Treating them like the enemy

After pressure from various sectors, the Manila Police District has decided to recall an earlier memorandum requiring all Muslim high school and college students to submit their names to the police.

The memo was earlier issued reportedly to strengthen the peacebuilding and counter violent extremism efforts of the Philippine National Police.

It’s good that the memo has been recalled. Yes, we agree that peace should be built and violent extremism should be countered. However, the listing of all Muslim high school and college students will not achieve this.

Having a list of Muslim students will not make the police any more powerful in securing the peace and fighting terror. It will also make the students vulnerable to persecution. In the end they and the rest of the Muslim community will only become resentful of the authorities.

Surely the police must realize that in the fight against radical Islam, one of our biggest allies are actually the Muslims themselves.

Contrary to the world view, not all Muslims are violent. There are those who are more than willing and able to coexist with others of other faiths.

These are the ones who police their own ranks to keep the more radical ones in check. They actually have a stake in keeping the peace because it will be them, their family, and their descendants who will suffer from stigma, persecution, and discrimination in the long run if they let others with more violent leanings drag their name through the mud or the blood.

In a world so polarized by recent events, it becomes so easy to generalize a people and to immediately put a face to the fears we have.

Just recently, the CEO of an Irish airline called for the profiling of Muslim men at airports saying terrorists are generally of a “Muslim persuasion.”

The CEO may not be quick to see his error, but at least the policemen of the Manila Police District were.

Making moderate Muslims feel like the enemy isn’t the right move to fight terror.