Hard to be Muslim?
Samira Gutoc is a freelance writer, former editor of The Moro Times, and convenor of the Young Moro Professionals Network. She is currently helping to revive the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines. GMANews.TVBeing Muslim is hard, wrote one columnist. It’s difficult to practice fasting, wear the veil, deal with false associations with the Abu Sayyaf - the complaints go on and on.
Muslims are challenged by the complexity of the modern age. A Muslim has to grapple with the do's and don'ts of a rigid system of belief and practices, and balance it with modernity. Secondly, a Muslim, particularly in the Philippines, has to deal with multiple identities - being a Filipino, a part of mainstream society; being Moro, a part of a distinct historical community; being a Maranao, Maguindanao or Tausug, part of a cultural group; and being a Muslim, part of the larger Ummah (community of believers).
But for me, being Muslim has really made life easier, especially in the metropolis. Whether in a crowd or in a classroom, my veil has easily identified me, thus I do not get lost or discriminated against. A Muslim not discriminated against? Yep believe it, the veil or my Muslim name usually prompts a sympathetic ear or word even from strangers. Oh, so you're Muslim, a taxi driver would comment, like I was an alien object. Opo, I answer, smiling, bakit? And the curious person would usually begin to ask questions to educate himself.
Having worked and interacted with Christians all my life, I have had to actually be a "better Muslim" to answer questions from colleagues, and even media, about my faith. Some of the usual queries, usually borne out of "misconceptions," have to do with polygamy (more accurately polygyny because women cannot marry more than one man), jihad (self-struggle against evil), eating pork, and the veil.
It is timely to know about Muslims and their way of life. This month is Ramadhan, one of the holiest periods in the Islamic calendar, observed by the capable and healthy among the 1.5 billion Muslims all over the world. Fasting is one of the five pillars in Islam aside from charity, pilgrimage, five-times-a-day prayer, and a declaration that there is only One God and Muhamad is a Messenger.
Fasting was practiced by Jesus and other prophets from history. Muslim fasting is 12 hours of abstention from food, water, and sex from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is also about the avoidance of evil, the practice of good acts, and a time to be in solidarity with the poor. I close my eyes to avoid seeing “erotic" scenes on television. This is because we are also advised to avoid getting horny. But that’s only in the daytime.
In the Philippines, fasting comes at a time when thousands of evacuees in Maguindanao are living in tents. Fasting becomes more meaningful because we know how it is to have no food available even for just 12 hours.
My daily routine consists of waking up at 3 in the morning to eat a heavy meal, stopping water intake by 4 in the morning, sleeping again to prepare for the day at 7, working the whole day, reading the Holy Quran, napping in the afternoon, preparing for the 5:45 break of fast, waiting for the call for prayer, sipping water to break the fast, praying, eating a heavy meal, and then evening prayers to cap the night.
Fasting, I discovered, was also a way to strengthen friendships with my Christian friends. My freshman roommate in UP would actually wake me up at 3 in the morning so that I could prepare for morning meals that would end just after 4 in the morning. My NGO colleagues would avoid eating in front of me to show respect. Other friends went as far as fasting for several hours too, to show their oneness with Muslims.
It is difficult to work and fast at the same time; it takes getting used to. It is great that some government offices practice early office hours to dismiss Muslim employees at 3 in the afternoon to prepare for their evening meals.
And as half of the month of Ramadhan is over and Eidul Fitr draws near, the essence of fasting becomes real in the everyday smile of a Muslim to a Christian and vice versa. Abstaining from conflict and making peace real every day should be the real message of Ramadhan. - GMANews.TV
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