, and calls on the international community to find a comprehensive solution and the two sides to abide by and respect the resolutions issued by the United Nations." He also stressed Taiwan's respect for the Muslim minority. Although the percentage of Muslims in Taiwan is considered small and is less than 1%, where Muslims in Taiwan enjoy all their political, economic, social and religious rights, many members of the Taiwan Muslim minority occupy important positions in the state.. The state provides and supports mosques and places of prayer for Muslims in the most important Public utilities, as well as the state provides a pilgrimage mission to Makkah Al-Mukarramah for the Taiwanese Muslim who wishes to do so completely at its expense.