This October, it will have been six years since I took a two-week (give or take) trip to Mindanao in order to research on indigenous food for the late Professor Doreen Fernandez. In the future, I may well be sent to other provinces or even countries on official business, but for my money nothing will compare to being PAID to travel to the idyllic beauty of Mindanao in order to study...FOOD!!! It's not as if I had to eat bugs or anything like that.
During my stay in Zamboanga City, which was actaully most of my trip, I found myself living with a family of four, with my liaison (and lifesaver) being the mother, Mucha Aquiling-Arquiza. Their generosity was boundless, and I haven't forgotten it since, nor do I imagine that I ever will. Nor will I forget the generosity of my host in Marawi City, a woman who found time to make sure I was settled into my accommodations in spite of the fact that she was looking after a five year old kid, and only has one leg. All of these people were Muslims.
I say this because I take exception to the way Muslims are depicted in the media these days. To say that the brigands who died in the attempted Camp Bagong Diwa jailbreak weeks ago were the scum of the earth is a fair and accurate comment, but to say that majority of Filipino Muslims are likely to revere them as martyrs rather disturbs me.
There has been no shortage of Muslims who have declared that the Abu Sayyaf have grossly distorted the teachings of Islam, which, incidentally, means "surrender to God" in order to justify their depravity. Another person I know, who has spent what appears to be the better part of his life studying the Mindanao conflict, says that the problems with Muslims do not really spin out of differences in religion but are born instead out of poverty. It's all about not having enough resources. The Abu Sayyaf, who have made millions out of kidnapping and extortion, which I highly doubt is likely to by them any favors in the hereafter, are nothing but common crooks, who use religion as a justification. To say that Muslims happily and willingly identify with these people is a sweeping generalization and a distortion of the truth.
If Muslims, the majority of whom live in abject poverty, just like their millions of Catholic brethren, identify with separatist groups or terrorists, it is because their have spent their lives in misery, the same way that many a poor Filipino has been coaxed into joining the NPA. It's not about religion, in short, and never really has been.
I am grateful that I don't actually know anyone who has bought any of this irrespoonsible reporting to the point of not trusting anyone solely on the basis of their Islamic faith, but I do feel that there is really something wrong with the slant our media have adopted regarding this particular topic.
2 comments:
Really, there's nothing about the slant to the media. It's just reportage. Have those arrested or suspected of being terrorists denied being Muslims or have admitted being Christians? Granted, it does sound sensationalized but the crimes attributed to the said Muslims also have a tinge of religious fervor.
Not that I'm defending the media despite my job (as Ryan says, holy cows make good hamburgers or something like that). Just giving a objective perspective about it.
Hm. I'll grant that Muslim-related crimes tend to seem a little more radical, but I guess my problem is that it seems that too much premium is given to the statements of people who feel that the Abu Sayyaf could be inspirational. I mean, this is clearly just opinion on their part but it somehow gains more weight in the publication...
Post a Comment