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Filipino Muslims 'invade' Manila shopping mall

Mindanao cultural exhibit showcases 'common ground between Muslims and Christians'
Filipino Muslims 'invade' Manila shopping mall

Women wear traditional costumes used by Filipino Muslim women in Mindanao during the opening of an exhibit on Mindanao history and culture in Manila on March 27. (Photo by Joe Torres) 

Published: March 28, 2017 09:45 AM GMT
Updated: March 28, 2017 09:46 AM GMT

Muslims from the southern Philippines "invaded" a major shopping mall in the capital Manila on March 27 to showcase their traditional art and culture.

"This is a weaving of our connected and related stories," said Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, leader of "Anak Mindanao [Children of Mindanao]."

The exhibit showcases a 1,000-year time line of Muslim history in the Philippines that Hataman said shows "a great common ground between Muslims and Christians."

"What you will see in this exhibition is practically all that what we want to say," said Hataman.

"This is all about us, not only Muslims, but also Filipinos of all religions," she said.

Hataman, who sits as representative of Mindanao in the Lower House of Congress, noted that bias against Muslims is "not because they do not like us, it is just that they don't know us."

She said the exhibition, which will run for a few days before moving to another venue, is "our little contribution to let people know who Filipino Muslims are."

"I hope that knowing who we are, you would also know the relationship that we had," she said.

She said if only Filipinos look at the history and culture of Muslims in the southern Philippines, they would see that "we have more similarities than differences."

"If there are differences, these differences only serve to make us even more beautiful," said Hataman.

The exhibit includes traditional clothes, weaving, musical instruments, and tools that are indigenous to Muslim communities in Mindanao.

Corazon Alvina, executive director of the Museum of Indigenous Knowledge, said she looks forward to the day when a shop or a store in the country's big malls offer goods from the southern Philippines.

"Art and culture of Filipino Muslims should be part of the mainstream and be part of the rest of us," she told ucanews.com.

"I wish to hear one day the music of traditional musical instruments of Mindanao instead of Western music in our malls," said Alvina.

Hataman said they held the exhibition in a shopping mall "to reach out to the widest audience possible."

Millie Dizon, senior vice-president for marketing and communications of SM Malls, said hosting such event is part of their corporate responsibility "to promote Filipino culture and art."

"We also want to encourage our youth, especially those who are in metro cities to understand history and respect different faiths and religion," she said.

Hataman said she is planning to bring the exhibition to Catholic churches around the country for the majority Filipino Catholics to better appreciate Christianity and other faiths.

She said she would be seeking the support of the Catholic bishops' conference for the exhibition to reach "the hearts of the Catholic faithful."

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