I am a Maranao, one of 117 ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines, descended from the unconquered Moro, who fought 400 years of anti-colonial rule; a Muslim, part of the global Ummah, what Bush calls them in “US VERSUS THEM”;  a Filipino, sister to the Christian, also People of the Book.

I live around Lake Lanao , one of the ancient lakes in the world, the second largest in the Philippines . Most of all, I am a woman, a daughter, a wife and a dreamer for peace for I am witness to the pangs of pain, anger, mistrust.
Today, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ( MILF)  chairman Alhaj Murad is in Butig, Lanao del Sur with hundreds of followers from across the island of Mindanao, in a show of force amidst an uncertain peace talks with government. We in civil society fear war is in the offing if the kinks in the negotiation's talking points on subjecting Muslim-dominated areas to a plebiscite are not resolved. The women will suffer the brunt of government-rebel clashes.
 
Despite this, away from the klieg lights of media, women in Muslim Mindanao and those who migrated up North to escape war, strive to  do their part in peace-building. Often invincible, sidelined , silenced even censored in our patriarchal society, we, women, can only witness how our male leaders amass the wealth of our people without public accountability. And yet these same men are those who speak up for us, on our behalf in asking for funds and power from the outside. They are the same men who buy bullets and keep arms to maintain their position in society.

It is the mess left by power struggles of men that we women have to help resolve. Women help mediate feuds or rido between conflicting families among Muslims, who are an estimated 3 million in the Muslim Mindanao. Some of these rido carry over generations and kill any of the relatives of the enemies anywhere. Women largely remain on the margins of governance, and politics is still seen as  primarily the business of men. Unfortunately, there are still very few women in positions of power. Leadership is not confined to politics – it could be in NGOs, schools, business, dawah (or Islamic propagation) and other powerful socializing institutions.

Young women are also exposed to different political situations, especially in the war-stricken area of Mindanao . Every aspect of adolescent life is affected by war. A lawyer from Davao shared, “The situation in war-ridden Mindanao is even more startling. While some barangays enjoy peace and security others do not. For example, a story has been reported by L. J. Canson of the Development of Peoples Foundation that ‘… at 7:00 p.m. of May 3, 2000 in Barangay Bayanga in Malanog, Maguindanao, a number of houses were hit in a few minutes by the mortar shelling. Seeing their lives endangered as the Marines continued bombing their village, residents fled towards Buldon. During the forced evacuation, Dadria Agaso suffered a miscarriage…. There were reports of rape, sexual harassment and other violent acts against Moro women allegedly perpetrated by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines such as fondling the breasts of Moro women at Dawah evacuation center under the pretext of finding hidden grenades.’ However, these are allegations which could not be verified because women victims , young or old, do not talk because of fear of military reprisals and in Muslim culture, rape and the disclosure of its occurrence are unacceptable.”

Adolescents in these war-stricken areas submit themselves to warfare. They learn how to carry guns and how to shoot with them. They are exposed to the danger of being injured and to the extent being killed in battle. For them, this is the only way to survive. Because of their situation, they have to give up being a child, give up being an adolescent, and give up education. (Older Children, Younger Adults, All Filipinos (unpublished), pp. 13 & 14, Commission on Population, June 2002).

There is, however, increasing awareness of the contributions that women can make in development, which Islam does not prohibit. The first Muslim after the Prophet Muhammad (swt) is a woman - Khadija , a brave businesswoman who stood by Muhammad in the trials of his life.
Today, Muslim women are coming out in the open . One is a  Nobel Prize winner (Shirin Ebadi). Others are activists, professionals, accomplished individuals who are creating ripples of change.  We have a big role as nurturers, peace-makers, community advocates. It is time to stand up and be heard in the realm of leadership.

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