How my politics strengthened my faith
How my politics strengthened my faith
Last year’s Eid prayer with my sister and her friend, at the Quiapo Golden Mosque.
By Mench Tilendo
This year marks the seventh year for me to have spent the Holy month of Ramadan away from my family. Since I entered college in 2012, one of the many adjustments I had to take was celebrating this time of the year without them. Undeniably, it was a struggle for a Muslim student like me to be exposed into a whole new environment wherein more often than not, people are inculcated with common misconceptions on Islam; some even caught with the remnants of discrimination and Islamophobia. Despite these struggles, I wasn’t surprised and was still well-aware of these tough scenarios – after all, dominant media and popular culture both have taken their toll on these notions against the Moro people.
Years of living in the metro accustomed me into accepting the fact that spending Ramadan away from my family has now become the least of my concerns. My active involvement in political, mass organizations such as STAND UP and League of Filipino Students made me learn and unlearn things about my bare religion. The first of the many things I came to realize was that my faith and beliefs are futile if they prohibit me from empathizing with my fellowmen.
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