UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES FORUMshaping minds that shape the nation MAY - AUGUST 2015 VOLUME 16 NUMBERS 3 & 4 Finding Peace in Bangsamoro Photo from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process website, http://opapp.gov.ph/media/photos Be on the Right Side of The Filipino Muslim: Healing the Wounds History! | 8 Living with Prejudice, of Mamasapano | 4 t has been a very long, demanding and difficult jour- Yearning for Peace | 2 f there is one group of people who know all about Iney. After eight months of consultations and 51 hear- Ithe human consequences of “all-out war,” it is the ings, more than two hundred hours of debates and long uslims are one of the most stigmatized groups villagers of Pikit, North Cotabato. man-hours spent on studying and crafting this bill, I am Min the Philippines. From "DVD" jokes to Despite the formation of the Autonomous Region very proud to present to the Plenary, Committee Report generalizations that they are vengeful and prone to in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 1989 and the ac- No. 747 submitted by the Ad Hoc Committee on House violence, Filipino Muslims have long been subjects ceptance of the peace accord between the Philippine Bill No. 5811 in substitution of House Bill No. 4994. of prejudice. government and the Moro National Liberation Front The title of the substitute measure is: Misconceptions and negative stereotyping are (MNLF), the war in Pikit, and the rest of Central and AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE BASIC LAW forms of prejudice, where an individual makes a Southern Mindanao continued for years—between FOR THE BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS judgment without the benefit of facts. According to the MNLF-breakaway group Moro Islamic Libera- REGION, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE RE- UP sociologist, Prof. Manuel Sapitula, technically tion Front (MILF) and the government after President PUBLIC ACT NO. 9054, ENTITLED “AN ACT TO speaking, prejudice is irrational. Prejudice leads to Joseph Estrada’s declaration of an all-out war policy STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND THE ORGANIC stigmatization, a social phenomenon in which society in 2000, followed by President Gloria Macapagal- ACT FOR THE AUTONOMOUS REGION IN ascribes a negative trait to a person or a group of Arroyo’s military campaigns against “criminal ele- MUSLIM MINDANAO,” AND REPUBLIC ACT NO. people that overshadows whatever positive traits he ments.”1 2 UP FORUM Volume 16 Nos. 3 & 4 May - August 2015 The Filipino Muslim: Living with Prejudice, Yearning for Peace... continued from page 1 Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo or they might possess. Whatever good and Moros were deemed the enemies and seen as one and the same. exists in stigmatized people are not The placement of Muslims and Moros as the opposite of Christians recognized because of one negative became even more pronounced with the American colonization of the evaluation. Sapitula told the UP Forum Philippines. They were deemed uncivilized and needed to be "tamed." that there is no stigmatization if there is A Bureau of Non-Christian Peoples existed to handle them as well as no society that "imputes these charac- the Cordillerans in the North, according to Sapitula. Christian Filipi- teristics to certain persons or groups." nos became the epitome of civility and were seen by the Americans as He added that prejudice and stigma- "most amenable to their colonial project." tization against Filipino Muslims, in Because of colonization, Luzon and Visayas culture evolved while particular, stem from a lack of knowl- the Philippine South was able to retain its way of life. There were vast edge and appreciation of who they are, differences in culture which spawned misinformation, misunderstand- which leads to misinformed opinions. ing, and negative stereotypes. The widespread, liberal, and inter- With the formal departure of the colonial powers, the responsibility changing use of the terms "Moro" and to fix the gap was left to Filipinos. And the gap is still as wide, if not "Muslim," for example, lumps to- wider than before. gether both groups when in fact, not all "We have not found a solution, a way to understand these differences Muslims are Moro. Moros are Muslim in historical experience, in culture. We have not built enough effective tribes or groups that have inhabited bridges to challenge centuries-old misplaced opinions," said Sapitula. Mindanao since pre-colonial times. But As an example, he cited a survey conducted by the Human Develop- unlike Muslims in general, who are ment Network in 2005 which asked Metro Manila respondents if they practitioners of the religion Islam and would consider having a Muslim for a neighbor. More than 50 percent can very well convert to other reli- said "No." gions, Moros cannot undo their being Sapitula also mentioned the phenomenon of Christian overseas Moro. Not recognizing the difference Filipino workers who return as Muslims from Islamic countries. It between Moro and Muslim is a form of becomes a cause of family crisis because the Christian family members prejudice due to lack of knowledge or do not understand the Muslim convert. These converts are usually not the unwillingness to know and under- able to shift their families' views of Muslims from negative to positive. stand who these people are. In fact, these converts now belong to the group of people their families Then there are the "DVD" jokes. do not trust. Distance grows, with the convert no longer part of the Many non-Muslims are unaware that family's "us" but part of "them." most of these Muslim vendors leave "Philippine Muslim history is currently in the making, involving Mindanao because they want to escape the redefining of Moro relation with the Philippine majority Filipino conflict, that they are displaced. On the State," said Wadi. Because of this, there is much “othering” as seen misconception of the vengeful Mus- in "claim and counter-claim of identity and history among Filipinos lim, Sapitula posited that it may come and Moros." The social stigma against Muslims and Moros have been from the practice of rido or clan wars. reinforced by the increasing "Islamophobia" in other countries, gaining It used to be a sincere and amicable resonance in the Philippines through traditional and new media. method of addressing grievances Because the peace process has become more "intractable" and "a between clans though something may political resolution hardly comes with the so-called Mindanao conflict have changed in the practice. being dragged indefinitely," Wadi lamented that Philippine media are There is also the opinion that Mus- finding more reason to hype often subjective and insignificant issues lims are prone to violence, inherently related to Islam, Muslims, and the Bangsamoro while legitimate issues violent or "war-like." Their display "are easily pigeonholed in dominant social stigma undressing them of or release of anger—juramentado, their truth and social meaning." There is no attempt to understand the amok, or going berserk—is seen by broader context of their struggle and challenges. "Except for very few non-Muslims as "socially unaccept- progressive journalists and academics that do not toe the line of State able" though non-Muslims themselves power, business interest, and ecclesiastical position, Philippine media manifest anger in similar ways. Even heightens [rather] than alleviates the social stigma on Muslims in the the Muslim brand of bravery is seen by Philippines." the cultural majority as beyond the ac- ceptable display of valor, as opposed to Coping mechanisms the bravery of the Waray which is seen According to Wadi, while the majority of Filipino Muslims have as positive and empowering. grown accustomed to the stigmatization, they still undertake initiatives Acknowledging the stigmatization of to foster understanding and promote a positive image. There are inter- Filipino Muslims, however, does not faith groups as well as centers of Balik-Islam or Christians who have mean ignoring the crimes and acts of continued on page 3 terrorism that armed Muslim groups have committed. In an interview with the UP Forum, UP Institute of Islamic Studies Dean Julkipli Wadi called these acts "condemnable in the highest order." As with any other crime com- mitted by anyone, these "should neither be condoned nor tolerated" and do not have any place in a civilized society. From the past to the present Why and how did the prejudice and stigmatization even begin? “The negative image of the Filipino Muslim has been etched into the vast majority's psyche since the colonial days,” said Wadi. “It was the Spanish colonial imposition that started the stereotype,” Sapitula explained. While Luzon and Visayas have been Chris- tianized, Mindanao was not. Muslims UP FORUM Volume 16 Nos. 3 & 4 May - August 2015 3 Photo from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process website, http://opapp.gov.ph/media/photos Adviser on the Peace Process the Office of Presidential Photo from The Filipino Muslim: Living with Prejudice, Yearning for Peace... continued from page 2 become Muslims that promote Islam. He said that many Muslims join social, professional and civic organizations to promote social-economic develop- ment and social values of multiculturalism. “Because stigmatization is a social phenomenon, it must be dealt with at the social level,” explained Sapitula. A stigmatized individual must seek like- minded people for support, a safe haven where no judgment is made. Groups like the ones mentioned by Wadi are important because they represent causes and contribute to the discussion and addressing of issues at the social level. “Philippine Muslims should seek more ways of empowering themselves through dynamic and progressive education, critical mindedness, self and community development, and so on,” said Wadi. BBL and Mamasapano The draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), resulting from peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was being discussed in Congress when the Mamasapano tragedy hap- pened on January 25.