Read-along session marks Peace Month

Tolerance and understanding were the focus of a special Inquirer Read-Along session on Saturday to mark the celebration of Peace Month.

Children from the Al-Salaam Muslim Community of Peace in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City, and students from the Community of Peace of Eulogio Rodriguez Integrated School in Mandaluyong City joined the session, which featured actress Kylie Padilla and Sophia School principal Ann Abacan.

Padilla read “My Muslim Friend” by Mary Ann Ordinario-Floresta, a story about how two girls managed to be the best of friends despite their differences in culture and religion.

Discrimination

Veteran Inquirer Read-Along storyteller Abacan read “Apolakus” by Alice Mallari, a story about how a group of children learned to settle their differences and get along.

“It’s a great story. I was able to relate to it,” said Padilla, daughter of Muslim actor Robin Padilla.

Padilla said the book reminded her of her experiences as a young Muslim girl growing up in Australia. “I remember experiencing discrimination when I was younger, especially after Sept. 11,” she said.

Padilla was referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York which left nearly 3,000 dead, and whose 10th anniversary is being marked this year.

Times change

“Before Sept. 11, we used to go to mosques regularly on Fridays, but after Sept. 11, we didn’t do that anymore. We had to stop wearing our hijabs (traditional headdress for Muslim women) because there was a time people threw stones at people who wore them. My mom and sister experienced that,” she said.

But times have changed since 2001, and even the elders who accompanied the Muslim children from Culiat knew it.

“We’re glad we have activities like this, where we can show our kids that they can also be friends with Christian kids,” said Hadja Noraine Casan of the Al-Salaam Active Women’s Association.

“They used to tell us: ‘Don’t be friends with Christians. They will force you to convert to Christianity.’ Stuff like that. Activities like this can dispel these misconceptions. We now live in different times,” Casan added.

Assalamu Alaikum

At the start of the program, Sairah Pangcatan-Mandia, chair of the Al-Salaam Active Women’s Association, helped teach Muslim greetings to the Christian kids in the audience: “Assalamu Alaikum,” which means “Peace be with you” and “Wa Alaikum Assalam,” which means “Peace be with you, too.”

Both communities were joined by volunteers for Service for Peace (SFP), a Washington-based organization advocating peace through community building and development.

Promoting understanding

“The Al-Salaam Muslim Community of Peace is one of the pioneer communities of SFP in the Philippines,” said Dondon Marquez of SFP, adding that the group has been partnering with the 20,000-household community since 2002. “We believe that propagating peace starts from cultivating the communities.”

Marquez said SFP invited the groups of children to facilitate the building of understanding between two different cultures. “For us, that is the essence of peace,” he said.

At present, SFP has 10 communities of peace nationwide.

Both Rehana Ambonotdo and Moises Emmanuel Breiva liked the story Padilla had read. She said she understood the message of the story, being a Muslim herself. “I also value my Christian friends, like Ann in the book.”

For Breiva, it was a good story because it portrayed the friendship between a Muslim and a Christian.

He said he also liked that the two remained friends until they grew up and got old. “I learned that we should value and be proud of our friends, no matter what culture or religion they are from,” he added.

Book donations

Saturday’s read-along session, hosted by Inquirer Libre editor in chief Chito de la Vega, was held in cooperation with Elizabeth Vidanes, the SFP and Hands-on Manila. Books donated by Vibal Publishing and Rotary Club of Makati were distributed to the children at the end of the session.

A special read-along session with Library Hub of Pasig featuring Miss Earth winners and Jasmine Curtis is set for Sept. 23. With a report from Marielle Medina, Inquirer Research