Foundation chronicles Muslims’ sorry plight

In a Muslim community in Quiapo, Manila, malnourished, unkempt children roam around in a squalid neighborhood of hardscrabble shacks.

Their parents are jobless and — just like poor Filipino Christians — these Muslims live a hand-to-mouth existence.

That is not all: Muslims in Metro Manila not only have to battle with poverty, they also struggle with discrimination.

Hannah, a young Muslim woman, laments how people become guarded when she is around.

"Whenever I go out of the house and talk to them, they think I will commit a hostile act against them," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Hannah’s neighbor said her husband has been jobless for years now. She said companies refuse to hire him because he is Muslim.

Hajji, on the other hand, sells goods at a stall in Greenhills, San Juan. Every single day, he hears snide comments from his co-vendors cautioning customers not to buy from him because his wares could be "dubious."

These and other tales of woe from Muslims living in Metro Manila are recorded in the video documentary, "In the Light of the Crescent Moon," which was launched by the Peacemaker’s Circle Foundation last Wednesday in coordination with the Office of Muslim Affairs.

The documentary recounts the struggles and hardships of Muslims in Metro Manila and how they strive to overcome poverty and discrimination in their daily lives.

"Day in, day out, Muslim families contend not only with poverty but discrimination and prejudice," Marites Africa, a member of the foundation’s board of trustees, said.

The foundation hopes the documentary could serve as an eye-opener for Filipino Christians about the sorry plight of Muslims.

"We hope the video documentary will help Christians have a better understanding of their Muslim brothers, what they go through everyday and their effort to make good of their lives," Africa said.

In the documentary, Muslims said it pains them to be typecast as "terrorists."

Shaeed said it was difficult to accept the fact that their fellow Filipinos do not trust them.

"They don’t employ us because we might spread terror and criminality. We are not terrorists, we came here to Manila to work and not to fight. Not all Muslims are Abu-Sayyaf," he said, referring to a Mindanao-based bandit group with ties to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network.

This label has been most unfair to them, Africa said, noting that "these people are good people" who want "to break free from poverty and discrimination and live harmoniously with their fellow Filipino Christians."

In the documentary, Alim, a man in his 40s, said the worst human rights violation committed against Muslims was an incident when police rounded up several Muslim men for various crimes they did not commit.

"More than 20 percent of Muslims’ human rights have been violated. We don’t even need to have an anti-terror bill because arrests of innocent Muslim people are being conducted left and right," Amir, a man in his mid-30s, lamented.

Africa hopes that these and other problems besetting Muslims would be addressed through a continuous dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

"It is a fact that many Muslims need help in Metro Manila. The problems of war and violence don’t come from Mindanao. Many Muslims in Metro Manila need just as much attention and concern. Sadly, not much is being done to address the concerns of Muslims here in Metro Manila," she said.

Africa hopes the video will serve as a key to help Filipino Christians understand the plight of Muslims in Manila.

She said there are 115 mosques in Metro Manila today, proof that there are thriving Muslim communities in the country.

A dialogue would help build bridges of love and trust between Muslims and Christians, she said, expressing optimism that Christians can play an important role tom make life a little easier for Muslims.

"People don’t have to go to Mindanao to help Muslims. They can help Muslims live a life free of discrimination here in Metro Manila," Africa said.