January 25, 2021

 

January 24 marks the International Day of Education. The Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw hosted an online international conference titled “Education and the Challenges of the Multicultural World,” under the patronage of UNESCO on January 21–22, 2021. Multidisciplinary scholars and educators from around the world attended the event to shed light on the role education plays in equipping people to function and grow as a person in a multicultural world. The Conference covered a wide range of aspects of education, such as gender equality, the use of technology, the development of multicultural competencies, human rights, etc. During the two-day event, six speakers touched upon the Tai Ji Men tax case, a major case of human rights violations in Taiwan.

 

Prof. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religion and the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions, shared that the Tai Ji Men case is one of his research projects. Tai Ji Men is an organization of qigong, martial arts, and self-cultivation. He reported that Tai Ji Men is a global educational project involving physical, moral, and spiritual education and fostering world peace; however, due to a politically motivated crackdown in 1996, the leader of Tai Ji Men, his wife, and some disciples were arrested and accused of tax evasion and other crimes. Even though the criminal division of Taiwan's Supreme Court found Tai Ji Men’s leader and his co-defendants not guilty of tax evasion or any other charges, the tax bureau still accused him of tax evasion. Tai Ji Men refused to pay unjustified taxes. “Of course it would have been less expensive to settle than to continue a litigation for decades, but at the heart of their spiritual philosophy is a principle of conscience and morality,” said Dr. Introvigne.

 

Dr. Susan Wang-Selfridge, who earned her Ph. D. in Music from the University of California, Los Angeles and has extensive teaching experience at the college level, k-12 educational system and private studio settings, also emphasized the role of conscience in education: “The higher purpose of education is to inspire the humanity to rediscover the fundamental human virtues of love, compassion and honesty and to rekindle our innate conscience. Only when human conduct is guided by conscience, can mankind’s aspirations for serenity and peace be achieved.” She noted that Tai Ji Men has conducted cultural exchange trips of peace around the world to bring the hearts of world citizens closer together. By allowing the taxation bureau to harass the people through corrupt taxation measures in the Tai Ji Men case, the Taiwan government is in direct violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two international covenants on human rights--the ICCPR and ICESCR, said Dr. Wang-Selfridge. 

 

Hendrick Lam, a representative of the Association of World Citizens (Taiwan), NGO in Consultative Status with ECOSOC, the United Nations, argued that an educational approach to multiculturalism should identify the essence of various cultures and enhance dialogue among people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Lam said, “The education system should go beyond the traditional syllabus and move to a moral level.” He also noticed that Tai Ji Men has visited over 100 countries, spreading positive energy of love and peace and touching people’s hearts through cultural exchanges. Lam said, “When I learnt that they have been illegally treated by the tax authority in Taiwan for over 24 years, I respect them even more. They are not just fighting for their own tax case. They would like to take this opportunity to educate the people about their tax human rights.”

Dr. Jeff Kuo, director of specialty product development of a high-tech company in Northern California, mentioned that the introduction of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring Act in 1998 in the U.S. has been very conducive to the IRS’ overhaul and the improvement in the public confidence in the IRS. In contrast, he indicated that in the Tai Ji Men case, the National Taxation Bureau was like the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology, which could not be tamed or defeated. It is ridiculous that while Tai Ji Men didn’t owe any tax, its property was illegally seized and auctioned in 2020, said Dr. Kuo.  

 

Dr. Linda Chen, a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Pathology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, works with a multidisciplinary team to find the cause and treatments for rare genetic diseases. Using the example of the successful development of COVID-19 vaccines, she emphasized that people can overcome differences and work together to achieve a common goal. She highlighted the importance of conscience in education as conscience can guide us to make wise decisions for ourselves, our communities, and the environment, and she criticized the Taiwan government for its unconscionable handling of the Tai Ji Men case: “A government claiming to be democratic internationally can be so openly violate people’s economic, social, and cultural rights and shows no concern at destroying the living heritage.”

 

Dr. Yi-Ling Lo, with a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, shared that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when pathogens develop resistance against medicines that previously could cure them and that the United Nations has identified AMR as one of the top health issues in the world. She argued that not only pathogens can cause people troubles, but a government that violates its people’s human rights can cause even more damage to its people. She stated that in the Tai Ji Men case, the tax bureau should comply with the court's decision and take the initiative to revoke the unlawful tax bill and allow the people to live happily. Inner peace and well-being are at the heart of a holistic education, which may be a macro trend that will prevent the entire human race from infectious diseases, added Dr. Lo.

 

The speakers acknowledged that people face different challenges in their regions, and offering a listening ear and an understanding heart is a great way to start. It is believed that awakening people’s conscience is the key to solving the world’s problems. These educators will continue to raise people’s awareness about tax justice and human rights, hoping that everyone will thrive and prosper in this multicultural world!

 

Prof. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religion and the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions, shared that the Tai Ji Men case is one of his research projects. 

 

 

Dr. Susan Wang-Selfridge, with her Ph. D. in Music from UCLA, said that in the Tai Ji Men case, the Taiwan government violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two international covenants on human rights: the ICCPR and ICESCR. 

 

 

Dr. Jeff Kuo, director of specialty product development of a high-tech company in Northern California, stated that it is ridiculous that while Tai Ji Men didn’t owe any tax, its property was illegally seized and auctioned in 2020.  

 

 

Dr. Linda Chen, a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Pathology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, criticized the Taiwan government for its unconscionable handling of the Tai Ji Men case.

 

 

Hendrick Lam, a representative of the Association of World Citizens (Taiwan), said that Tai Ji Men is not just fighting for its own tax case, but is taking this opportunity to educate people about their human rights as taxpayers. 

 

 

Dr. Yi-Ling Lo, with a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, stated that in the Tai Ji Men case, the tax bureau should comply with the court's decision and take the initiative to revoke the unlawful tax bill and allow the people to live happily.