Taiwan Today

's ruler and free 's leader express their confidence that the forces of evil will never be able to overcome those who stand for righteousness and spiritual values

King Faisal Ibn Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud of came to the Republic of China in mid-May with blessings for 40,000 local Moslems, most of whom have not had opportunity to make the pilgrimage to . He urged Moslems of free to cooperate with the government and with non-Moslems in the quest for truth and justice. Sino-Arab relations have a history of more than 1,300 years. In all that time, King Faisal is the most influential Middle Eastern religious leader to visit .

Mohammedanism is called Hui Chiao (the Hui Religion) in Chinese. Hui is an abbreviation for Hui Heh, the Mandarin pronunciation of the Uighurs, through whom the religion was passed to the Han people of . The Islamic doctrine was introduced to the Middle Kingdom by Wahab Ibn Abu Kabshah in 628, eight years before importation of Christianity by the Nestorian Olopan. Wahab came by way of the Indian Ocean and the . After an audience accorded by T'ai Tsung, the second em­peror of the Tang dynasty, Wahab was permitted to preach the words of Allah. He settled down in and built the Huai Sheng (Prophet Memorial) Mosque.

The visit of Safar Khan in the Sung dynasty (960-1280) accelerated development of Sino-Arab relations. One of Safar's sons was made governor of and his descendants were accorded honor by the Sung emperors. This generous treatment encouraged thousands of Arabs to come to for army and other service.

In the subsequent Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (1280-1368), Moslems became increasingly numerous and exercised more influence. The army of Genghis Khan was composed largely of Moslems of the Donghan tribe. Moslems predominated in the Royal Council of the Yuan court.

By the time of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) - the golden age of Islam in China-most Moslems in had adapted to the Han Chinese way of life. They played important roles in the government as well as in military and cultural fields. Moslems were persecuted by the Manchus during the Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911). Five large-scale rebellions took place in the 19th century.

The Revolution of 1911 brought freedom to Mos­lems. The Huis in the northwestern region were recog­nized along with the Hans, Manchus, Mongols and Tibetans as the five races constituting the Chinese people.

Before Communist usurpation of the mainland in 1949, there were about 50 million Moslems, mostly in the northwestern provinces of Ninghsia, Kansu and . Mosques totaled 45,000.

Moslems have suffered severe persecution under Communist rule as a result of their strong opposition to atheism. The number of the faithful is estimated to have been reduced to 10 million. In 1949, there were 35 mosques in . After the Communist occupation, only two remained open as show windows for visitors from Moslem countries. These two were taken over by the Red Guards for use as headquarters during the "cultural revolution."

There are some 40,000 Moslems in . About half are descendants of those who came from the mainland in the mid-17th century with Cheng Ch'eng-kung (Koxinga), a general of the Ming court who expelled the Dutch in the hope of using the island as a base for mainland recovery. There are mosques in , Chungli, and . That in was dedicated in April of 1960 and is the largest in and the first Arabic-style building on the island. The Chinese Muslim Association has sent a Haji mission to every year since 1954.

was created in 1902, when Abdul­-Aziz Ibn Saud united a land which had been divided into sheikdoms, emirates and sultanates. The ruler formerly was called "the King of Hijaz and the Sultan (If Najid and Its Dependencies." Since September of 1932, he has been addressed as "the King of Saudi Arabia."

Occupying four-fifths of the Arabian peninsula, the of is equivalent in size to the combined areas of , , , , , , , , , and . It has a population of 7 million and possesses one of the richest oil reserves in the world. Annual production is valued at more than US$1.1 billion and amounts to about 8 per cent of the world's output.

King Faisal was born in 1906 to a noble family in the capital city of . As a young man, Faisal took part in many military campaigns for the consolidation of his country. He was appointed foreign minister in 1930 and headed the Saudi Arabian delega­tion to the first United Nations Conference of 1945 at . He was proclaimed Crown Prince in 1953 and enthroned in November of 1964.

Beginning in his days as Crown Prince, King Fai­sal has initiated numerous projects of modernization. One was the "battle of education for girls." The pro­gram was started in 1960 with the opening of 15 public elementary schools for girls and an institute for the training of women teachers. Students were selected from among girls who had obtained elementary certificates from the 33 private girls' schools in operation at that time.

Faisal's problems are illustrated by what happened in 1963 at Buraida, a town noted for its conservatism. Many of the gentry there still believed the earth was flat. When the people heard that Prince Faisal was planning a girls' school for Buraida, they exploded in indignation and sent a delegation 200 miles across the desert to protest. Faisal asked the angry crowd if anyone could cite a single word from the Koran which forbade school­ing for girls. No one could and the crowd went home.

Even so, when the school was about to open, townspeople threatened to tear it down. The Prince sent guards to protect the school but tactfully avoided a head-on clash with the people. He got in touch with several leading families who were indebted to him. Reluctant to offend the Prince, they sent their daughters to the school.

Weeks passed and the schoolgirls remained as modest as ever. Wives began nagging: "If Ayesha, our neighbor's girl, goes to the school and it doesn't hurt her, why can't our girl go?"

Before long, a second Buraida delegation laid a new complaint before the Prince: "The girls' school is too small. We want it expanded."

Other notable programs included abolition of slavery, free medical care and improvement of irrigation.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of and the of were opened in 1939 with the establishment of a vice consulate at Jiddah to take care of Chinese Moslems on pilgrimages to . The two countries signed a treaty of amity in November of 1946. The consulate was elevated to the status of an embassy in May of 1956. Two years later, appointed its envoy in to the concurrent post of ambassador to . In July of 1966, opened an embassy in .

The two countries are also bound by ties of agri­cultural and educational cooperation. In March of 1965, the Republic of China sent a five-member farm demonstration team to on a two-year assignment. This was extended by another two years. An agreement under negotiation would be effective for an additional five years. On the Saudi Arabian side, the Islamic University of Medina has been awarding nine scholarships to Chinese students annually since 1962. In 1968, the Saudi Arabian government sent a professor to teach Arabic at the National Chengchi University of Taipei.

Trade volume amounted to US$18 million in 1970. Leading export items from the Republic of China were textiles, chemicals, machinery, canned foods, ply­wood, plastic products tea and sugar. sold petroleum, chemical fertilizers and hides and skins.

There are 20,000 Chinese in . Most are refugees who fled Sinkiang after Communist usurpa­tion of the mainland. About 700 come from the provinces of Kansu, , , Nmghsia, Szechwan and .

King Faisal arrived at 's the morning of May 17 with an entourage of 50. His official party included Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, special adviser to the King; Dr. Rashad Pharaon, special adviser to the King; Sheikh Kamal Adham, adviser to the Royal Court; Sheikh Mohammed El-Nuwaisar, chief of the Special Bureau of the King; Alsayed Ahmad Abdul Wahab, chief of the Royal Proto­col; Dr. Refaat Alsayed Ali, royal physician; Kanaan El-Khaitib, counselor to the Ministry of Information; Brigadier General Abdullah El-Busaili, commander of Royal Guards; Saleh El-Kharab, director-general of the Secretariat of the King; and Mansour El-Khuraiji, personal interpreter to the King.

President Chiang Kai-shek greeted his guests at planeside. After an exchange of greetings, President Chiang introduced Vice President C.K. Yen and other ranking officials to the King. The two chiefs of state stepped onto a platform to review an honor guard as artillery pieces sounded a 21-gun salute.

After the ceremonies, King Faisal shook hands with government and civic leaders, Moslem representa­tives and members of the diplomatic corps. The two leaders rode together to the Grand Hotel, temporary residence of King Faisal and his party. A crowd of more than 50,000 lined the streets to cheer the Middle East­ern monarch. Arches bearing greetings in Chinese and Arabic spanned boulevards leading to the airport, the Grand Hotel and the Presidential Building.

In the afternoon, King Faisal received Vice Presi­dent C.K. Yen, Foreign Minister S.K. Chow and Taipei Mayor Henry Kao. Mayor Kao presented the King with a gold key to the city. In the evening, King Faisal paid a courtesy call on President and Madame Chiang at the in suburban . The building is dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Founding Father of the Republic of China.

King Faisal presented a gold sword and precious tripod to President Chiang and a necklace to Madame Chiang. President Chiang conferred the Order of Bril­liant Jade with Grand Cordon on King Faisal. The Chinese first couple then gave a state dinner in honor of their guests.

In his address, President Chiang said King Faisal's visit was a milestone in the history of relations between the and the Republic of China. He noted that cordial relations between the two countries date back to the remote past and that "the two peoples have been bound closely together in their relations like brothers."

"Your Majesty is the spiritual leader of the Islamic nations," the President said. "The world has witnessed with admiration that, under your illustrious leadership, the has achieved political stability, phenomenal economic development, and wealth and prosperity for its people. For this achievement I wish to congratulate Your Majesty.

"At present, dangerous, vicious and atheistic Communism is spreading into the and other parts of the world. This seriously threatens the independence and existence of free countries. Thanks to the firmness in our anti-Communist stand, while appeasement raises its hand in other nations and Communists are stepping up their activities of subversion and infiltration, your country and mine stand as bulwarks against Communism in the Middle East and the . Our two countries should cooperate with each other in our efforts to fight against Communist infiltration and expansion as well as to safeguard freedom of mankind and international peace. For this reason Your Majesty's visit to this country will have great significance and its effects will be far-reaching.

"During Your Majesty's sojourn in my country, I shall have the opportunity to exchange views with Your Majesty on the general situation of the world, particularly on questions of our mutual interest. I am confident that the traditional friendship and close ties between our two countries will be further strengthened as a result of Your Majesty's visit."

In response, King Faisal pointed out that Islamism has been the bridge of friendship across which the Chinese and Arabian peoples are bound together. "The first mosque built outside of Arabia is in ," he said.

"The basic beliefs of Islamism are to love men and to live in peace with others. Hence the Islamites are friends of the people of any locality where preaching of Islamism is allowed.

"Unfortunately, we recently saw the appearance of a heresy called Communism. It has infiltrated into all parts of the world and made many people to renounce their faith, thereby becoming atheists. Com­munism was derived from Zionism, and the combination of Communism and Zionism has brought about sufferings to mankind.

"It is incomprehensible that there are people who believe in a doctrine like Communism. As a matter of fact, any country that allows the existence of Com­munists will only see the decadence of its national spirit. It will only invite destruction and turn the country into a land of desolation. It will achieve neither prosperity nor progress.

"The Communists have been holding high the banner of justice, freedom and peace for mankind. This is a mere smoke screen to hide the ugly face of Communism. What the Communists really want is to destroy peace and deprive man of his rights.

"Any person who has no religious faith is apt to accept any doctrine or thought. God has sent prophets and saints to this world to guide and enlighten people, so as to enable them to enjoy rights and freedom. Both the Communists and Zionists want people to be atheistic and to deprive people of their freedom and happiness.

"If those present here think that today enjoys stability and prosperity, it is because we have not let the Communists infiltrate into our land by virtue of the existence of traditional thoughts and laws based on Islamism."

The next morning, King Faisal watched military exercises in northern in the company of Vice President C.K. Yen, Foreign Minister S.K. Chow and Chief of the General Staff Lai Ming-tang. Exercises included a parade of armored units, rifle show of the Army honor guard, Chinese boxing by 1,200 cadets of the and parachuting- of the "Divine Dragon Team" from 12,000 feet.

In the afternoon, the Saudi Arabian Embassy gave a reception in honor of its national leader at the Grand Hotel. That evening, King Faisal and his party were dinner guests of Vice President and Mrs. C.K. Yen at the Armed Forces Officers Club. They then attended a performance of Chinese music and dance at the Armed Forces Cultural Center.

King Faisal and President Chiang conferred for the second time at the Presidential Office in downtown the morning of May 19. The talks lasted for 70 minutes and were wide ranging, with emphasis on the maintenance of world peace and checkmating of appeasement. Also present on the Chinese side were Vice President C.K. Yen, Presidential Secretary-General Chang Chun, Foreign Minister S.K. Chow, Acting Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Yen-tien, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs H.K. Yang and Ambassa­dor to Riyadh Tien Pao-tai. On the Saudi Arabian side were Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, special adviser to the King; Dr. Rashad Pharaon, special adviser to the King; Sheikh Kamal Adham, adviser to the Royal Court; and Zein A. Dabbagh, charge d'affaires of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Taipei.

Accompanied by Vice President C.K. Yen and Interior Minister Hsu Ching-chung, the spiritual leader of the Islamic world visited the Taipei Mosque for prayer. He received a group of local Moslem leaders and said, "I have brought to you the tribute of our brothers in and will take back your best wishes to them." The King said he was gratified to see the excellent treatment accorded to the Moslems by the Chinese government and encouraged them to strengthen cooperation with the government and non­-Moslems in the cause of truth and justice.

At 5:10 p.m., Vice President C.K. Yen escorted King Faisal on a visit to the at Waishuanhsi in suburban . The visitors were briefed on the Republic of China's economic de­velopment of the last two decades and on technical cooperation with other countries. They spent an hour viewing Chinese art treasures, some of which are 4,000 years old. The King showed special interest in oracle bones, bronzewares, ceramics, ivory sculptures and jades. Chiang Fu-tsung, curator of the museum, presented the King with reproductions of Sung embroid.

At 8:30 the next morning, King Faisal and his party left the Grand Hotel for the Presidential residence in suburban Shihlin to bid farewell to President and Madame Chiang. The two chief executives talked for 20 minutes, then rode to the airport together. Before King Faisal's departure, the two chiefs of state issued the following joint communique:

"His Majesty King Faisal Ibn Abdul-Aziz Al­ Saud of the paid a state visit to the Republic of China in response to an invitation from His Excellency President Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China on 22nd-25th of Rabie Alawal . H. corresponding to May 17-20, 1971.

"His Majesty was accompanied on this visit by His Royal Highness Prince Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud, special adviser to His Majesty; His Excellency Dr. Rashad Pharaon, special adviser to His Majesty; His Excellency Sheikh Kamal Adham, adviser to the Royal Court; and other high ranking officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"His Majesty was gratified by the warm reception of the friendly Chinese people and their leaders, which reflected their high respect and appreciation for the traditional lofty ideals and noble culture of the people of as represented by their great King.

"The esteemed guest expressed his profound gratification for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded His Majesty. His Majesty expressed his deep admiration for the outstanding achievements in all fields in the Republic of China under the inspiring guidance of President Chiang Kai-shek, who has made signal contributions in defending the freedom of man­kind and in promoting world peace.

"During the visit, His Majesty King Faisal and His Excellency President Chiang Kai-shek held several talks in an atmosphere of friendliness and cordiality concerning the relations between the two countries. They affirmed their desire to further promote and strengthen these relations in all fields, especially in economic, trade, cultural and technical cooperation.

"His Majesty explained in general the Arab point of view regarding the question and the injustice and privations suffered by the people of as a result of the Zionist expansionist policy. His Excellency President Chiang believed that the said question should be solved on the basis of rightfulness and justice and that the people concerned should be entitled to their lawful rights, so that peace and stability would prevail in this very sensitive part of the world.

"President Chiang reiterated his great admiration for the remarkable progress of national reconstruction in the under King Faisal's illustrious leadership. The President affirmed his high esteem to the King as the leader of the Islamic community for His Majesty's efforts in promoting Islamic solidarity and in upholding justice and freedom. Both leaders believed that righteousness would triumph over evil.

"The two Heads of State also observed that the turbulent world situation required close cooperation between the countries which possessed ancient historical civilizations based on spiritual values and immortal humanistic heritages. The two leaders believed that material values alone could not achieve prosperity and happiness for mankind unless they were based on firm spiritual foundation, deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of all peoples.

"The two Heads of State stressed their conviction that the cooperation between the two countries in the economic, trade, cultural and technical fields was prompted by their common interests, and that the exchange of visits on all levels should be the means to achieve this purpose.

"His Majesty King Faisal extended an invitation to His Excellency President Chiang to visit the at a date to be arranged later. President Chiang accepted the invitation with pleasure."