Backed by biandang
The Qur’an says that Muslim women can only marry Muslim men, and that spouses must be of the same religion to have a harmonious household. As a result, many Taiwanese men have converted to Islam in order to marry Indonesian women. But they often do so only superficially and don’t truly abide by Islam’s teachings after their marriage, with some even becoming estranged from their wives because they have trouble accepting their wives’ regular prayers and inability to eat pork.
Yasin Huang recalls that he failed to follow Islamic teachings during the early part of his marriage to his Indonesian bride, Rachmatul Chasanah. His wife’s forbearance and constant reminders eventually brought him to an understanding of the real implications of being Muslim. During his previous marriage, he drank and gambled, and had a fiery temper. That changed when he married his Indonesian bride, who he had met through work. Huang says that after converting to Islam he began to understand the importance of integrity and responsibility, and that his parents felt like they’d gotten their son back. “I’ve been a Muslim since my childhood,” says Rachmatul. “Our marriage was arranged by Allah. Fate brought us together, so I had no fear.”
After they’d been married a few years, Rachmatul got the idea to open a shop selling biandang (boxed meals). The many factories of Taoyuan’s Dayuan District employ large numbers of Indonesian migrant workers, but Muslim-friendly fare was hard to find. Islam’s dietary restrictions originate in the Qur’an’s notions of purity, and include prohibitions on eating pork and rules regarding the consumption of other meats. For example, animals slaughtered for meat must be healthy and their meat must be processed by Muslims in accordance with Islamic teachings.
Rachmatul’s homestyle meals meet the needs of these migrant workers. The couple’s business grew over the next two or three years, but they worried about the wellbeing of the local workers. Far from a mosque, many were employed by factories that wouldn’t let them attend Jumu’ah on the grounds that doing so would interfere with their work. “Without prayer and confession, it’s easy to lose yourself and take up drinking and carousing,” says Huang. The couple therefore established a prayer hall on the second floor of their restaurant.
They also used their earnings from the restaurant to lease a nearby piece of land, on which they built the At-Taqwa Mosque to tend to the needs of local Muslims in gratitude for Allah’s care. Huang points out that Taiwan’s migrant workers and immigrants live in what is to them a foreign land. He hopes the mosque will provide them with a place to tell Allah of their trials and ease their burdens. “Some people weep while praying, but then are able to leave smiling.”
Yasin Huang and his wife, Rachmatul Chasanah, run a store selling Indonesian goods that helps Indonesians abroad ease their homesickness.