(Speech delivered by Former Senator SANTANINA T. RASUL during the
"Sister of Peace Ceremony, Women Breaking Barriers for Peace" sponsored by
the Women's Federation for World Peace at the Manila Hotel on February 12,
1999.)
FOR the past six years, we have staged the International Eidul Fitri
Festival after the fast of Ramadan as a vehicle to educate our fellow
Filipinos on the culture of the Muslims.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite those of you who
have time to visit the Cultural Exhibit and Bazaar which opens on Feb. 15
and ends with a gala presentation on Feb. 21, 1999 in the evening at the
Glorietta, Ayala Center, Makati City. The festival will showcase the art,
artifacts, culture of the five major Filipino Muslim groups the Sama,
Tausug, Yakan, Maranaw, and Maguindanaon and that of the Muslim
Countries.
When the government embarked on its peace efforts to bring to the
negotiating table the MNLF to ensure a real and lasting peace in Mindanao,
we felt that there was a need for a complementary effort to promote better
understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in a more pleasurable
manner: by presenting the culture, history and artifacts of Filipino
Muslims as well as those from across the seas as a step towards better
understanding of Muslim culture and thereby help accelerate the promotion
of peace and national unity.
Negative image
While there has been a slight improvement in the image of Muslims, it
is a fact that the general impression of Muslims remains negative: that of
terrorists, kidnappers, juramentados, smugglers, etc. Very little was
known about their rich culture and history which have become part of the
cultural heritage of the Filipinos. In fact, not much has changed by way
of impression of Muslims since my college days.
Media has perpetuated that negative image whenever they refer to
criminals as Muslims although they never refer to Christian criminals as
Christians.
We believe that we cannot wait for the system to correct itself for
the future. A writer once said:
"You can choose to be blind to what transpires in your midst and see
only the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome; or you can
choose to stare it in the face and help carve the glory of your place and
the grandeur of your time"
The Muslim culture
We have chosen to stare the problem in the eye and this is the reason
why for the past six years and up to now we have staged the International
Eidul Fitri Festival as a vehicle for removing the cobwebs of prejudice
born out of ignorance of Islam and the Muslim Culture.
This is also the reason why for the fast 31 years we have engaged in
literacy promotion especially among the cultural minority and Muslim areas
through the Magbassa Kita Literacy project. Illiteracy breeds ignorance
and ignorance breeds anti-social tendencies.
Those who do not know any better constitute a factor in a culture of
conflict and violence which breed social instability. We launched
"Magbassa Kita" not just for literacy learning but also to demolish the
psychological barriers to the attainment of mutual understanding, national
unity and peace.
Brief history
To be able to understand, the Muslims of the Philippines and their
culture one has to understand their history. This I will do briefly.
Islam came to the Philippines around the 13th century, about two
hundred years before the advent of Christianity in this country in 1521.
The early centuries of Islam in the Philippines were marked by the gradual
spread of the faith in the southern region especially in the areas
represented today by Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao, Cotabato and
Lanao.
The phenomenal growth of the faith had become quite evident by the
16th century when a Muslim kingdom emerged in what is now Manila as the
focus of political power in Luzon.
But more important to note is the historical fact that the Islamic
process in these early centuries saw the development of dynamic
interaction between inhabitants and communities in the archipelago
especially in matters of trade and commerce.
The economic activities of the period had become so encouraging that
foreign trade between the southern island and the outside world, including
the west, was also stimulated.
300 years of Islam
Unfortunately for the Archipelago, the positive role of Islam was
somehow affected by the intrusion of colonialism in the 16th century. This
period saw the coming of Spanish expeditions for colonization and
Christianization.
Thus, the next three centuries of Islam, during the period of Spanish
colonialism, were no longer marked by the earlier enriching activities of
the Muslims in the archipelago but rather the fearsome and tragic
confrontation which took place between the Spaniards and the Muslims
subsequently involving the christianized Filipinos who were used by the
Spaniards against the Muslims.
This long period of colonial confrontation and struggle would have
radical effects on the character of Islamic development in the archipelago
and would give a distinct color to what the Bangsa Moro armed struggle is
today. It is also partly responsible for what the Muslim Filipinos have
become.
Moro wars
The Moro wars of the Spanish colonial period although failing to
eradicate Islam in Southern Mindanao left its indelible imprint in the
stunted development of the Muslim region, its people and its resources.
While the rest of the country concentrated on economic activities, tending
to their farms, establishing factories, etc., the Muslims spent their time
sharpening their kris, fighting to preserve their way of life.
The coming of American rule and inevitably American civilization
somehow provided a neutralizing influence on the otherwise negative impact
of Spanish colonialism on the Muslim South.
While the Muslim struggle for justice, progress and well-being
continued, American policies and programs had given them some reason for
compromise thus providing a significant respite in the collective violence
that generally marked the era of colonialism in Muslim history.
Future of Islam
Even the future of Islam in the archipelago was somehow guaranteed by
the policy of religious tolerance which allowed the exercise of religious
freedom in the country without fear of state suppression.
It was not until the withdrawal of American political rule in 1946
that government policy towards Muslims began to crystallize.
The declared policies and programs of the government have been
commendable. But the implementation of policies and the programs declared
had created a lot of doubt, misgivings and resentment over the sincerity
and ability of the government to fulfill its commitment.
In other words, Muslims perceived a wide gap between theory and
practice of government as far as they are concerned. The threat to the
future of Islam has created fear of identity loss because of perceived
effects of unabated and near monopolistic use of power for the benefit of
interests not sympathetic to Islam/Muslims.
Remarkable capacity
From the centuries of Islamic revolution we see the remarkable
capacity of Islam and the Muslim people to survive the tremendous changes
that had come from colonial conquests and pacification. We see this
ability to survive as being attributed to both the nature of Islam and the
variety of responses generated to outside forces. It is in these responses
that the legacy of Islam can be seen and therefore identified.
There are 3 contributions that may be said to constitute the
historical legacy of Islam to the Philippines and the Filipino
people.
1. Sense of national unity
We learn from our history that long before Filipinism was developed
as a basis of national unity the Muslims had already developed a national
consciousness based on the Islamic concept of ummah. It was unity based on
the total integration of all aspects of society. It transcended the
barriers of ethnic, social, economic or other personal differences.
Unfortunately, this sense of nationality Islam brought about was
somehow distorted by colonialism.
2. A sense of continuing struggle against injustice.
The four centuries of bloody confrontation with colonialism
illustrate the Muslims' persistent struggle against injustice. The
discriminatory policies of Spanish colonialism were responsible for
keeping the Muslims in continuous resistance. It was Islam that enabled
the Muslims to resist with continuing persistence. Islam instilled values
that abhorred injustice against individuals as well as society. In fact
"fik sabilillah" best expresses the Muslim struggle against all kinds of
injustice.
3. A sense of just peace.
Contrary to the stereotyped perception that Muslims are violent,
Islam teaches peace. In fact, Islam means submission to the will of God
who is the author of real and lasting peace. But history tells us that the
Islamic concept of peace is one that is not imposed through coercion but
rather comes from the fulfillment of justice. This explains why treaties
entered into between Spain and the Muslims could not have brought the
peace the Muslims desired because it was based on injustice and
coercion.
If we are to accept the pattern of history, Islam must be recognized
as a positive factor or force in the pursuit of peace and unity by the
State. The sooner the nation and the government recognize this fact the
better is it for the future of the country as a whole. We must continue to
destroy the prejudices of the past and begin to remake the history of the
Filipino people without the social barriers that tend to divide us.
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