The Cat

In June 2011, my husband and I were in Makkah to perform Umrah. We finished before daybreak and stayed around. While waiting for prayer, we saw this cat. And a lot others noticed, too. 

Holiday

I read from the news that the Philippines is the only Christian country in the world to declare Eid ul-Fitr as a regular holiday. 

Stereotyping Muslims
BY CMFR | 11 MAY 2012

JEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for a front page photo caption that stereotyped Muslims, and Muslim women particularly, last May 9.

The paper published a photograph of President Benigno S. Aquino III shaking hands with an unidentified Muslim woman in a burqa. The photo caption read: “SECURITY RISK? President Aquino greets a Muslim woman wrapped in a burka andniqab during the oath-taking of officers in charge of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly held in Malacañang on Tuesday. The unidentified woman is reportedly a relative of one of the officers.” (emphasis by PJR Reports)

The Inquirer did not explain why a woman wearing a burqa (“a long, loose garment covering the whole body, worn in public by many Muslim women” as defined by the 2005 New Oxford American Dictionary) and niqab (“a veil for covering the hair and face except for the eyes that is worn by some Muslim women” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary) should be considered a security risk.

In the online posting of the photo, the Inquirer had  “PALACE GUEST” for caption instead of “SECURITY RISK?”

The offending caption was in violation of two provisions in “the Canons of Good Taste for Journalists” of the Inquirer’s own Stylebook: A Manual of Style and Usage for Editors, Writers, Reporters and Students:

• “6.2. Avoid language that perpetuates racial stereotypes or is offensive to certain races.”
• “6.3 Avoid language that denigrates certain religions.”

The caption is also in violation of existing journalism codes of ethics, among them:

• “I shall not in any manner ridicule, cast aspersions on, or degrade any person by reason of sex, creed, religious belief, political conviction, cultural or ethnic origin.” (Filipino Journalist’s Code of Ethics, Article VII)
•  “I shall avoid stereotyping and represent reality without personal bias to race, creed, sex and religious, political and cultural beliefs.” (Philippine Center for Photojournalism, number 3)
• “Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work. (The National Press Photographers Association, USA)
• “In mixed societies, editors should be aware of the danger of feeding by selective reporting, common prejudicial stereotypes about groups. Generalizations based on the behavior of an individual or a small number of individuals are invariably unjust.” (Reporting Ethnic Tensions, number 3, Press Foundation of Asia)

Media groups National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and Philippine Center for Photojournalism (PCP)justifiably criticized the caption.

It was “disturbing that the paper cleared such a blatantly bigoted caption, especially after the firestorm of criticism it reaped in the wake of the Demetrio Vicente fiasco, when PDI ran a series of unflattering photos of the stroke victim when he appeared at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and labeled it ‘Character witness’,” the NUJP said in a statement.

The Inquirer published a set of photos of a Corona defense witness Demetrio Vicente on its March 14 front page that CMFR found to be unflattering at least and malicious at most.

The PCP described the caption as “uncalled for, insensitive and even libelous.”

“We believe labeling a dress a security risk does not take into account the nuances of the Islamic culture. It is also an affront to the minority Muslim population of this country that a symbol of Muslim culture is labeled outright a security risk and further fuels the stereotyping of our Muslim brothers as terrorists,” said a letter to the paper signed by PCP chairman Fernando Sepe Jr.

The Inquirer apologized on May 11  and published the NUJP statement and PCP letter.  But the apology appeared at the same time as a front-page report which said that Malacañang had no policy on women wearing the burqa, and recalled an incident in the United States during which, for allegedly heckling US President Barack Obama,  a woman in a burqa was removed from a place where  Obama was speaking. A sidebar explained that the burqa is banned in some countries. The article and sidebar tended to suggest that while it was apologizing for the offending caption, the Inquirer was nevertheless justifying what it did.

SOURCE: http://www.cmfr-phil.org/2012/05/11/stereotyping-muslims/

Halal Manila

I just want to share with you Halal Manila, a Facebook page I found when I googled for Halal food and Halal meat in Metro Manila.

When I became a Muslim, I gave up a lot of favorite food because they have become haram - no more sharks fin, siomai, tocino, longganisa, fiesta ham, and siopao.

I do not even buy chicken longganisa or tocino in the local market or grocery.

So I was excited when I browsed through Halal Manila's Wall and saw the products they sell.

I sent them a message and gave my number. In less than an hour, I got a call and referred me to a Halal Manila dealer near my place. The following day, I got my orders and my family had chicken longganisa for breakfast. It was cheap, tasty and above all, halal.

Here were my orders.

Chicken Balls Php 150/pack (Halal Manila photo)

Chicken Longganisa Php 120/pack (Halal Manila photo)

Beef Tapa Php 120/pack (Halal Manila photo)

They also sell embutido, chicken nugggets, siopao, raw meat, and more. They even sell sweets. Isn't that nice? I'm going to try more of their products soon. InshaAllah.

May Allah (SWT) bless them.

" Your Food is Our Concern." - Halal Manila 
For Your Halal Meat Delivery .:
contact us.: 09199917467 - 09175215594 - 09328771488
Telephone . : 4288026.

Visit Halal Manila at https://www.facebook.com/HalalManila

Ramadan 2012

Ramadan Mubarak!
A fantastic and cute reminder for all of us to enjoy and reflect on this Holy Month of Ramadan.

Created by "Owh So Muslim (OSM)"

My First Abaya

This is my first abaya. I bought it in Quiapo a day after I took my Shahadah.

My husband and I thought abayas are affordable. We were surprised to learn that a plain black abaya and tarha would cost as much as Php 550 and up. 

We bought this abaya with tarha for Php 450. It was the cheapest we could find. The seller, a born Muslim,  gave us a discount when we told her we are Muslim reverts. She first thought I was a nurse going to work in the Middle East.

I still have this abaya. The velcro strap has worn out but I can replace it with a new one, or use buttons instead of a velcro. The color has faded though, and I do not know how to use dye. I do not want to ruin this abaya.

Someone put there might be needing this more than I do. When I find time I'll work on this and find it a new owner.

Philippine Passport

My passport was only a year old  when I went back to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to apply for a new one.

• I got married and will use my husband's name
• I reverted to Islam and I should be wearing a tarha in my photo

I checked their website for the requirements and saw this. 

I called the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) to inquire about the Certificate of Conversion. Whoever answered the phone did not sound official to me, and confused me more. I did not call again. 

So I went to DFA without the OMA Certificate of Conversion. No one asked for it.

In the Encoding Section, where the staff would take my photo, I was told to show my ears.  It just so happened that my tarha was a bit tight on my face and it took a while before I was able to bring out both ears. 

I was not surprised at all that my photo showed my ears flat, and the discomfort written all over my face.

Thinking of getting a passport, too?
http://passport.com.ph/


FYI: The Saudi Embassy required the OMA Certificate of Conversion when I applied for visa. 

ISCAG - Philippines

A year and a half ago, my husband (a revert) and I went to ISCAG-Cavite to take my Shahadah. It was a long trip from our house in Rizal but well worth it.

We were happy to be there. I took my Shahadah, met brothers and sisters, and my husband got to see the place his brothers in Riyadh are talking about. 

Maybe someday, we could move in here. InshaAllah.

ISCAG - Philippines

Islamic Studies, Call & Guidance - Philippines

Congressional Road, Salitran 1

Dasmarinas, Cavite

Philippines