i Report Issue No. 3 2005 - Philippine Center for Investigative ...

T H E L O S T G E N E R A T I O N
the full triangular cover. Others
match their veils with eyes
heavy with eyeliner. Western
Muslim ladies I have met seem
more conservative alongside our
own; they have no colored veils
and there is no strand of hair
peeping out of their hijab.
Wearing the veil, of course,
is just one symbol, just one of
the many experiences, of being
a Muslim woman. Yet public
discussions regarding Muslim
women rarely go beyond our
head covering. And in public
discussions, we are usually
rendered voiceless.
It’s a given that there seems
to be a segregation of the sexes,
where women are defined and
respected for their role in the domestic
sphere. Even those who
are educated and well-traveled
among us find that when they
speak outside of that sphere,
their voices are not always heard.
Sometimes that may be because
they are put in “their place.” In
Maranao public events, for instance,
young women are usually
found in the kitchen, in another
side of the room separate from
the men, and are rarely part of
political discussions.
In a way, someone also tried
to put me in my place, or at least
what he thought that should be,
on a business trip I took to Baguio.
One bearded religious leader
there asked me why I travel
without the traditional mahram
(a chaperone, because women
are discouraged from traveling
alone). I told him that if men
were doing my media work, I
need not do this. I was trying
hard not to retort rudely.
BUT THINGS may be starting to
change. Just last March, a young
women’s forum was held for the
first time at MSU to celebrate
BUILDERS OF PEACE. Muslim
women can become pillars
of harmony in communities
ravaged by war and conflict.
international women’s month.
Many young women and even
men came to listen to women
speakers and students in veil
talk freely about sex—and the
lack of knowledge about it.
Gender and sex were differentiated.
Social stereotyping and
assigning of roles was exposed.
We even shook our body and
exercised to let loose. For once,
we were having something
besides the traditional seminar/lecture
that has become the
most acceptable form of public
discourse among Muslims.
So there we were, even
talking about early and arranged
marriages. I felt thankful
for my open-minded parents,
who consulted us if they
were choosing partners for us.
In Maranao tradition, the parents
do the search for prospective
spouses for their children,
and arrange the unions among
themselves, often without asking
the ones who are to be
married. Oftentimes the couples
are not prepared emotionally
and intellectually for the
kind of responsibility marriages
entail, but that does not seem
to matter to the elders.
Someone I know married
at 18; she is now 31. She managed
to finish college, but has
been unable to use her education
to have a career of her
own. She thought she would
be happy taking care of her
family, but she lapsed into
depression. I think because of
an overdose of cultural obedience,
she simply forgot all
about herself.
Muslim youths today—male
and female—aspire to be educated
and useful to their communities
and beyond. Medical student
Naheeda Dimacisil of Laguna
expresses her distaste over some
Muslim men who still do not
see the “equality with women in
responsibilities,” which includes
seeking knowledge.
A study done by Xavier
University found that religion,
family, education, and work,
were the top priorities of Muslim
youths. It further found that
young people thought that education
is important because it is
seen as a vehicle for social mobility,
a way to escape poverty,
and a means to help others.
Many also want to become
among the best in their fields to
“dispel the negative image of Islam.”
Ateneo de Davao freshman
law student Sahara Aliongan says
she hopes to become the first
Muslim woman to top the bar
exams. Then she plans to “write
a book and change the negative
views of people about Muslims.”
Many Muslims criticize the
media for the negative and simplistic
portrayal of their communities.
For many Filipinos, it would
seem “Muslim” has become
synonymous with terrorists, criminals,
bandits, and the Abu Sayyaf.
Many among our countrymen
ignore the complexities of tribal
differences, the difference between
a religion and its followers,
and other such nuances.
For us Muslim women, the
struggle is twofold: we struggle
against the discrimination
foisted upon us within our own
communities, and we struggle
against the Muslim stereotype
when we step out of the confines
of our family and tribe.
MARAWI CITY Council Jehan-
ne Mutin-Mapupuno says part
of the problem is the lack of a
Muslim role model. “There are
no successful Muslim personalities
featured on radio or TV,”
she says. “Young Muslims don’t
have positive (role) models to
identify with or an association
of peers they can relate to.”
She’s not really off the
mark. After all, the top broadcast
news organizations have
just begun adding knowledge
of Muslim concerns among
their criteria for new recruits.
And there is still that pressure
from elders for youths to pursue
non-arts courses.
But while the media have
yet to offer a model for Muslims,
there are already the likes of
women’s rights activist and cancer
survivor Yasmin Busran-Lao
of Lanao del Sur to show us the
way. Busran-Lao is a recognized
advocate for reforms in the Shariah
legal system, where men
have interpreted the laws. She
has received the Ninoy Aquino
Public Service award, and was
featured not only on the Sunday
Inquirer but also on CNN.
There is also Sulu’s Warina
Jukuy, an outspoken spitfire,
who filed for candidacy for the
gubernatorial post of the Autonomous
Region for Muslim
Mindanao although she thinks
her chances of winning are
.00001 percent. So why even try?
Her response: just to show the
corruption within the system.
Peace advocate Minang
Sharief Dirampatan, meanwhile,
is a professor and theater artist
who has become a fixture at the
MSU, which she has called home
for the last 25 years. She has also
served as mentor and guide to
many outstanding MSU youths.
Dirampatan and Busran-Lao
were of a generation that segregated
Muslim men and women
in communities and prioritized
men over women when it came
to schooling. They broke tradition.
They have also nurtured
a new generation of thinkers
and idealists among Mindanao’s
youth. Though Dirampaten at
58 may not be as mobile as before,
she mentors others so that
the ideas of peace and human
rights trickle down to younger,
more energetic advocates.
Women like Dirampatan are
in my thoughts as I continue my
journey. I also think, since most of
the world’s conflicts today involve
Muslims, it is imperative that Muslim
women become promoters
of peace even at the village level.
They should direct their energies
to peacebuilding, which includes
conflict resolution, advocacy, and
governance. Working for peace
can also include teaching the values
of peace, promoting interfaith
dialogue, and peace journalism
and research.
It is work worth devoting
one’s life to.
Samira Gutoc, a freelance journalist,
is a Sagittarian and one of the founders
of Young Moro Professionals.
She obtained a fellowship at Oxford
University and has represented the
Philippines in international conferences
on women, youth, and minorities.
She is secretary general of the
Philippine Muslim Women Council
and chairs the National Youth
Parliament Alumni Association.
54 PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM I REPORT