Independent Mindanao? Or independent Muslim women?

IT was a first for me to position myself at the AFP Grandstand. I who opposed martial law stood among uniformed officers, held the Filipino flag, and sang the national anthem with Muslim women who withstood the bullets during the Marawi siege.

Back in Marawi, women’s groups gathered in schools and campuses to show pride and solidarity with women wearing the head covering worldwide.

The event was World Hijab Day, which celebrates women wearing the head covering. It was the first commemoration and collaboration initiated by Sen. Robinhood Padilla and the AFP.

Hijabi troopers marched in a sign of diversity in the country’s defense services. Hijabi troopers refer to the women officers who were assigned to Muslim Mindanao during the siege, and the wearing of the head covering was a matter of blending in with the environment.

The hijab is not just a fabric, as emphasized by one speaker. It is a commitment to an ethical way of life.

My heart stood proud listening to lawyer Ashmina Paudac Tawano speak gently but firmly about how she embraced the head covering as a matter of choice late in her adult life. Senator Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Muslim and Indigenous Committees, is the proponent of a bill recognizing National Hijab Day.

Along with him was his spouse, actress Mariel Padilla, who looked elegant in her pink head scarf and matching suit. The senator, who was the keynote speaker, said I should have spoken in the program co-organized by Capt. Norsal Dimaporo. But it was all right because the younger Muslim professionals spoke so much better. Ashmina, like me, experienced a phase of feeling shy about going public wearing something different. Later, in college, as a football player who wore a cap, I got used to wearing a head covering, and thus, I fully embraced the head scarf called the hijab.

There is no compulsion in religion, or in the Holy Quran, as Senator Padilla said. A big reminder that wearing the hijab is largely a matter of choice for women.

Norsal, a young Muslim officer, spoke keenly about the value of diversity. He said that diversity is a testament to the richness and complexity of human existence.

It is true that corporate culture in business establishments has found diversity to be positive and healthier for a more adaptable working environment. A wealth of perspectives that can enrich us, Norsal reminded.