"Mga muslim diha" - The 'Other' In Philippine Society

Today I was reading through "The God Delusion", a best-selling non-fiction book by Richard Dawkins, a British biologist whom you probably know as the author of "The Selfish Gene". I had started reading it to look for some inspiration. During the annual reflection sessions in Kapwa, one of the employees said that he would like to present some readings from the bible to the other staff members. He has been reading the bible passionately for a couple of years now and wants to share it with us. From personal conversations, I know that he believes the bible to be unquestionable Truth. Our executive director suggested that we turned it into an activity in which people answer the question "What do I believe in?". Needless to say, all eyes were suddenly on me, as my confession (that seems to be the right word for it) that I am an atheist has obviously not yet been digested.

I must admit that the question "What do I believe in?" makes me uncomfortable, and I wouldn't know what exactly to answer to it. Of course, in daily life, the choices you make, the things you do and what you feel when seeing and hearing what happens in the world all point at what you consider to be right or wrong and what escapes your ethical judgement. I would have no idea, however, how to present this as a system of beliefs. As I was reading through "The God Delusion", I got excited with the intellectual vigour of Dawkins, the passionate way in which he explains evolution and the wit and brilliance with which he denounces religion.

But when I closed the book, I was still wondering: "What do I believe in?". Do I care that evolution explains what people had so long seen as a magical creation of God? I agree with Dawkins, of course, but that's not the point. What does it mean to me apart from being a fun read? Well, it also showed me the strength of critical thought. I think that I firmly believe that as human beings we have the rare talent of continuously questioning the world and what we think we know about the world and about ourselves. Perhaps that is the only message I wish I could convey when I try to answer the question "What do I believe in?". And I do believe it is needed...

Mindanao is a peculiar place in terms of accepting difference. Although it is de facto multi-ethnic and multi-religious, it certainly is not multi-cultural and it doesn't deal with differences very well. That is particularly obvious when it comes to religion. Does it make sense that, in a country where many people are non-christians (whether it be atheists or people of another religion), christian payers are said at every public occasion (be it at the start of school, a hearing in the city hall, a speech of the president or, for that matter, a meeting in an NGO)? If only people would expose their children to the reality of the multitude of beliefs, opinions, scientific theories, ethical theories, practical lifestyles...

Something that has always left me speechless is the deep-rooted, all-pervasive prejudice against muslims in Mindanao. You cannot as much as suggest that you would go to a muslim neighbourhood, or quite a lot of people would immediately say: ayaw, mga muslim diha ("don't go there, they are Muslims"). Perhaps it is one of the reasons why I am so weary of religion, certainly of the uncritical kind, since it has such a strong tendency to favour 'us' and condemn whoever we call 'them'...

Faces and Gestures

A while ago, Maya and I were talking about gestures and facial expressions. Filipinos are notoriously skilled in conveying messages through facial expressions and body language. For example, if you want to pass through a group of people, you are supposed to make a small bow (a gesture of humbleness) and stretch both arms in front of you, as if carving out a virtual path in the air by which you will make your way through the group of people.

Smiles can be particularly ambiguous to foreigners, as they tend to convey a wide range of messages we do not usually associate with smiles (such as embarrassment, apology,...). You can read all about it on Lilli's blog.

If you want to survive in the Philippines, of course you have to be able to recognize and produce some of the gestures and facial expression. So, let's practice...

1. 'corrupt': the gesture below is used to indicate that someone is corrupt without actually spelling it out and saying it. The gesture evokes a coin of money. Sometimes, when you ask a Filipino if this or that politician is doing a good job, the only reply you get is this sign, accompanied with a disapproving facial expression. Most people in the West would probably understand this sign to mean 'ok' or 'excellent' (though without the face of course :)

2. 'Over there': Filipinos do not point with their hands, but with their lips. So if you ask 'where is the mall?', people will point their lips in the direction where you need to go. This is only done, of course, if it is not too far, although the further one stretches his lips outward, the further your destination will be. For unsuspecting foreigners, it looks like a kiss.

3. 'what?': a short way of saying 'what?' in Filipino languages is by using the word 'ha?'. Many Filipinos, however, do not bother to say the word, but simply open their mouth as if they are going to say it, but without producing the sound. The result is something that we would define as a look of amazement, surprise or wonder. It only works, of course, if you are face to face with the person who didn't catch you :)

4. 'Hey, how are you?': This is a facial expression used to greet people you do not intend to talk to. It is used to greet passers-by in the street.You raise your eyebrows as high as possible and accompany it with a smile. It is important to tip your head back while doing it. If you make this gesture to any stranger on the street, he will reply with exactly the same expression.

5. 'I don't like that person': If you ask someone whether they like a certain person whom they actually cannot stand, they might use this facial expression. It expresses dismay about someone's personality. It almost seems to suggest that, apart from having a undesirable personality, the person also emits a particularly discomforting odour that necessitates you to close your nostrils....

And, now that I look back at these pictures, the overall message they convey is: I should really shave...