Beauty, Blood, and the Bangsa
- Youth 4 Journalism
- Jul 2, 2023
- 6 min read
By: Ayessah Nesreen Pasagi
Published: July 1, 2023
Muslims are terrorists. Terrorists who violently kill non-Muslims. They are thieves scattered everywhere in Luzon and Visayas, stealing the beloved land of Filipinos. They do not belong to a treasured country such as the Philippines as they spread violence and evil, always has been.
Sad reality, but this is how Filipino Muslims are perceived by few Filipinos. But why? How has such perception been constructed? A fact for sure, there would not be pejorative remarks regarding the Muslims without a common ground for such misconceptions.
Recent news dating 15th of June 2023 has it that the Islamic City of Marawi, a Muslim-dominated area, has been infested by state-enemies. These are the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Dawlah Islamiyah (ISIL-DI), the very same group who caused the City to burn down to ashes during the 2017 bloody siege. This time, the encounter between the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute (DI-Maute) leader Abu Zacaria and the Philippine army and police battalion, which caused the neutralization of the said leader, did not greatly affect the City as no innocent life got involved nor do properties got destroyed. The reported women and children near the incident were immediately put to safety so as not to cause another set of innocent lives to perish. Sadly, the ISIL-DI-Maute group identify as Muslims, just like the people who reside in the City they have been attempting to penetrate, a truth on which few base their misconceptions.
Looking back at the similar encounter a few years ago, the people of Marawi were forced to flee their homes as the same Muslim group destroyed the summer capital of the south, causing more than a thousand lives to perish, properties to wipe out, and a bright future to dim. This has also caused some non-Muslim friends to have in their minds a violence-loving image of the Muslim Filipinos or Moros.
These encounters have received a lot of attention which explain why some productions portray Filipino Muslims or Moros as terrorists, stereotypically showing Muslim characters holding a bomb or casually shouting “Allahu Akbar!” to cause public alarm, or many other inappropriate portrayals of Moros. One of these productions is the prank of the famous content creators, Tukomi, in 2022. The vlog showed a (supposedly) Muslim carrying a black bag to imply that a bomb was planted and about to explode. This might be seen as a hilarious joke to some, but not for the Moro community. The act just added fuel to the fire, increasing the discriminatory view on Muslim Filipinos. Upon attracting the attention of the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos, a legal action was eyed by the commission against the content creators.
Even the all-time favorite evening show Batang Quiapo has, lamentably, portrayed Muslim characters in a bad light in February 2023. In the show, the main character Tanggol played by Coco Martin was chased by police forces for robbery. He, then, took help from a (supposedly) Muslim friend, in which that friend had an undesirable reputation, sheltering a thief from being lawfully punished by the police. The Muslim friends even have guns and weapons to cease the chase of the officers. Yes, it was a representation of the Moro community in the mainstream media. Finally, the Muslims could have somebody to embody their ideals and aspirations in Philippine television.
However, that is not the appropriate portrayal that a minority group such as the Moro community deserves. The Bangsamoro deserves better; we deserve so much more than just be represented as thieves, terrorists, or tormentors. Our beloved Moro community has been struggling to fight for self-determination and peace and security. Blood, sweat, and tears have been shed for the main cause that the Bangsa have been fighting for. Bloodshed from countless massacres, Jabidah Massacre, Bud Dajo Massacre, Manili massacre, among others. Sweat from persevering to exist despite the struggle for survival and unending discriminatory treatment. With each of these perseverance and bloodsheds, tears have truly been poured from shattered hearts and hopes.
These morbid experiences must not, in any way, be the sole basis of our view of the Moro community. Muslims do not equate terrorists. Terrorism does not have a religion. We should not see the Muslims as extremists and terrorists solely because of how some entities represent them; they are just like any other normal Filipino people. Muslims have mothers whom they love, fathers whom they care for, brothers whom they look up to, and sisters whom they share struggles with. Muslims have a heart which is capable of feeling the same feelings as any other ordinary human. They feel joy, fear, anger, and most of all, sorrow, especially when they are treated as if they were monsters.
It causes me deep pain that despite the success of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, misconceptions and discrimination of Moros still linger in our society. It is also another horrible story to tell when I encounter discrimination personally. It is as if the decades-long struggle of the Bangsamoro to achieve peace and justice has caused little to decrease the negative perception towards the peace-loving Moros.
Now, as a Filipino, ask yourself, how do you truly see the Moros?
The cease of all this grim surface-level understanding of the Bangsamoro may seem to be in the distant future, but the truth still persists. We, the Moros, love peace and love spreading optimism. Above all, we are among the treasures of the Philippines as our land is rich in cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. It would be a crime not to witness the beauty of the Bangsamoro. We have marvelous treasures in Lanao del Sur, such as the Lake Lanao with giant Sleeping Beauty on its view, the Mt. Gurain overlooking the numerous barangays of the Province, and the Pink Mosque of Cotabato City, a sweet and calming view, especially during Eid celebrations. Cultural establishments like the torogan house have been existing as well since time immemorial. There are also the prestigious universities, the campuses of Mindanao State University System, the Cotabato State University, the Philippine Muslim Teachers College, among others. Education is a prime responsibility of the Bangsamoro parliament.
Does anybody also know? There are Bangsamoro programs that advance the holistic growth of the Bangsamoro youth, catering to the needs of the society to eradicate societal issues. A few of these programs are the Ranaw Youth Parliament, Bangsamoro Youth Parliament, both enhancing the parliamentary and policymaking skills of the Moro youth. There is also the Bangsamoro Tri-People Peace Summit which aims to foster a peaceful and healthy community by elevating discourses of peace and inclusivity, educating the next generation of gamechangers on how to become the best peace leaders that the Bangsamoro can ever dream of.
What more, there are as much beauty in the tangible treasures as in our intangible ones. Just discoursing in terms of the languages spoken in the region, one cannot fathom how brilliant it is to witness linguistically diverse group to still unite. The region may have hearts beating for one cause, but our tongues speak various languages. We have the Meranaw, Iranun, Maguindanao, Tausug, and many other languages, proving the beauty in diversity of the Bangsamoro region. These native languages may appear as if they are just for the Moros, but actually, international linguists have set steppingstones in the world of research for these tongues. The pioneering research conducted on these languages revolve around morphology, syntax, and semantics. A great deal of research must still be done in order for the rich languages to achieve full acceptance and acknowledgement in the linguistic world, specifically in the fields of phonology, pragmatics, and stylistics. These may be different fields that each need in-depth research, but the diving in these will greatly contribute to the expanding world of Bangsamoro languages, or should I say, Bangsamoro linguistics.
Further, we also celebrate festivals, much like any culturally rich communities of Filipinos. Just this 28th of June 2023, Muslims all around the globe celebrated their Eidul Adha, a feast of the sacrifice. It is an annual celebration that takes place a few months after the end of the month of fasting or the holy month of Ramadhan. This is aside from the many other festivals and celebrations that the Muslim community hold dear.
These are only a speck of the overall beauty and brilliance of the Bangsamoro region. It is recommended that one personally witness the wonders of the beloved land. Truly, Moros are just like any other groups of people existing in the Philippines. We are rich in culture, values, and aspirations. We fight for our rights and rights of others. We never lose hope regardless of the inevitable repetition of history. It is highly encouraged for our society to open our minds to new perspectives and look at things (and people) as what (and who) they really are. I firmly believe that we can still achieve a united society, inclusive of all people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. Starting from within ourselves, let us stand against discrimination and fight for inclusivity.
References:
Bangsamoro Information Office (2021 December 11). BYC conducts 1st Bangsamoro Youth Parliament. Bangsamoro Government. https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/news/latest-news/byc-conducts-1st-bangsamoro-youth-parliament/
Kaufman, D. (IDK) The grammar of clitics in Maranao. Cornerll University. 179(204)
Kennedy, L. and Southern, N. P. (2023 June 15). Top regional ISIL leader killed in Philippines’ ruined Marawi. Aljazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/15/top-regional-isil-leader-killed-in-philippines-ruined-marawi
Luis (2022 May 6). NCMF to Take Legal Action Vs Pinoy Vloggers Who Posted Muslim Bomber Prank. Acadeo: About Cagayan de Oro. https://aboutcagayandeoro.com/ncmf-legal-action-vs-pinoy-vloggers-muslim-bomber-prank/
Pasajol, A. (2023 February 17). ‘Batang Quiapo’ producers apologize for ‘discriminatory portrayals’ of Muslim characters. Inquirer.net. https://entertainment.inquirer.net/486494/batang-quiapo-producers-apologize-for-discriminatory-portrayals-of-muslim-characters
Press Information Officer (2022 November 29) MPOS engages 36 young Bangsamoro peace building. Ministry of Peace, Order, and Assembly website. https://mpos.bangsamoro.gov.ph/mpos-engages-36-young-bangsamoro-in-peace-building/
Sunstar Davao (2022 May 5). Prank gone too far. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1928235/davao/opinion/editorial-prank-gone-too-far
Suson, D., Nawal, A., and Mangonsing, F. (2017 October 23). Lorenzana says Marawi City siege is over. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/939974/breaking-dnd-delfin-lorenzana-marawi-city-siege-finish-isis-maute
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