TimesmoroThe Manila TimesA M O N T H LY N E W S S E C T I O N O F E V E R Y L A S T F R I D A Y

D1

N o v e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 7

the

■ From Left: Peter Schier (former KAS country representative inMalaysia),Mohamad Al-Mustaqeem (Malaysia), Franz Tugimin (Indonesia),Amina Rasul (Philippines), Dr. Poetering, President of the EuropeanParliament, Imtiyaz Yusuf (Thailand), Maarof Salleh (SIngapore). DennisSchrey (KAS) . (Photo: European Parliament)

Two Book Gifts on Mindanao

5,000 Filipino pilgrims leave for MeccaBY HARIJA RIZA U. KHAMAL

COMPUTERIZATION, cheaper airfares, accessible assistance, comfort.Performing one of the pillars of

Islam, the pilgrimage (Hajj) in Mecca,Saudi Arabia, has become easier for morethan five thousand Filipinos, an all-timehigh because of low dollar rates.

Gone are the days when pilgrimshave to travel months by ship toreach Mecca. Today, pilgrims after aday’s flight, are even housed in air-conditioned tents after they performthe hajj rituals.

The weeks -long Hajj is requiredfor every able-bodied Muslim maleor female who can afford to do so atleast once in his lifetime. Muslims,clothed in white, from all over theworld converge in Mecca in a showof unity, submission and obedienceto God and commemorate ProphetAbraham’s (Ibrahim) sacrifice forwhat he loved most in the world -his son Ismael - at God’s command.

In the Philippines , a pilgrim paysUS$2109 dollars as mutawwif (pay-ment) for transport and accommo-dation in Saudi Arabia and 998 pe-sos registration fee with the Office onMuslim Affairs (OMA) , which man-ages the Hajj operations in coordi-nation with the Saudi authorities.

Hajj then and nowA native of Basilan, Hadji SaudaGappal related how convenient it isthese days to perform Hajj com-pared to the time when a pilgrimhas to travel by ship.

She first traveled to Saudi Arabiafor Hajj when there was no availableairplane yet. [Due to old age, shedoesn’t remember the date of hertravel.]

Hadji Sauda recounted that atthat time, she only paid P1,600 andhad an allowance of P60 for thetravel.

“We didn’t pass through Manila .Our papers were prepared inBasilan. We board on a ship withour baon. I had with me two cans

of rice, one can of gas, two cases ofsoftdrinks with my stove andkaldero,” she said in native Yakan.

She said, it took them 29 daysof traveling before reaching Jeddah, Saudi Arabia . While she said,these days, it only takes 19 hoursof travel with comfort to reach theHajj destination

“When we cook rice, we tie ourkaldero because when the shipswayed , our things also moved tothe other side,” adds Hadji Sauda.

After the pilgrimage, tears of joymark the accomplishment of a pil-lar of Islam, the Hajj, as many of thepilgrims vow to lead a new life. Theother pillars are shahada or testify-ing that there is no God but Allahand Prophet Muhammad is his mes-senger; salah, praying five times aday; zakah, giving charity and alms,and sawm, fasting during the holymonth of Ramadan.

Reforms in HajjoperationsIn the face of criticisms against

commissions collected during Hajj,newly-appointed OMA ExecutiveDirector Ali Sangki said OMA hasimplemented reforms to improvethe process of Hajj operations. Inthe past, pilgrims have complainedof exorbitant costs and lack of as-sistance while in Saudi Arabia.

Sangki said he implementedtransparency in the operations byproviding a step-by step manual onWHAT TO DO during Hajj .

Few months prior to the start ofthe filing of application for the pil-grimage this year, Sangki providedprospective pilgrims withorientations on what activities they

will undergo during Hajj . “Thisoutline will guide us and will let usknow where we are at such time,”said Sangki in an interview.

OMA’s new chief also assuredpilgrims that they will get the serv-ice that they had paid for. This isto avoid the reoccurrence of lastyear’s experience, wherein somepilgrims were forced to board anairplane with cheaper class thanwhat they paid for.

“I’ve already called the attentionof the airlines through a letter sentto them. I have asked for a refundfor our brothers,” said Sangki.

Sheiks, who lead a group (jamaa)of pilgrims, have been accredited toensure that they are capable of per-forming their duties to lead theirjamaa properly. “The participatingsheiks this year should be capableof reading and speaking Arabic,”added Sangki.

“Also an assessment of thesesheiks performance will be done bythe people whom they lead. The as-sessment is important so that theSheiks will be considered to partici-pate again in the Hajj the succeed-ing year. The failure of the Sheiks tofollow the standard that the OMAhas implemented in handling thejamaah will result to their restrictionfrom joining the Hajj operations. “

This year, travel agencies also had

to follow accreditation procedures.The OMA chief also noted that

the supervisory team will also beassessed. The agency is sending a40-person medical team to assistthe pilgrims.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed a Hajj Attache,Solaiman Mutia of OMA, to be sta-tioned in the Philippine Consulatein Jeddah to help oversee the wel-fare of the pilgrims.

DELEGATES from ASEAN andAfghanistan were granted a rareopportunity to meet with Dr. Hans-Gert Pottering, President of theEuropean Parliament, during theirvisit to Brussels from Nov 21 to 23.Dr. Pottering, a strong advocate ofinter faith dialogues, paid veryclose attention to the delegates

BY SAMIRA GUTOC

SHOPPING for a gift this Christmas? Two Eng-lish-language books about Muslims, definitecollectors items, were launched in Mindanaothis week to coincide with the Mindanao Weekof Peace on November 29 - December 5.

Another book tackling the peace processentitled,“The Long Road to Peace: Inside theGRP-MILF Peace Process,” was launched bythe Cotabato City-based Institute ofBangsamoro Studies in Darapanan , SharieffKabunsuan on November 28. Written by SalahJubair, a nom de guerre of one of the leadersof the MILF, the 250-page book documentsthe events , processes and sentiments aboutthe government and MILF peace negotiations

which has been going on since 1997.Mindanews Editor Carolyn Arguillas reports

that, during the launch, the Moro Islamic Lib-eration Front (MILF) reached out to the MoroNational Liberation Front (MNLF) and is “will-ing to accommodate” the unimplemented pro-visions of the GRP-MNLF peace agreement intotheir own (future agreement), MILF peace panelchair Mohagher Iqbal here said, after the launch-ing of his book, “The Long Road to Peace: In-side the GRP-MILF Peace Process.”

The Foreword was written by former Sec-retary and Chairman of the GRP peace panel,Silvestre Afable Jr. Former Congressman DatuMichael Mastura, currently member of theMILF peace panel, wrote the Afterword.

According to Prof Abhoud Syed Lingga, head

of the Institute which published the book, thisis the second book of Jubair on the MindanaoProblem. His first book was “Bangsamoro: ANation Under Endless Tyranny”.

Another book was launched, this time fea-turing the voices of young Moros. NationalBookstore launched “Children of the Ever-Changing Moon”, an anthology edited byGutierrez Mangansakan III who is busily fin-ishing a film on MILF Founder HashimSalamat. The anthology contains essays by12 young Muslim professionals. It is the firstof its kind to mainstream thoughts and expe-riences of Muslims. Launched in Shoemart(SM), Davao City on November 30, “Childrenof the Ever-Changing Moon” is published bymulti-awarded ANVIL.

■ The e-visa section of the Office on Muslim Affairs works round the clock, busy processing hajj applications due to the high turnout of pilgrims going toMecca this season. PHOTO BY NASSER SHARIEF

assessments of the situation intheir respective countries and in theIslamic world in general. Organ-ized by the Konrad AdenauerStiftung, The group met officials ofKonrad Adenauer Stiftung, theGerman Bundestag, EuropeanParliament, European Commissionand Europe Aid.

ASEANs visit Euro Parliament

PCID condemns attack on congress,calls for resolve and cautionTHE Philippine Council for Islam and Democ-racy (PCID) expresses its shock and condemna-tion over the deaths and injuries resulting fromthe explosion at the House of Representatives.The attack which initially appears to be a delib-erate brutal act is a direct attack on one of thecountry’s democratic institutions and should bedenounced by all peace-loving citizens.

No political end or belief system can jus-tify such dastardly act. We call on law enforce-

ment authorities to exhaust all legal means toput the perpetrators to justice. We commiser-ate with the families of those who have beenvictimized by this brutal attack. We particu-larly mourn the death of a brother in faith,Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar whopassed away as a result of the blast.

Occurring on the heels of the Glorietta blastand in the context of current political turmoil,the explosion will definitely add to the political

instability the country is currently experiencing.More importantly, we call upon the media, poli-ticians and other concerned parties to exercise cau-tion in assigning blame to a particular group forthe attack before a thorough investigation hasbeen conducted. Let us not repeat the mistake ofhurriedly blaming, arresting and incarceratingMuslims for all acts of terrorism (as many didafter the Glorietta blast). Wrongly labeling or ac-cusing a group as terrorists is as much a cowardlyact as the attack on Congress itself.

We appeal to everyone to exercise sobrietyand resolve. If the intent of this act is to sowfear, let us not be afraid. If the motive is toderail our resolve to fight corruption and in-justice, let us be steadfast in our convictions.

muslimsacrossthenationAnak Mindanao Representative Mujiv Hatamanfiled House Bill 3012 or an AN ACT PROHIBIT-ING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONSON ACCOUNT OF ETHNIC ORIGIN AND/ORRELIGIOUS BELIEF last November 5. The billseeks to criminalize Discrimination in Employ-ment, Education, Delivery of Goods and Serv-ices and Accommodation.

* * *The Philippine Business for Social Progress

(PBSP) organized a job fair, YUPPEACE, forMuslim interns in Marawi City last November22. Interns are to be employed in Manila-basedcompanies to train these upcoming Muslim pro-fessionals to be equipped to manage their ownoffices when they return in the ARMM.

* * *

The National Commission on the Role of Fili-pino women (NCRFW) organized a Conferenceon Gender Issues in the Context of Islam inDavao City to come up with a statement thatrecognizes priority gender issues in PhilippineMuslim communities and how these issues canbe responded to at various levels .The issues dis-cussed included 1) marriage and family, to in-clude issues on polygamy, divorce, early/forced/arranged marriages, violence against women andother family and reproductive health concerns;2) Muslim women’s economic and propertyrights, to include economic empowerment, em-ployment, property and inheritance rights, othereconomic rights; and 3) Muslim women’srights and governance, to include women’s po-litical participation / empowerment and leader-ship, peace and other legal and political issuesand how government/religious authorities/Shariah/NGOs can push Muslim women’s rights.

* * *The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Schol-

arship Program sponsored an Educational De-velopment Seminar on the theme: DevelopingPersonal, Social and Leadership Know-how heldin Cotabato City , Philippines last month . TheIDB sponsors more than 100 indigent collegescholars from Muslim areas every year in thefields of medicine and related courses.

* * *The World Bank (WB) provided a 50,000

dollar grant to the Liguasan Youth Associationfor Sustainable Development Inc. for a projectcalled Liguasan Environmental Preservation.Liguasan Marsh was the site of an all-out warin 2000.

* * *The USAID-backed Philippine Environmen-

tal Governance Project 2 through the ECOGovhas provided a grant to the NGO, PhilippineMuslim Women Council (PMWC) for the LakeLanao and Development Project to promoteenvironmental awareness. Lake Lanao is endan-

➤ NationD2

F R I D A Y

moroTimesD2

The Manila Times N o v e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 7

the

JOAQUIN C. ROCES JRPublisher

❋ ❋ ❋

RENE Q. BASEditor in Chief

❋ ❋ ❋

DANTE FRANCIS M. ANG IIExecutive Editor/

President and CEO

❋ ❋ ❋

AMINA RASULEditor

SAMIRA GUTOC-TOMAWISManaging Editor

NASSER SHARIEFALIYYA SAWADJAAN

Editorial Team

❋ ❋ ❋BRIAN M. AFUANG

Art Director

Telephone 524-5665 to 67Telefax 521-6897 • 521-6872

Subscription 528-1319

www.manilatimes.netE-mail newsboy@manilatimes.net

❋ ❋ ❋

The Moro Times is published by ManilaTimes monthly at 371 A. Bonifacio

Drive, Port Area, Manila, 1018

❋ ❋ ❋

T1-20, Governors PlaceCondominium, Shaw Blvd.,

Mandaluyong CityTelefax 532-6058

E-mail: mkfi@pldtdsl.net

moroTimes

The Manila Timesthe

SERVANTS of Allah, fear Allah asHe should be feared. Indeed

Taqwa (to fear Allah) is Alláh’s ad-vice to the first and last man onearth.

He said in the Holy Qur’an: “Oyou who believe! Fear Allâh (bydoing all that He has ordered andby abstaining from all that He hasforbidden) as He should be feared.[Obey Him, be thankful to Him,and remember Him always], and dienot except in a state of Islâm (asMuslims) with complete submis-sion to Allâh.” (3:102)

Dear brothers and sisters in faith,Islam is a religion of equality; noone is above the other on the basisof color, race and wealth. The onlybasis where one is better than theother, is piety or taqwa. If you areindeed a Muslim, you must alwaystreat your brothers and sistersequally under the principle of qisasand above all, you must follow whatAllah said in the Holy Qur’an.

Allah said in the Qur’an: “In thelaw of equality there is (saving of)life to you. O ye men of understand-ing; That ye may restrain your-selves.” (2:179)

Believers in Allah, Islam empha-sizes worth in valuing one another.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:“On that account: We ordained forthe children of Israel that if any oneslew a person, unless it be for mur-der or for spreading mischief in theland, it would be as if he slew thewhole humankind: and if any onesaved a life, it would be as if he savedthe life of the entire humanity. Thenalthough there came to them ourMessengers with clear signs, yet,even after that, many of them con-tinued to commit excesses in theland”. (5:32)

Man is obliged to preserve andprotect human life and be protec-tor of one another. Allah forbidsmurder and spreading of mischiefin the land. Islam prefers that thepeople should restrain themselvesfrom bad deeds, such as murder,mischief, kidnapping sowing of fearor terror; rumor-mongering and stir-ring conflicts in society.

Whoever causes the developmentand economic security of the society,it would be as if he saved the lives ofthe entire humankind. This refers toupholding justice, equality, coopera-tion: like the rich aiding the poor.

Grievous punishments are fore-warned of those who are doing mis-chief.

Allah said: The punishment ofthose who wage war against Allahand His Messenger, and strive withmight and main for mischiefthrough the land is execution, orcrucifixion, or the cutting off ofhands and feet from opposite sides,or exile from the land: That is theirdisgrace in this World, and a griev-ous punishment is theirs in theHereafter.” (5:33)

Moreover murderers, robbers, adul-terers and the like are the people whodare to wage war against Allah andHis Messenger. They are the people,who, while still alive, are forewarnedof execution, or crucifixion, or of cut-ting off of hands and feet from oppo-site sides, or exile to isolated places;and that, if they did not change, hell-fire is their permanent abode on res-urrection after death.

The preservation and protection

KHUTBA

of human life is the wisdom of qisas.In qisas, the life of each individualis sanctified and inviolable. If onekills another person, he must pay bygiving his life as a sentence for hiswrong doing, except when the closekin of the victim, pardoned him.

Allah stated in the Holy Qu-r’an: “We ordained therein for them:Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose,ear for ear, tooth for tooth, andwounds equal for equal. But if anyone remits the retaliation by way ofdiat (blood money), it is an act ofatonement for himself. And if anyfail to judge by what Allah hath Re-vealed, they are wrong-doers.” (5:45)

We can deduce from the aboveverses that there is in qisas the realmfor preservation and protection ofhuman life by the stern warning of.life-for-life, an-eye for-an-eye…These may greatly deter man fromcommitting crimes for fear of harshconsequences on them. This is onlypossible in an environment inwhich the Shari’ah is in place as thelaw of the land.

Allah ordained us to establish thelaw of equality (Qisas)—the con-cept of free-for-the-free, the slave-for-the-slave, and the-woman-forthe-woman. A law which none mayquestion the principle upon whichequality is founded.

Respected brothers and sisters inIslam, blood money is obligatoryupon everyone who kills a person,whether directly or by any othermeans. If he intended the murder,the blood money must come fromhis wealth. If the murder was simi-lar to intentional murder or acciden-tal murder, the blood money is duefrom his relatives, as this is what theMessenger of Allah (peace be uponhim) decreed.

Allah (SWT) in the Qur’an pro-vides: “O ye who believe! The lawof equality is prescribed to you incases of murder: the free for the free;the slave for the slave; the womanfor the woman. But if any remissionis made by the brother of the slain,then grant any reasonable demand,and compensate him with hand-some gratitude. This is a considera-tion and a Mercy from your Lord.After this, whoever exceeds the lim-its shall be dealt with in grave chas-tisement.” (2:178)

In conclusion, in qisas there isindeed preservation and protectionof human life. Qisas is a deterrentto commission of evil acts.

Preserve life,protect one another!

SULU Archipelago Reef Complexis one of the most ecologically

important marine biodiversity sys-tem in the world, constitutingabout 25% of the total reef systemof the Philippine islands. It sup-ports the local seaweed industry, isthe 3rd export earner of the Philip-pines and from which hundreds ofthousands of seaweed farmers de-pend for their primary livelihood.

It may be affected by ecologicaldisturbances that are induced by de-velopments in the environment. Tocombat global warming, the inter-national community is coming upwith mitigation programs such ascarbon sequestration by plants,through the process of photosynthe-sis, thereby reducing carbon dioxidein the atmosphere. Since the oceansconstitute about three forth of theplanet surface, ocean fertilizationtechnology, which involves large-scale addition of nutrients like ni-trogen (urea), iron (haematite) isconsidered an option. This artificialfertilization will enhance the bloomof phytoplankton.

Since phytoplankton in theoceans are considered to be respon-sible for fifty percent of the carbonfixation in the planet, one such re-cent plan is to do sea fertilizationexperiments by dumping tons ofurea into the sea to enhance theirbloom. The more phytoplanktonare produced, the more carbon di-oxide will be trapped and this willhelp combat global warming.

However, considering the com-plex dynamics of ocean behaviorand the possible chemical reactionsthat may arise from this artificiallyinduced fertilization of the sea andits long term effects on the food weband the various ecosystems, this for-mula to solve global warming is still

being debated among scientistsworldwide. Central to this debateis on its merits vis a vis the poten-tial environmental risks that thisexperiment would bring about. Asof now, there is no sufficient scien-tific evidence to prove that oceanfertilization would solve globalwarming. Therefore this makes theprocess highly speculative and farworse, the long term environmen-tal side effects is not known.

However it is known that in-creased production of nitrous oxideand methane can result to uncon-trolled production of phyto-plankton and could cause harmfulalgal blooms or “red tide”, like whatthe Philippines has experienced inrecent years due to organic marinepollution. Moreover, organic over-load in the already polluted coastalwaters from domestic wastes canpotentially have adverse impacts onthe productivity of the seaweedfarms because of overdose of nutri-ents. This can also possibly lead tofrequent occurrence of “ice-ice” dis-ease within the Sulu Sea area andtherefore would severely affect thelivelihood of coastal communities.

It is claimed that if more plank-ton is produced there will be morefish and therefore less people wouldgo hungry. While this may be true,it is also true that after an algalbloom, when the algae in largequantities die and decompose they

will use up the dissolved oxygen inthe water column and create oxygendepleted or dead zones in theoceans that can lead to massive fishkills. The recent case of the Bolinaofish kills might happen with thisrisky experimentation and thiswould definitely affect our thou-sands of small fishermen.

Organic pollution could eventu-ally find itself into the Tawi-Tawiside of the Celebes Sea where out-standing biodiversity exists. Thepotential new species that were dis-covered in the recently concludedInner Space Speciation project con-ducted by foreign scientists withtheir Filipino counterparts may bethreatened.

The Ocean Nourishment Cor-poration (ONC), the companywhich wants to do this experi-mentation is from Australia , acountry that has one of the high-est carbon dioxide emissions percapita and has not even signed theKyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Pro-tocol is an agreement among na-tions to reduce carbon dioxideemissions. This company has ap-plied for clearance from the Phil-ippine Government to apply thistechnology for the purpose ofearning carbon credits under theClean Development Mechanism(CDM) for carbon-sequestrationactivity. They will potentiallyearn US$25 million Virgin Earthprize to remove CO2 from the at-mosphere. BFAR denies giving theclearance to this company to startthis experiment while DENRclaims to have no knowledgeabout the project. However, lastOctober, the Australian Broad-casting Corp, (ABC) quoted ONCmanaging director, John Ridleythat “they just completed the ex-

periment involving 1 ton of nitro-gen in the Sulu Sea off the Phil-ippines ”. And they are planningto upscale the experiment to 1000tons of nitrogen over the next yearupon approval from the Philip-pine Government. Who has giventhem authority to start in the firstplace? This is a clear violation ofour environmental laws.

The question that many ask: Whyshould they do this experiment inthe Sulu Sea and not in their GreatBarrier Reef ? My conjecture is thatthey are looking for areas to dumptheir tons and tons of urea whichthey have over produced and couldno longer use since their countryhas shifted to organic fertilizers inagricultural production. So thePhilippines as a Third World Coun-try can be a plausible dumpingground and the Sulu Sea as their ex-perimental station.

Environmental groups likeGREENPEACE and WWF are askinggovernment authorities to carefullyassess this application for clearanceto do the upscaling experiments, toconduct broad consultations andcomprehensive environmental andsocial impact assessments on thistechnology, and to duly sanction theproponents of the recent dumping ofurea into the Sulu Sea without anypermit, without any consultationand without EIA.

A group of concerned Tawi-Tawians all over the world are lead-ing petitions against this experi-ment.

(Romero is Professor of Oceanogra-phy and Environmental Science at theMSU-Tawi-Tawi College of Technologyand oceanography in Sanga-Sanga,Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. For further infor-mation, contact the author atfilemongr@yahoo.com.)

Why fertilize the Sulu Sea ?

who is also a lawyer had completeda 3-months Chevening Fellowshipsat the University of Birmingham forIslam and Governance. He gainedvaluable education as well as net-working with the lecturers as well asthe other fellows who are leadersfrom 63 countries.

Prior to arriving in the UK, I wasthen anxious in living in Manches-ter as a Muslims with my headscarfon. My worries disappeared as soonas step on Manchester soil. I sawmore than a dozens of Muslimswearing hijab, some had niqab.Manchester have more mosquesthan Manila. It was not hard to findhalal food, they are available prac-tically in every major market. InQuiapo, Manila where I grow up Iwitnessed multi-ethnicity, in Man-chester it was multicultural. It waseasy to adjust considering the peo-ple of different origins from all overthe world. My cultural enrichmentand education was thus consider-ably when I met Muslims and Eu-ropeans. Indeed, this experience hadbeen a mind expanding exercise andhad a tremendous effect on my out-look in life. Now, I can see the worldin a bigger picture and I am not asjudgmental as before of the west.

One of the best things that re-leased me from possible lonesome-ness and isolation was the internet.The emails are there from friends

and relatives to keep us posted. Itsurprises me to have simultaneousvideo conferences with them fromManila and Marawi City, Mindanao.At times, with my husband’s brotherwho is a Fulbrigth Scholar at TheMaxwell School, Syracuse Universityin New York and even in relativeswho are overseas worker in SaudiArabia, clearly the internet technol-ogy had made the world connectedand smaller.

Looking back, I shall always treas-ure my learning experience andnourish it with continuous network-ing with classmates, friends and col-leagues whom I met from all cor-ners of the world. I can proudly saythat what mattered most in myChevening scholarship aside fromgaining one of the best educationin the world and having my familyto share it with is the relationshipswith the people whose lives I havetouched and who touched mine,making me a completely differentperson from what I was once was,this time a more informed, happierand wiser one.

(The author is a State Solicitor at theOffice of the Solicitor General (OSG),she is also the founding president of Iqra(Read) Kiddie Learning Center inQuiapo, Manila. She is happily marriedto a fellow lawyer, Atty. Algamar A.Latiph and has a very lively and intelli-gent six year old daughter, Azeeza)

husband gave me the inspiration toprod on and to pursue my masters.I believe in the power of educationto our lift people out of poverty andignorance. Thus, my quest for ahigher learning.

As a student, the learning experi-ence had been enriching and chal-lenging owing to world-class tutorswho stimulate our intellect andcreativity. Indeed I learned impor-tant lessons in the creation of effec-tive schools and the reasons whyschools fail in achieving qualityeducation. This field in education isvery interesting and timely in mywork in Iqra and improving the edu-cational quality of public schools inthe Philippines.

As a mother to my five year olddaughter, I have also enjoyed beinghere because of the availability ofquality education in primaryschools. The UK boasts of one of theworld’s most advance quality con-trol in education, i.e regular andconsistent policy of inspectingschools and seeing to it that they areeffective in the delivery of a goodeducation for all regardless of race,religion and socio-economic back-ground. I have seen important mile-stones in my daughter’s educationin all aspects-academic and socialdevelopment and to think also thatalmost half of her classmates areMuslims. Likewise, my husband

BY ATTY. MAISARA C. DANDAMUN-LATIPH

AT THE Elephant Café in Edinburgh, United Kingdom where

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter was born,I was calmly sipping my Mocha Java.Not only that: I was sharing thatmoment with my hubby and mydaughter. After our 3-day stay with aScottish family in Inverness, I foundtime to visit that historical place.

I was then a foreigner and a stu-dent thousands miles away fromhome. My childhood dream hasbeen fulfilled by being granted witha Chevening Scholar at the Univer-sity of Manchester, hosts to 21Nobel laureates. As a Muslim, ithas always been my dream that oneday, poor Muslim children will beable to have access to quality edu-cation and that they may have op-portunities like this to study abroad.There were difficulties in my learn-ing a new discipline but my strongfaith in Allah (S.W.T.) had helpedme achieve this challenging dream.

Masters in Education is too farfrom my lawyer profession but be-latedly I discovered that it is educa-tion that is nearest to my heart. Irealized three years ago it when I co-founded Iqra Kiddie Learning inQuiapo of more than 200 pupilsmostly from marginalized sector.Apart from Iqra, my daughter and

Living my dream

gered by rampant logging in theadjoining watersheds, decreasingwater level as a result of the six hy-droelectric plants along the AgusRiver and uncontrolled trash andwastewater discharges. “The lake isheaded for an environmental disas-ter that will adversely affect the livesof thousands of people living in the18 towns and one city around it.Freshwater fish production is al-ready dwindling rapidly,” USAIDsaid in a statement. Alarmed by thesituation, Senator Loren Legardafiled House Bill 229 creating a LakeLanao Development Authority. Atthe local level, the Lanao del Surprovincial government, the DENRin Muslim Mindanao, ECOGOVand the PMWC entered into aMemorandum of Agreement(MOA) to improve management ofthe lake and its environs. LakeLanao is the country’s largest fresh-water lake. Situated 702 metersabove sea level in Lanao del Sur, Lake Lanao is fed by four rivers, cov-ers an area of 355 square kilometersand has a depth of 60 to 112 me-ters. The lake is also the habitat of18 native species of freshwater fish,and supports a large number of wa-terfowl. Fishing villages likewisethrive around the lake, which is amajor source of subsistence.

■ NATION FROM D1

muslimsacrossthenation

Thepreservationand protectionof human lifeis the wisdomof qisas.

A never ending story

JIHADIST

BY FI

LEM

ONG.

ROM

ERO

F R I D A Y

moroTimesThe Manila Times N o v e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 0 7

the

BY NASSER SHARIEF

TWO years ago Albert Brooks made afilm Looking for Comedy in theMuslim World. It flopped. The

movie is yet another demonstration hownon-Muslims especially the West arewoefully ignorant about Muslims. PerhapsMuslims themselves are partly to blame.We do virtually nothing to set right wrongimpressions against us. Do Muslimslaugh? You bet! (Although we are notallowed to gamble)

Do Muslims laugh?

The Prophet Muhammad him-self often joked with his compan-ions. Once, the Holy Prophet wasleisurely eating dates with Aliseated in the desert. Whenever theProphet looked away, Ali jokinglyput his seeds on the pile of theProphet until when they were fin-ished, Ali said to the Prophet hehad munched so much dates ,pointing to the mound of seeds.The Prophet said, “Why, Ali, Ididn ’t know you eat the seedstoo!”

But the Prophet warned that,“Everything has a beginning andhostility begins with joking.” Thetype of humor not allowed are thebelow-the-belt ones spawned inLaffline, Timog or Punchline alongQuezon Avenue. Or satirical Dan-ish cartoons.

The earliest and the most popu-lar whimsical character was MullahNasruddin. People believed he wasa Sufi who discovered laughter as away of breaking from the all-too se-rious subject of enlightenment. Theoldest Manuscript of MullahNasruddin was found in 1571.

His tales traveled the world overand is being updated and given anew spin in modern times. He was

called Nasreddin Hoca in Turkey.Afghans, Iranians, Turks and Uzbeksclaim Mullah Nasruddin as theirown. Egyptians called him Joha.

When I browsed in my father’slibrary shortly after his death severalyears ago, I found a joke containedin the very old manual of Joha,which Sheik Ibrahim Ali hadbrought from Mecca:

The Sultan was visiting Joha’stown, and he decided to put on ashow for the locals.During the festivi-ties, the Sultansummoned hisbest swordsmenbefore the crowd.

The first ap-proached thestagew i t ha lit-tle box,out ofwhich a bee flew.With a single zip of hissword, the bee fellsliced in two. Thecrowd cheered at theprecision. The secondapproached with an-

other box, out of which a wasp flewout, then, with two swift blows ofhis sword, the wasp was cut intothree rings. The crowd cheered. Thethird swordsman did a fly into fourpieces. The crowd went wild.

Not to be outdone, Joha thehomeboy rose to the occasion. Heshuffled onto the stage amid thecheers of his home crowd, carry-ing a box in one hand and hissword in the other. As he openedhis little box, a tiny mosquito flewout. Joha delivered a blow, but themosquito continued to fly about,irritated but alive.

“A nice try, Joha,” said the Sultanin a magnanimous, yet clearly dis-appointed tone, “but I see the mos-quito is still alive!”

“When properly performed, cir-cumcision is not supposed to kill,your Majesty!“ replied Joha.

In the Philippines, he is knownas “Abunawas” among the Tausogs,obviously a variant of “Abunawasi”in Swahili culture. And as usual, hischaracter takes on a local color. Asampler:

Once, Abunawas was invited to de-liver a khutba(sermon) in a mosque.When he got on the mimbar (pulpit),he asked the congregation “Do youknow what I am going to say?” Thea u d i e n c e ,su rp r i s edat this

unusual question, chorused an em-phatic “NO.” So, shrugging, Abuna-was announced “I really have no de-sire to speak to people who don’t even

know what I will be talkingabout” and he left.

The people felt embar-rassed and called him back

again the next Friday, andprepared an answer. When he

asked the same question, thecongregation replied “YES, WEDO”. So Abunawas said,“Well, since you already knowwhat I am about to say, I won’twaste any more of your time”

and he left.Now the people were

really perplexed. They de-cided to try one more tack

and once again invited him to

speak. Again he posed the same ques-tion - “Do you know what I am goingto say?” Now the people were well-prepared and so half of them an-swered “YES” while the other half re-plied “NO”. So Abunawas said “Thehalf who know what I am going tosay, pray tell it to the other half” andhe left.

Among Maranaos, the characterbecame the bumbling trader whohad left Lanao in search of greenerpasture in the Christian cities andtowns. He sells carpets portrayingthe Last Supper, imitation Ray Bans,and lately packs of DVD in hisbackpack.

He was a nameless character, al-though the late Maranao radiojock Kunug Pumbaya had chris-tened him “Samir”. Once, Samir

THE continued hostilities in Muslim Mindanao, despite the signing ofthe 1996 Final Peace Agreement between government and the Moro Na-tional Liberation Front (MNLF), has rallied civil society groups and otherstakeholders to call for a stronger push to end the fear and uncertaintybrought by the continued conflict. One of the most crucial factors in do-ing this is to understand how and why the agreement has not led to thepeace and development that it has promised.

Thus, the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, in cooperationwith the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Magbassa Kita Founda-tion hosted the 3rd ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY MEDIA FORUM on No-vember 28, 2007 at Club Filipino in San Juan City which tackled the criti-cal issues surrounding the integration of the former MNLF combatantsback into the fold of Philippine society. The forum featured a study byFatima Irene Rasul, former Secretary of the Department of Trade and In-dustry in ARMM. Col. Carlos Quita of the Armed Force of the Philippines(AFP) and Exec. Dir. Romulo Halabaso of the Office of the PreseidentialAdviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) were reactors to the said study.

Dubbed “PEACE AND INTEGRATION: LESSONS FROM THE GRP-MNLF EXPERIENCE,” the study assessed the implementation of the peaceagreement by focusing on the integration of the MNLF forces into theArmed Forces and the Police. The issue of the integration of combatantsinto the regular armed forces is one of the most crucial phases in ensuringthe success of the implementation of peace agreements. The PhilippineGovernment and the MNLF considered the integration of the MNLF forcesinto the AFP and the PNP as the most successful aspect of the peace agree-ment.

Ms. Rasul found that the process of integrating the MNLF into the AFPand the PNP generated positive results especially as regards the number ofintegrees – with more than 5,000 former MNLF already integrated. An-other positive aspect to the program was the use of the integrees in servingas a vital and trusted link between the military and the community.

However, much remains to be done. Several MNLF and governmentofficials point to different obstacles that have hindered the full imple-mentation of the program. These include the non-compliance of stand-ards in selecting the integrees, the weak “catch-up” education programsprovided to the integrees, and the lack of funding from government tosupport the livelihood components for the families of these former com-batants.

According to Ms. Rasul, “we need to understand why the integrationhas not been fully accomplished. This is crucial particularly in light of thepeace talks between government and the MILF. The lessons we draw fromthe 1996 Peace Agreement regarding the integration of the former com-batants of the MNLF can help in ensuring that the MILF program doesnot face the same problems.”

unwittingly finds himself in theyard of a convent in Cebu wheremany nuns were clustered chattingwith the Mother Superior. Notwanting to waste an opportunityhe approached the nun, “Misis,misis, buy my carpet. There is Je-sus and his disciples having din-ner.” The Mother Superior did notseem want to notice him, so Samirtugged at her habit. “Misis, misis,buy my carpet. There is Jesus andhis disciples having dinner.” Thenun, when she could no longerbear the tugging at her clothes,barked at the intruder, “Don’t youdare call me Misis, you fool, youknow I can’t be married!” Samirinnocently answered, “Then whywould they call you mother ifyou’re not a Misis?”

Of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Da Vinci Code:A Muslim viewBY NASSER SHARIEF

CHRISTMAS is fast approaching. Howdo Muslims feel about Jesus? It is soironic that in today’s informationdeluge brought about by theinternet, many non-Muslimsespecially Christians are stillwoefully uninformed about howMuslims feel about Jesus and theVirgin Mary. When they hear for thefirst time how Islam treats Jesus andMary they are invariably surprised,pleasantly.

Moro Times feels that becauseChristmas is just around the corner, ashort glimpse on how Jesus andMary is revered by Muslims is,perhaps, the best Christmas presentwe can give our readers.

The Good NewsThe spirit of ‘charity’ which theMuslim displays towards Jesus andhis mother Mary spring from thefountainhead of his faith: the HolyQur’an. In the Qur’an Jesus ismentioned no less than twenty fivetimes. Some samplers: “We gaveJesus, the son of Mary, clear signsand strengthened him with the HolySpirit” (Qur’an 2:87); “O Mary! Godgiveth thee glad tidings of a Wordfrom Him: his name will be ChristJesus, the son of Mary...” (3:45);“...And in their foot steps we sentJesus the son of Mary...” (5:46) “AndZakariya and John, and Jesus andElias: all in the ranks of therighteous.” (6:85)

In the Qur’an Jesus is referred toas Eesa, its proper name in Arabic, orEsau in Hebrew, the two sisterlanguages being Semitic. Mary isMariam.

Mary’s birthAccording to the Qur’an, Mary’sfather was Imran and her motherwas Hannah. Mary’s story beginswhile she was still in her mother’swomb. The mother of Mary said, “Omy Lord! I dedicate into Thee what isin my womb for Thy special service:So accept this of me.” (Qur’an 3:35).When Mary was delivered, Hannahwas surprised that it was a girl. Shehad had expected her baby to be aboy who would grow up to be a

scholar or a religious leader. Qur’an3:36 continues “…and God knewbest what she brought forth — ‘Andno wise is the male like the female. Ihave named her Maryam (Mary)..’”

Mary was assigned into the careof a priest named Zacharias(Zakariya). “Every time that heentered (her) chamber to see her, hefound her supplied with sustenance.He said, ‘O Mary! Whence (comes)this to you?’ She said, ‘From God. ForGod provides sustenance to whomHe pleases without measure.’”(Qur’an 3:37).

The virgin birth: Nomagi, no mangerThe Qur’an declares that Jesus wasthe result of a virgin birth, butdescribes Mary and her son not asdivine, but as “honored servants”(21.26). The most detailed account ofthe annunciation and birth of Jesusare provided in Sura 3 and 19 of TheQur’an:

Mary asked: “How shall I have ason, seeing that no man has touchedme, and I am not unchaste?” (Qur’an19:20). The Angel Gabriel said: “So (itwill be): thy Lord saith, ‘That is easyfor Me: and (We wish) to appointhim as a Sign unto men and a Mercyfrom Us.’ It is a matter (so) decreed.”(Qur’an 19:21). Mary then becomespregnant.

After conceiving Jesus, Marywent away with the baby to adistant place (Qur ’an 19:22). “Andthe pains of childbirth drove her tothe trunk of a palm-tree. She cried(in her anguish): ‘Ah! would that Ihad died before this! would that Ihad been a thing forgotten!’”(Qur ’an 19:23). Joseph, the magi,and manger are not mentioned inthe Qur ’an. God was Mary ’s onlyProvider.

However, Muslims do not acceptthe virgin birth of Jesus as evidenceof Jesus’ divinity. “The similitude ofJesus before God is as that of Adam;He created him from dust, then saidto him: ‘Be.’ And he was.” (Qur’an3:59).

The Qur’an also declares that oneof the reasons for the punishmentsof God upon the People of the Book

is for their “uttering a monstrous lieagainst Mary” (4.156). This isunderstood by some to refer to theaccusations of wanton unchastitywhich was directed by some againstMary in her lifetime and which(Jewish sources consider to be anti-Semitic) interpretations recorded inthe Talmud. In fact the Qur’anincludes Christians, Jews (includingKaraites and Samaritans), “Sabians”(a Qur’anic term interpreted to referto the Mandaeans) and Zoroastriansamong the People of the Book.

Sura 5 Signs 116-119 of TheQur ’an includes the Prophecy of theJudgment Day where “Jesus son ofMary” will be questioned by God asregards those who worship him andMary, and that Jesus will denythem:

“I said nothing to them exceptthat which Thou didst command me- Worship God (Allah), my Lord andyour Lord. And I was a witness overthem as long as I remained amongthem, but since Thou didst cause meto die, Thou, hast been the Watcherover them, and Thou art Witness overall things. If Thou punish them, theyare Thy servants; and if Thou forgivethem, Thou surely art the Mighty, theWise.”

This is an affirmation of whatJesus said in Mark 12:29: “The first is,Hear O Israel: ‘The Lord our God, theLord is One.’”

Her dignityHoly Virgin Mary is one of the fourmost highly regarded women tohave ever lived. A chapter in theQur’an was to her name, which noteven the Bible can boast of. Severalverses in the Qur’an praising her andexalting that she was an extremelychaste and pious woman. The otherthree women are: Bithiah (Asiyah inArabic), foster mother of ProphetMoses (Musa) and wife of Pharaoh.Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, wife ofProphet Muhammad. Fatimah bintMuhammad, daughter of ProphetMuhammad. Mary(Mariam),is knownand respected by hundreds ofmillions of Muslims.

The Da Vinci CodeWhat about the Da Vinci Code novel?

The Christian Church has been sounsettled by the issue of whetherJesus had married Mary Magdalenethat tomes of books were issued todefend the faith. Why there seem tobe no parallel outrage in the Muslimworld? Is it because a marriage ofJesus to Mary Magdalene (or anywoman) would point out to his beinga human, affirming what the Qur’ansays about Jesus?

Dan Brown or rather the novel’scharacter Langdon continues provingthat it was against Jewish custom fora man to remain a bachelor. Islamalso has no record of Jesus beingmarried. Similarly, there are norecords that Jesus didn’t marry.

Brown says that the Church hidthis historical record because Jesus’marriage with Mary Magdaleneproves Jesus’ earthly nature, andbeing not divine as the Churchwanted him to be. But why deny thiswhen the Church readily acceptsJesus’ other earthly qualities likeeating and drinking, sleeping, etc.

The bulk of Dan Brown’s materialwas culled from the book Holy Blood,Holy Grail which get banned in thePhilippines in the early 70s (DanBrown was sued by the authors buthe got away scot-free). Holy Blood,Holy Grail is replete with stories andaccounts of Templars and Knights.These are secret societies thatspawned Masonry and its offshoots.When I happened to peruse thematerial in the 80s abroad, a thingran in my mind that it could providefor a great material for a novel. I wasmesmerized by the accountsespecially because I happened toresearch that many Knight Templarswho traveled with the crusaders toMuslim lands were influenced byIslamic Sufis. These Sufi practices,taken out of context, led tofreemasonry and other secretsocieties.

There are many commonalitiesbetween Islam and Christianity—they being of the Abrahamic faith.The Crusade is past behind us. The‘clash of civilizations’ is yet anotherattempt to muddle our minds.Muslims and Christians should betalking about this over a cup ofcoffee in Starbucks.

Media forum assessesintegration of MNLFcombatants to AFP and PNP

D4