Muslim student in a Christian school: ‘Look at similarities rather than differences’

MANILA, Philippines — A Muslim woman who attended a Catholic university for her tertiary studies said that the world needs to look at similarities rather than differences, as she shared her inspiring graduation story that took social media by storm Tuesday.

Jomana Lomangco, who graduated cum laude with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), said that never in her five years of studying in the widely Christian campus that she felt or experienced discriminated upon or treated “less” by others just because she is Muslim.

Unfazed by stereotyping beforehand that the bold move might alter her Islam beliefs, Lomangco said “never did they leave me out just because of my faith.”

“I have learned many things throughout my stay, but this I will remember in my whole life,” she said.

Lomangco also urged the public to “respect and accept each other” despite people’s varying faiths in life.

“To be of a certain faith, may it be Christianity or Islam, is to be HUMAN. And to be human is to respect and accept each other in spite of the differences in our beliefs,” she said.

As my last graduation post, I would like to share how it’s like to be a Muslim in a Catholic University. As I chose UST…

由 Jomana Lomangco 发布于 2019年6月3日周一

“As a Muslim who took up a few Theology courses, I’ve learned to look at our similarities rather than our differences. And I think that’s exactly what this world needs,” she added.

At the end, Lomangco expressed her gratitude to her alma mater for making her feel some sense of belongingness during her college stay.

“Maraming salamat, UST! Thank you for making me feel that I belong. Alhamdulillah for everything!” she concluded.

The post quickly went viral on Facebook, garnering more than 22,000 reactions and almost 3,500 shares as of this posting time. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)