Eid Mubarak for Eid al Adha: the history of Muslims in the Philippines
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr declares July 9 as holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, one of the important days for Filipino Muslims.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the new president of the Philippines who was inaugurated June 30, and his new administration announced their recognition of July 9 as a holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice. The Manila Times reported that according to the Malacañang, Bongbong signed the Proclamation 2, which cites the Republic Act 9849 - an Act “declaring the tenth day of the Zhul Hijja, the Twelfth month of the Islamic Calendar, a National Holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha”.
Eid’l Adha is one of the two most important holidays in Islam and is celebrated to mark the end of the Hajj - the annual pilgrimage to the Mecca. Eid’l Fitr, another important holiday that’s celebrated two months before, signifies the end of Ramadan. 5% of the Philippine’s population are Muslims who still practice Islam; although the nation is predominantly Catholic, the Philippine’s was once an Islamic state and is significant in the history of Philippine politics.
The history of Islam and its significance in the Philippines
In the 14th or 15th century, before the Philippines was colonized by Spain and indoctrinated into Catholicism, parts of the country were mostly Islam - particularly in the Sulu and Mindanao regions. This area was considered a prime location for its rich agriculture and convenient access point for ships and foreign trading which provided the opportunity for this land to prosper politically.
The “Moros” is a term used to describe Muslim-Filipinos by the Spaniards after they colonized the Philippines, but it is also a term used to signify the resistance against colonialism for their efforts to fight off Catholic indoctrination and inspired the rebellious group that call themselves “Moro nation” or Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). In the 1970s, during Marcos Sr’s presidency, the rise of the Muslim Separatist groups emerged to resist the migration of Christian Filipinos to the South. During this migration, there was a severe disparity between Muslims and Christians as Muslims were facing poverty and experiencing anti-Muslim bias and discrimination…
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