In the cacophony of sounds about the siege of Muslim rebels in the south -- Mindanao -- the voices of Muslim women have not been heard. Either their views are depreciated or their experiences are devalued and seen irrelevant to the current political turmoil.
Moreover, women's concerns have taken a back seat to the macho world of war -- arms versus arms, killings versus killings, all in the name of preserving one's turf -- whether what the rebels hold to be worthwhile preserving, or the State's need to preserve its power and the status quo.
Thirdly, the response to the siege of the rebels is largely militaristic, despite the need to have a holistic approach to the problem -- which implies a socio-cultural, spiritual, and economic dimension, apart from the political, of course. Women's concerns for peace, for the safety of lives which they have borne, delivered, reared into adulthood, their emotional connection of caring for the boys and men in their lives, have largely been ignored.
With the advent of a president who says that he is a socialist at heart, the more we must redirect current moves to solve the problem in Mindanao away from the militaristic approach alone. I say alone because the rebels receive their orders from abroad and cannot be counted upon to listen to government entreaties for a panel discussion of how to solve the problem, or how to stop the siege of Marawi, Iligan.
Why do I emphasize the voices of women? Muslim women know the boys and men in their lives. Being homebodies, they have a deep personal and intimate knowledge of their mental, emotional and spiritual make-up. Rarely do we find Muslim women who detach themselves from their families, except those who go abroad to become domestic helpers.
They are the soft pillars of their homes, providing that light to their families and when the men are gone. Traditional they may be but they are strong in terms of facing the demands of facing economic problems of the family.
Having said that, I would say that one approach we can have in Marawi and the rebels right now is for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to put up a public loudspeaker right in front of the City Hall and make every Muslim woman talk to the rebels, convince them to give up the fight and to return to the fold of the law.
Fighting will only result in hiding here and there, in plotting how to win the war, but never how to live a beneficial life that will increase one's assets in life -- that is to grow more knowledge, to be able to navigate through life with ease and dignity.
I am sure that the Muslim women will find a way of talking to the men who hold guns.
Maybe Santanina and Amina Rasul could coach the women to talk over the loudspeaker and show how the government can be overturned to look after the needs and wants of the Muslim people and other indigenous groups.
I think that the government has not really paid attention to the problems of women, which is why they are just mum when the men in their lives start talking about war.
It is high time that our education must be geared towards having special time to tackling the problems of Muslim women, and the indigenous groups in order to make them strong and partners when national crises like the siege arises.
http://theislamicmonthly.com/painting-secret-lives-of-muslim-women
The tendency to judge comes not only from non-Muslims, but also from within the Muslim community. In Is it Enough Yet?, the central figure stares apprehensively upward at her tightly coifed head wrap extending the full height of the painting. No matter how little or how much fabric a woman wears, or how she carries herself, she is bombarded with criticism and comments from fellow Muslims, and struck by self-doubt as well. ARTIST AMEENA KHAN
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