D1The Manila Times

The Moro TimesFRIDAYSeptember 28, 2007

WORLD leaders are celebrat-ing Ramadan with the Mus-

lim ummah by tendering iftar—the evening meal for breaking thedaily fast during the Islamicmonth of Ramadan. Several arealso pursuing interfaith dialogand peace diplomacy as theybreak bread. The United Nations,through its secretary general BanKi-moon is set to host a meetingof the so-called Middle East peacequartet composed of the UN, theEuropean Union represented bythe EU foreign policy chief JavierSolana, Russian foreign ministerSergei Lavrov and CondoleezzaRice, the US secretary of state todiscuss the status of the“roadmap” for achieving peace inthe Middle East. After the meet-ing, Quartet members are to sitdown on Sunday night with rep-resentatives of the Arab League atan Iftar dinner.

French PM participatesin Iftar meal at GrandMosque of ParisIn what was described as a “great ges-ture” French Prime Minister FrancoisFillon attended an Iftar meal gatheringat the Grand Mosque of Paris, the firstPrime Minister to have participated inan Iftar dinner with the Muslims ofFrance. PM Fillon used the occasion tocall for measures that would establishgood relations between the French stateand Muslims.

Emphasizing the priority of Chancel-lor Angela Merkel’s in creating har-mony between religions, German Inte-rior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, at-tended an iftar meal organized by lead-ing media institution World MediaGroup in Berlin. Maria Böhmer, the min-ister of state for integration in the fed-eral chancellery, agreed that gatheringslike the Iftar can help Muslims andChristians know each other better.

Meanwhile, Muslim, Christian andJewish leaders and other prominentguests attended the Iftar dinner at theUS Congress organized by The RumiForum and sponsored by 21 membersof Congress and attended by religiousleaders, academics and other promi-nent guest.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretarygeneral of the Organization of IslamicConference (OIC), gave the keynotespeech stressed the need to energizeinterfaith dialogue. Professor Ihsanoglusaid that any terrorist or radical cannotrepresent Islam. Ihsanoglu pointed outthat Islam was not a religion of violenceand expressed concern about the risingsentiment of islamophobia around theglobe. “Extremists exist in all religioustraditions. Sometimes extremists havespoken on behalf of Islam,” he stated.

In the Philippines, a number of dip-lomatic missions are also set to cel-ebrate Iftar dinners. The embassy of thekingdom of Saudi Arabia organizedtheir fast-breaking celebration last Sep-tember 21. The ambassador of Egypt tothe Philippines Salwa Moufid Kamelwill host Iftar dinner tonight. US Am-bassador Kristie Kenney will host anIftar reception on October 2 while Aus-tralian Ambassador Tony Hely willshare iftar on October 7.

■ A young student in supplication, solemnly oblivious to the traffic ofdowntown Manila, and using broadsheets for prayer mat.

QUEZON CITY: Expressing theirconcern about the conditionsof their brothers and sisters inMindanao, 38 Ulama from allover Luzon and the Visayasdemanded the suspension ofall military offensives in Suluand Basilan and the conveningof a multi-sectoral Mindanaopeace summit that will “mapout a roadmap towards peacein Muslim Mindanao.”

The government hasstepped up its military offen-sives in Sulu and Basilan inwhat it described as an at-tempt to crush the terroristgroup Abu Sayyaf in the area.The operations have resultedin major casualties for themilitary as well as the dislo-cation of around 4,000 fami-lies caught in the middle ofthe conflict.

The statement, signed byulama from Cebu, Bohol,Iloilo , Dumaguete City, Pa-lawan , Legaspi, Cavite,Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija,Baguio City , Lucena Cityand Metro Manila, also urgedall parties to exercise restraintand to go back to the negoti-ating table. In particular, thestatement called for the ces-sation of hostilities with theadvent of the holy month ofRamadan.

In calling for the peacesummit, the ulama rejectedthe notion that military forcecan solve the problems ofMuslim Mindanao whichhas remained “poorest of thepoor.”D The summit, thestatement recommends,should include rebel groups,government, religiousgroups, civil society andother stakeholders.

The group of ulama—a

term that refers to Muslimscholars or those learned in Is-lam—have gathered in aconsultative forum as partof a project dubbed, “Em-powering the Ulama of thePhilippines” organized by thePhilippine Council for Islamand Democracy (PCID). Theforum is the last of four re-gional forums that will culmi-nate in a national summit inJanuary next year which isexpected to gather ulamafrom all over the country.

The project is supported bythe British embassy and theRoyal Netherlands embassy.British Ambassador to thePhilippines Peter Beckinghamstressed the importance of en-gaging Muslims all over theworld. He noted that in Brit-ain, Muslims are the fastestgrowing minority populationwith 15% comprising Lon-don’s population. FormerSenator Santanina Rasulmeanwhile urged the ulamato unite so they can provide avoice for the Muslims. “Youare learned in our religion, thepeople believe in you so Ihope you can use this oppor-tunity to come together andserve our people,” she said.

Explains Dr. Hamid Barra,the project director, “this is anopportunity for the Muslimreligious leaders to provideleadership and guidance inthe interpretation of Islam asa way life at all levels.”

Regional ulama forumswere previously held in thecities of Zamboanga, Cota-bato and Cagayan de Oro.The project hopes to provideassistance in creating a net-work of ulama and Muftisnationwide.

Ulama from Luzonand the Visayas call forMindanao peace summit

■ Heavy on prayer

■ A Balik-IslamCebuanoboy grinsas the handof the wallclockedges on5:55, thetime tobreak thefast.

■ At the Iftar in USCongress, leaders of the 3

Abrahamic faith–Jewish,Christian, and Muslim–

gather for interfaithdiscussions.

Peace diplomacy andinterfaith dialog high-light worldwide iftar

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■ The grand Paris mosquewas built in 1927 inmorrocon style and offers aplace of prayer andtranquility in the heart ofParis near Jardin DesPlantes. There is an amazingcafe restaurant (calledHammam) attached to itwhere mint tea and all kindsof north west African sweetsare on offer. Francois Fillon,French Prime Minister,partakes in an Iftar dinner atthe Grand Mosque.

D2The Manila Times

The Moro Times FRIDAYSeptember 28, 2007

The Manila Times

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Ramadan: A BalikIslam experience

The JihadistAbdullah Yusuf AbuBakr Ledesma

RAMADAN. The holymonth when the Quran

was revealed to the Prophet,peace and blessings be uponhim. Ramadan is a time of greatjoy, a month when we renew ourfaith in our Creator, and sharethe love of our brothers and sis-ters for each other. Indeed, fast-ing during the holy month ofRamadan was one of the spir-itual experiences that convincedme to become a Muslim, sevenRamadans ago. I am one of thosewho have returned to the truefaith of worshipping One God,those we call Balik Islam.

Ever since the crackdown bythe authorities and closure ofthe Islamic centers in Manila, ithad been difficult to find a placeclose by where one could spendthe whole night celebratingRamadan with all our brothersand sisters. When the MoroTimes asked me to do an articleon the Ramadan celebration ofthe Balik Islam, it gave me thatextra motivation to drive out tovisit the Islamic Studies Calland Guidance (ISCAG) Centerin Salitran, Dasmarinas, Cavite.

The drive of more than twohours from my home inGreenhills was plagued by theawful traffic jams on theAguinaldo Highway and theusual rudeness of the drivers.Arriving at ISCAG was wellworth it. I was immediatelygreeted by a group of brothers,led by Abdu Rahman Solis, a40ish Balik Islam from Bicol.Though I had never met thembefore, I was welcomed like anold friend. When I explainedthat I was there to do an articleon the Ramadan celebration ofthe Balik Islam, brother AbduRahman reminded me thatthere were no tribes here, everyone was a brother or sisterwhether they were born Mus-lims from Mindanao or Paki-stan, or reverts to Islam.

I was escorted to see brotherNuh Caparino, who headed thedawah (missionary outreach) of-fice. Brother Nuh also did notlike the theme of Ramadan cel-ebration of the Balik Islam. He ex-plained, “Bilang tunay na diwang Ramadan, isinasantabi natinang pagkakaiba’t iba ng tribo atlahi. We are one.” (Keeping to thetrue spirit of Ramadan, weshould put aside the differencesof tribe and race. We are one.)

Close to 6 pm, we walkedquickly across the open fieldand basketball court in front ofthe big madrasah (Islamicschool) building, towards themosque where we would breakthe fast. Sisters veiled in theirabayas walked in groups, head-ing in the same direction.

Earlier, I had prayed in themosque before visiting brotherNuh, and had found many littlechildren, both Filipino and Paki-stani, preparing rows of colorfulplates and dates across the car-pets of the mosque. They smiledbroadly when I greeted them,“Assalamu alaikom. Ramadankareem.” Now those plates weresurrounded by people sitting inrows chatting, smiling and ea-gerly awaiting azan (the call toprayer) that breaks the fast.

We feasted on a simple mealof dates, soup and bread. It issaid that the believer who fastsis happy twice. When he or shebreaks the fast, and when he orshe is rewarded in the hereaf-ter. After the evening prayer, weshared the packed dinners pro-vided by the Center. Mine wasa tasty beef stew with lots of

rice. While eating, AbduRahman pointed out to me allthe people from different tribesof Mindanao and from differentregions of the Philippines.

That evening, Jay Galit, acousin of an ISCAG member,embraced Islam. We greetedhim with shouts of “Allahuakbar!” (God is great!) as welined up to welcome, hug andkiss him on the cheek. Whiletrying to snap a picture, I acci-dentally invaded the prayerspace of Eman, a Pakistanibrother. As I apologized, hequickly said that there was noneed: just a simple greeting of“salam” (peace) would suffice.

That evening, I shared a smalldormitory room with brotherMaher Loberiano, an old friendwho had studied shariah (Is-lamic law) for two years inBaguio and who now taughtArabic and social studies in themadrasah. His cramped quar-ters were overshadowed by hisgenerous hospitality.

After taraweeh (the longnight prayers during Rama-dan), we chatted into the night.Brothers Jamil Almarez andOmar Pinalver, two of the pil-lars of dawah here and in SaudiArabia, expressed their con-cerns that ISCAG should beknown as a center for peace,and not linked to terrorism.Amid hot mint tea and dates,many brothers told their storiesof conversion to Islam. Manywere workers in Saudi Arabiaand the Middle East. Some wererelatives or friends of those whohad reverted earlier. All saidthat they had been seeking forthe truth. And that they hadcome to know that God is One.

At 2 am, brother Maher wokeup to cook suhor, the final mealbefore the fast starts at dawn. Ataround 3:15 am, Maher, two ofhis students and I sat down onthe floor of his crowded quartersto eat a simple suhor of cornedbeef, canned tuna and spicy sar-dines. It was a far cry from thecold suhor that I eat from the re-frigerator at my mother’s home,where I am the lone Muslim. Thebest part was that I was sharingthe meal with others rather thaneating alone as usual.

I left the Center at 5am afterprayers, bearing gifts. BrotherOmar Pinalver gave me a lovelyprayer carpet from Saudi Arabia.I will always remember thewords of a sickly brother I hadmet that night, a gift of wisdom.Brother Mohammad Quintos re-verted to Islam when he wasjailed in Dubai. When he camehome, his family would not ac-cept him because he had becomeMuslim. He has been living at theCenter for two years now. Hiseyesight and health are failing,which has prevented him fromgetting a good job. For him,“Nawala na ang pamilya ko,nawala ang kalusugan ko, peronandyan pa rin si Allah” (I havelost my family and my health, butAllah is still there.) This I think isthe essence of being a Balik Islam.

ALL praises be to Allah,Lord of the universe, who

revealed in His Noble Qur’an,“Oh you who believe, fasting isprescribed for you as it was pre-scribed for those who came beforeyou so that you may keep your dutyto your Lord (attaining taqwa orself-restraint).” (2:185) May theblessings and peace of Allah beupon His last Messenger,Muhammad son of Abdullah.

Dear brothers and sisters inIslam. Ramadan is a sacredmonth wherein Allah Almightyis constantly testing His creationand giving humanity the oppor-tunity to attain infinite blessing.Fasting is a process of cleansingand a means of developing theconsciousness of Allah Al-mighty’s presence. The con-sciousness of Allah’s presence orself-restraint (taqwa) is a protec-tion against anything evil com-ing from the cursed devil,Shaitan. Almighty Allah tells usin the Qur’an, “Whoever keeps hisduty to Allah (having achievedtaqwa), He ordains a way out forhim and gives him sustenance fromwhere he imagines not. And who-ever trusts in Allah, He is sufficientfor him. Surely Allah attains Hispurpose. Allah has appointed ameasure for everything.” (65:2)

Fasting in Ramadan ranks onpar with prayer and zakah in itsimportance. Indeed, it enjoys aspecial status, since it can onlybe fulfilled through abstention,rather than through a direct orpositive action. For this reason,Allah is quoted by the Prophet(peace and blessings be uponhim) as saying in a hadith qudsi,“Everything a human being doesis his, with the exception of fast-ing, which belongs to me and I re-ward it accordingly” (Reportedby Al-Bukhari).

Abu Hurairah reported thatthe Prophet (peace and bless-ings be upon him) said:“Fastingis a shield. Let no one who is fast-ing commit any obscenity or fool-ishness. Should anyone engage himin a fight or a shouting match, lethim answer him by saying: I amfasting, I am fasting.”

The Prophet (peace and bless-ings be upon him) gives fastinga very apt description when heconsiders it as a shield, protect-ing the person who fasts fromthe hellfire. Indeed, fasting pro-vides protection in more waysthan one. As fasting weakensthe body, it also weakens sinfuldesires. This makes the fastingperson more able to resist anytemptation to commit any sin.Since man always feels thetemptation to fulfill his desiresthrough any available means,whether legitimate or not, thesedesires are weakened throughfasting, which proves the pro-tective aspect of this unique actof worship.

Allah rewards much moregenerously any good actiondone during fasting. Since onthe Day of Judgment good ac-tions are balanced against badones, the multiplied rewardgained through fasting appearsto be of much greater value.This is the protection fastingprovides for man.

We are also required not to beinvolved in verbal dispute or ar-gument. When a person who isfasting finds himself drawn intoa verbal battle or a shoutingmatch, he should not respondbut instead make it known tothe other person that he is fast-ing. By such a declaration, heactually tells his opponent thathe refuses to be drawn into sucha verbal quarrel because he hasmade up his mind to observethe manners required of peoplewho are fasting. In a situationlike the hadith describes, a fast-ing person tries to resist beingdrawn into a quarrel by saying“I am fasting.” He says it to theother party in clear terms if thishappens in Ramadan whenevery Muslim is supposed tofast. This serves as a reminderto the other party about the

code of conduct in Islam thatrequires a person to abstainfrom quarrels, especially whenfasting.

During fasting, a Muslimmust constantly seek for Allah’smercy and His divine blessing.Mercy is a divine characteristicmanifested in human relation-ship through kindness and af-fection for others, in contrast toharshness and wicked inten-tions to friends and foes alike.Rahmah (mercy) in Arabic liter-ally means “womb”.Islamically, whenever there israhmah Satan disperses. Harsh-ness or cruelty descends in theabsence of rahmah.

Prophet Muhammad hasbeen epitomized as the veryembodiment of rahmah. Al-mighty Allah says in theQur’an, “And We have not sentyou but as a mercy to theworlds.” (21:107).

The secret behind Islam’sspread across continents andthe harmonious interactionwith cultures throughout its1,400 years of existence is thisinnate intrinsic value ofrahmah. Even animals are notexempted. The Prophet repri-manded his companions forover-working camels, burningants, and killing sparrows. OnIsra’ Al-Mi‘raj, the miraculousascension of the Prophet of Is-lam, Allah exposed a cruel,hardhearted woman whostarved her pet cat to deathand so wallowed in the flamesof Hell.

Muslims are commanded topursue every appropriatemeans that lead to enjoininggood and forbidding evil, basedon one’s ability, knowledge, andauthority. This action is, indeed,a safety valve for securingpeace, tranquility and stabilityin any society or community. Acommunity where this practiceis prevalent would be safeagainst oppression, corruptionand the spread and applicationof the “law of the jungle”.

This is based on Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 2 of the Glorious

Qur’an, “Help ye one another inrighteousness and piety, but help yenot one another in sin and enmity.Fear Allah, for Allah is strict inpunishment”.

Allah’s Messenger (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him)is reported to have said, “He,amongst you, who sees a vice beingpracticed should correct it by hand.If one is not capable to correct it byhand, let him use his tongue (anddeclare such practice as un-accept-able and not condoned). If one is notable to raise his voice, and use histongue to reject the ill practice, theleast one could do is to disapproveit by heart. Such is the lowest formof iman (faith).” (Reported byMuslim).

Finally, the Almighty Allahsays, “Pray to Me and I shallanswer (your prayer)”:

0 Lord, You are the Source ofPeace. You are Blessed, MostHonored & Majestic. O Lord.Grant us peace and justice in theland.

Honor our people with yourblessings of Ramadan in theirhearts, in their minds, and intheir selves. Make us love oneanother for Your sake, O Lord,and for the sake of humanity.And do not despair us withthose who plot discord and en-mity in our ranks.

We seek refuge in Your Infi-nite Wisdom and Mercy fromthe evil spirit, and from the evilmind that causes destructionand havoc in our homeland.

O, Lord of Mankind. Grant usto see the path of Your Mercy.Guide us towards the StraightPath and allow us not to devi-ate from it.

Grant us, O Lord, the goodlife in this world, and the goodlife in the Hereafter. Save us, OLord, all from the torment offire. Save us, O Lord, from thedestructive effects of war andconflict.

Shower our Prophet Muham-mad, his family and his com-panions with Your blessingsand mercy, O Lord. Praise be tothe Almighty Allah, Lord of theUniverse.

KhutbaMoner M. Bajunaid

The virtues of Ramadan

RAMADAN is the ninthmonth of the lunar calen-

dar. It is during this month thatthe fourth pillar of Islam, sawmor fasting, is required to be per-formed by every able Muslim.Sawm refers to complete absti-nence from food, drink andsexual knowledge with onesspouse from early dawn to sun-set. The daytime of Ramadan isspent in fasting while itsnighttime is spent in prayers,constant remembrance of Allah,reading and studying the Glo-rious Qur’an and sharing onesblessings with others. Muslimsare required to learn self-re-straint during this blessedmonth. Allah Almighty says inthe Glorious Qur’an to the ef-fect:

O ye who believe! Fasting isprescribed to you as it was pre-scribed to those before you sothat you may learn self-re-straint.( Sûrah al-Baqarah 2:183)

Ramadan is significant notonly because it is during this

month that Muslims are re-quired to fast but also becauseit was during this month thatthe Glorious Qur’an was re-vealed. Allah Most High says inthe Glorious Qur’an:

Ramadan is the month inwhich was revealed the Qur’anas a guide to mankind and clearsigns for guidance and criterion(between right and wrong). Soeveryone of you who is presentat home during this monthshould spend it in fasting…Sûrah al-Baqarah 2:185

The revelation of the Qur’antook place in two stages accord-ing to a tradition of the HolyProphet (pbuh). The first stagewas its revelation in whole fromthe Lawh Mahfuz (GuardedTablet) to the Baytu ‘l-‘Izzah(the heaven near the earth). Thisrevelation was made during the

month of Ramadan. The secondstage was its revelation in piecemeal to the Holy Prophet for aperiod of twenty three years,beginning with the first revela-tion in the Cave of Hira whichtook place during the month ofRamadan.

Thus, Ramadan is not only amonth of fasting but also of therevelation of the GloriousQur’an. It is the month when aMuslim is trained to learn pa-tience and perseverance, to prac-tice sharing, caring and beingcompassionate to others. It isalso the month of triumph andvictory for Muslims as all majorbattles fought between the Mus-lims in pursuance of the truthand their enemies who tried toblock that struggle happenedduring this holy month. It is themonth of worship and remem-brance of Allah, of learningattitudinal change. It is a train-ing institute for self-restraint andAllah-consciousness.

Ramadan is the month of

worship and remembrance ofAllah, of learning attitudinalchange. It is a training institutefor self-restraint and Allah-con-sciousness. Every year, Muslimsare trained during Ramadan torenew their ‘Muslimness’.

The lessons that a Muslimlearns during the fasting monthcan be summed up in the fol-lowing:

1. Fasting strengthens the in-tellectual foundation of a Mus-lim through a renewed attach-ment to the Glorious Qur’an byreading, studying, understand-ing and meditation on the mes-sage of the Holy Book. Ramadanis the month upon which wasrevealed the Glorious Qur’an asa guide to humanity. Hence, aMuslim seeks guidance from hisCreator by personally commu-nicating with Him through athorough study of the GloriousQur’an.

2. Fasting revitalizes theideological foundation of a

Islam 101Hamid Barra

Knowing about Ramadan

See ISLAM D3

“Bilang tunay na diwa ngRamadan, isinasantabi natinang pagkakaiba’t iba ng tribo

at lahi. We are one.”

D3The Manila Times

FRIDAYSeptember 28, 2007 The Moro Times

Excerpts from Keynote Address byAnwar Ibrahim, Former Deputy PrimeMinister of Malaysia at the Second WFDABiennial Conference, Philippine PlazaSofitel Hotel, Manila, 20 September 2007

MORE than a century ago,here on this land, an Asian

hero sacrificed his life on the al-tar of freedom and democracy.He wrote that “humanity will notbe redeemed while reason is notfree.” Faced with rising religioustolerance, he warned against theimposition of faith on others andthat mankind would be doomedwhile laws are based on whimsand the rich and the powerfulnations subjugate the weak andthe poor.

How true these words are for useven today. Even more significantly ofcourse is that the martyrdom of JoseRizal became the catalyst that precipi-tated the Philippine Revolution and itwas in the Philippines that the firstdemocratic republic in Asia was de-clared on June 12, 1898. True, it wouldtake another 50 years before full inde-pendence could be achieved, but thedemands for freedom and democracyby the Katipunan led by Bonifacio andAguinaldo set in a tide which could notbe reversed. And it was here too in re-cent history that we witnessed the first“people power revolution” that over-threw the dictatorship of Marcos.

Today, the subject of democracy andfreedom in Asia has become doublypressing in view of the rising incidentsof assault on the institutions of civilsociety and the increasing tendency ofthe powers that be to rob us of our lib-erties and undermine our constitu-tional foundations. Of course, this isnot an overnight phenomenon. Follow-ing a period of sustained economicgrowth and political stability in theeighties and nineties, there was alreadya fervent discourse on the state of de-mocracy in Asia. But this was informedpartly but a new sense of confidencebrought about by economic successand relative political stability. Confi-dence gave way to complacency andbecause of that, the discourse some-times floundered on the slipperyslopes of scholastic disputation. Thencame the financial crisis of 1997 whichshook us out of our slumber. The waveof destruction that came along brought

Muslim through constant Al-lah-consciousness. When aMuslim fasts without anyonesupervising him, he renews hiscommitment to his testimony offaith that Allah is the only Over-seer of his thoughts, words, andactions, and that He alone is theOne a Muslim serves and wor-ships.

3. Fasting reinforces his senseof communal belongingnessand social consciousness. Dur-ing the month of Ramadan, aMuslim is enjoined to share andcare for his brothers, relatives,and neighbors. He will only be-come a true believer if he lovesfor others what he loves forhimself.

4. Fasting renews a Muslim’scommitment to Islamic moralvalues. Such values and virtuesas sabr or patience, taqwa orself-discipline and Allah con-

sciousness, rahmah or mercy,ukhwah or brotherhood,ITQAN or excellence, nashatand juhd or being active andexertion of one’s efforts, ‘ilm orlove for seeking knowledge arelearned from the performanceof fasting.

5. Fasting establishes a Mus-lim’s economic consciousness.The love for wealth is being dif-fused from the mind of a Mus-lim by encouraging him toshare whatever he has for oth-ers. He learns that wealth isonly a trust from Allah. Whilestriving for economic affluenceis encouraged, a Muslim ismade to realize that wealth isnot an end in itself but only ameans to seek the pleasure ofAllah through serving others.Fasting teaches a Muslim thevalue of budgeting. While dur-ing ordinary days, a Muslim

may have normally three majormeals (breakfast, lunch and din-ner) and two minor ones(snacks at around 9:00 am andat around 4:00 pm), during themonth of Ramadan, he has onlytwo major meals (sahur or earlydawn meal and iftar or break-ing the fast after sunset, and onesnacks after the Tarawih prayer.

6. Fasting teaches a Muslimthe actual practice of jihad. Dur-ing the days of fasting, a Mus-lim learns that he dedicates hisprayers and sacrifices, his lifeand his death only for Allah.Without a guard, a checker or asupervisor, a Muslim suffers thepangs of hunger and thirst, sur-vives the rigors of fasting onlyto seek the pleasure of Allah.During the fasting season, aMuslim is able to establish Al-lah’s ultimate power and sov-ereign authority in his heart.

Thus, a Muslim becomes a lib-erated person who does notsubmit to the authority of anybeing except the authority ofAllah.

7. Fasting lays down the uni-versality of Islam and the one-ness of the Ummah . WhenRamadan comes, Muslims allover the world welcome themonth with joy and commit-ment to the faith. Every Mus-lim, rich or poor, educated ornot, exercising political au-thority or not, shares thepangs of hunger and thirst feltduring the daytime of Ra-madan, and vies with one an-other in seeking the pleasureof Allah through prayers, re-membrance of Allah, sharingblessings with others, readingthe Glorious Qur’an and con-templating on its meaning andmessage.

■ ISLAM From page D1

Knowing about Ramadan

Asian democracy and its discontents

about phenomenal changes. Whilesome countries enjoyed new foundfreedom and democracy, others suf-fered either a reversion of autocracy orplunged deeper into the depths of dic-tatorship.

Today we are looking at a report cardon the state of democracy and freedomin Asia that is dismal and damning.The prospects are therefore dim andthe challenges daunting. Many coun-tries have maintained the dubious dis-tinction of being classic examples ofpseudo-democracies.

* * *A few months ago in Pakistan, we

witnessed the ravaging of the judici-ary by the powers that be. We then sawpeople power being marshaled to re-store its rightful position, followed inquick succession by judicial decisionswhich also restored our faith in the in-dependence of the Supreme Court ofPakistan. Likewise, the movement forgreater democracy and justice seemedto be moving forward but where is theprospect for freedom and democracywhen the Executive continues tothumb its nose on the rule of law? Yet Ido believe that with the rising tide ofopposition to military rule, the resur-gence of judicial independence andcourage, and the people’s convictionthat dictatorship and tyranny are nottheir best options, freedom and democ-racy is only a matter of time.

In the case of Indonesia, the largesMuslim country in the world, we see

resilience and a steadfast attempt atpreserving constitutional democracy inspite of great challenges being pre-sented along the way. But the latestdecision by the Supreme Court on thelibel suit by the family of Indonesia’serstwhile dictator is worrying. Wewould have thought that the caseshould have been decided as a vindi-cation for freedom of speech. This dis-play of judicial aberration, which if al-lowed to persist, would shake the veryfoundations of democracy. The Indo-nesian press has been a bulwark in thedefense of freedom and democracy.Attacking it this way is akin to attract-ing the very pillars of Indonesia’s newfound freedom.

Coming back to the Philippines, withher impressive track record in thestruggle for freedom and democracy,the very citadel of people power inevery sense of the word, I find myselfof two minds. Last week’s convictionof President Estrada by the SupremeCourt, for example, has been touted bysome as “a pure victory for the Philip-pine Justice system.” This is said to bea landmark case which shows thateven bug fish can be caught. On theother hand, there are indeed lingeringdoubts about the court’s independencewhich in turn is said to cast furtherdoubts due to the perceived lack of re-solve in strengthening institutions ofgovernance and the issue of selectiveprosecution the midst of pervasive cor-ruption.

WE, the concerned ulama of Maguindanao, Shariff Kabungsuan, SultanKudarat, SOCSARGEN, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, andCotabato City having gathered in Cotabato City for the second“Empowering the Ulama of the Philippines” regional forum,

Deeply alarmed about the worsening peace situation in MuslimMindanao precipitated by the Basilan incident,

Believing that any military response, such as an “all-out-war”strategy, will just aggravate, rather than resolve, the situation,

Profoundly conceived that peace is the only way out of this currentpredicament,

Hereby resolve the following:1. Call upon all parties to exercise restraint and sobriety;2. Urge for the suspension of military operations in Basilan;3. Join calls for an impartial investigation of the Basilan encounter;4. Call upon media to be responsible and not resort to “sensationalism”

so as not to exacerbate the already tensed situation; and5. Urge government as well as all other parties to return to the

negotiating table and exhaust all means to resolve the matter peacefully. (SGD.)Aguam, Abdullah A.; Alabat, Abdulsalam D.; Moner Bajunaid; Esmail

Ebrahim; Abdullad, Nhorul-Am; Abduwahab Pairat; Balt, OmosalamHaron; Baulo, Camarudin M.; Bawarte, Arabie M.; Daud, Mohammad TahaH.; Dimaporo, Samsodin M.; Dimaporo, Shaira P.; Aguam, Bashier A.; Ali,Abubakar L.; Ali, Mansor S.; Arab, Anisa T.; Arab, Sarip D.; Badrolin,Albaya G.; Badrudin, Mohammad A.; Mala, Ahmad A.; Mohd. Taha,Abdulgapor U.; Musa, Maimona H.; Pakil, Norhaya I.; Pangaliwan,Abdulbasit A..

A Call for Peace

This brings us to my earlier ratherdespondent statement on the state offreedom and democracy in Asia. It isclear therefore that political reforms aresorely needed across the region. Wecannot have a government which con-tinues to violate our fundamental lib-erties and at the same time call it a de-mocracy. We cannot have a govern-ment which uses state powers to pun-ish political rivals and yet call it a de-mocracy. And we most certainly can-not have a government which thriveson corruption, abuse of power and therule of man and call it a democracy. Isay this regardless of the majority sup-port that these governments purportto have from the people.

Speaking of support gleaned fromthe electoral process, we are all too fa-miliar with the issue about the perver-sion of the democratic process. Seri-ous questions continue to be raisedabout the impartiality and compe-tence of the institutions entrusted toensure free and fair elections particu-larly where they are controlled by thepowers that be. Too much has beenread into so-called landslide electoralvictories but the truth is that thegreater the margin of victory, thegreater is the manipulation.

The discourse on freedom and de-mocracy cannot be divorced from theimplications of economic and socialissues. Poverty and inequitable distri-bution of economic opportunities, ris-ing income disparities and the conse-quent marginalization of many; theseare said to be even more pressing thanissues of freedom and democracy. Theysay that the threat of totalitarian con-trol over economies has all but disap-peared under the onslaught of freemarkets; but the socio-economic prob-lems have not.

We are certainly not here to advocatecommand economies but the unmiti-gated preaching of Western free mar-kets is not cast in stone. Admittedly forsome schools, it is as good as the Gos-pel. To my mind, the truth is that apartfrom the obvious necessity of pursu-ing monetary and fiscal policies thatpromote macroeconomic stability, thedemands of social cohesion and politi-cal stability would warrant a sustainedpolicy of social justice. Such a policy isnot based on some ideal Utopian statebut on the foundation of balance. Itstems from the belief that themarginalization of one segment of so-ciety whether on grounds of race, color

or creed will bring more harm thangood. This is precisely the reason whyour dialogue initiatives: be it religiousor civilizational must involve a widespectrum, of society. We should neitherdictate the language of discourse normarginalize communities due to theirideological or religious persuasions.Similarly, marginalization broughtabout by income disparities and dep-rivation of economic opportunitieswill eventually tear the fabric of soci-ety itself. In this regard, democracyand freedom are but the means to anend which is the attainment of hu-mane governance, the restoring of thedignity of man.

At the root of these issues is the ques-tion of accountability, governance andtransparency in the exercise of thepowers of state. Contrary to what theopponents of freedom and democracysay, accountability does not lead toweakness; nor would an independentjudiciary lead to the death of the Par-liamentary process; ensuring the ruleof law to protect the constitutionalfreedoms of free speech, of assemblyand of religion would not cause dis-sension and confrontation. Denyingthese fundamental liberties and erod-ing the democratic space would. Itwould also be a gross affront on thedignity of man.

The early figures of the Asian Re-form Movement such as Jose Rizal,Rabindranath Tagore, MuhammadIqbal, Sun Yat-sen and MahatmaGandhi showed us that Asia and theAsian tradition are part and parcel ofa world built on this dignity. Today,with Japan and South Korea as torchbearers, it is clear that Asian nationscan indeed move successfully fromrepression to democracy without itseconomy being jeopardized or tis so-ciety torn asunder.

As Winston Churchill once said, “thecause of freedom has in it a recupera-tive power and virtue which can drawfrom misfortune new hope and newstrength.” Despite the red flags and thelitany of discontents in our assessmentof the state of freedom and democracy,let us not give up hope or lose ourstrength in striving for what we believein. Let us instead renew our resolve tostrive even harder for what we cher-ish; and even though freedom and de-mocracy may not be handed to us on aplatter, it is still our birth right and wemust never forsake it or allow anyoneto take it away from us.

A chef puts the final touch to a giant replica of Masjidil Haram mosque in Mecca made out of chocolates ata hotel in Jakarta on Thursday, was made of 150 kilograms of white, dark and brown chocolates, withdimension of 2.5 x5 squares metersa, a height of almost 1.5 meters as well as the ten towers. The replicawas made to celebrate the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, when practicing Muslims abstain fromeating, drinking, smoking and any sexual activities from dawn to dusk. AFP PHOTO/ADEK BERRY

A typical breaking of fast at theIslamic Studies Call and GuidanceCenter in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

■ Anwar Ibrahim, former senator Santanina Rasul and PCID Lead Convenor Amina Rasuldiscuss issues interlocking Islam and democracy at the conclusion of the 2nd WFDABiennial conference. PHOTO BY JAY DIRECTO

■ Chocolate Mosque

The Sawadjaan familyready to break their fast athome in Manila. Muslimsprefer to eat at home inRamadan, preparingtraditional dishes.