TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Grand Mosque will hold a charity sale this weekend to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The sale will be held on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 21 – 22) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will offer a wide range of goods from the Muslim world. Organizers said this will include art, calligraphy, food, and clothing from places like Turkey, Morocco, Iran, India, Yunnan, and Myanmar.

Abdullah Cheng (鄭平), who leads prayers at the mosque, told Taiwan News the sale is to raise awareness of a crisis in Palestine that has continued for decades. “The Muslim world has always been deeply concerned about their struggle,” he said.

Cheng said the mosque is still in the process of deciding exactly which organization the funds raised from the sale will go to. He said that the mosque’s priority is to send the money to the International Red Crescent Movement, and communications regarding this are ongoing.

The mosque does not have regular Palestinian worshippers but has welcomed Palestinians in the past, Cheng said.

The charity sale has already caused some controversy with a poster for the event receiving criticism online. Cheng said that the image on the poster depicting a map colored with a Palestinian flag is not a message of support for Hamas.

“None of us are making any claim to support Hamas during this event, neither is the map intended to deliver such a message. The use of the map and flag is a symbol of the longstanding issue in the region, and the need for the Palestinian people to attain peace and resist oppression," he explained.

“This is surely a sensitive time to speak out, and no matter how we present the event, it is going to be political at the end of the day,” Cheng said. “However, this event is not a Muslim-specific event, and everyone is welcome to participate and contribute to the Palestinians who are suffering from the occupation," he added.

More information about the sale, and how to register to sell goods at the event, is available on Facebook.