A migrant worker from Indonesia who helped raise funds to build a mosque in Taiwan was honored on Sunday.
Muksin, a migrant worker who raised money over a decade to establish the An-Nur Tongkang Mosque in Pingtung County, was honored by the Taiwanese Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung on December 9, CNA reported.
Muksin has been working as a fisherman in Donggang in Pingtung County since 1999. He had a long-time goal of establishing a mosque for the Indonesian Muslim fishermen in the town, which he has fulfilled, the Interior Minister said.
Hsu said Muksin was able to collect NT$7 million (US$226,522) with help from his fellow countrymen.
The mosque, which can hold 120 people, will be opened on February 18 on the third floor of a three-story house. It will be the eighth mosque set up in Taiwan.
The Interior Minister also thanked the new immigrants. He said the island’s new citizens brought new energy into the country.
He said the government had drafted a new Economic Immigration Law, which they hope will attract foreign professionals to alleviate the shortage of “mid-level” technicians.