Breaking stereotypes as an empowered Bangsamoro hijabi

 

Muslim women are the epitome of unbreakable fortitude, extraordinary resiliency, and unfathomable patience that manifest how they are valued not only by the people around them but also by their worshipped God—Allah [Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala].

 

Indeed, the Holy Qur’an expressly stipulates under its Chapter 4, a surah that also discusses Muslim women, verse 19 that living with the latter with kindness is a must, for if they are disliked, it is as if one has disliked what Allah Azzawajal (the Mighty and the Majestic) makes therein much good.

 

Despite the love given to Muslimat (an Arabic term for Muslim women in Islam), they are still often misjudged and subjected to discrimination.

Typically, Muslim women experience discrimination from the people who are less knowledgeable about the religion.

 

A Muslimah, the singular form of Muslimat, is commonly clothed in a loose garment known as “abaya” and has her hair covered with a hijab, an Islamic term for a veil, with only her face, hands, and feet shown.

 

Some body parts are essentially covered to protect women’s awrah, or “nakedness” in English.

 

“O Prophet! Ask your wives, daughters, and believing women to draw their cloaks over their bodies. In this way, it is more likely that they will be recognized as virtuous and not harassed. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” Surah Al-Ahzab verse 59 provides.

 

In this unending turmoil faced by female Muslims, a Bangsamoro woman defied the odds and raised the flag of Islam and the entirety of Filipino Muslims in the Philippines.

 

Princess Habibah Sarip-Paudac, a Bangsamoro radio-television anchor of Radyo Pilipinas, is the first-ever Filipina hijabi to appear on national TV as a news presenter, paving the way to breaking the norm.

 

Radyo Pilipinas is the flagship government amplitude modulation (AM) radio station of the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS), which is under the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) of the Office of the President, Republic of the Philippines.

 

She is also the Channel Manager and host of Salaam TV, a Muslim-oriented TV program aimed at opening opportunities for ASEAN countries to showcase the Muslim communities outside the Philippines, including the showing of the Filipino-Muslim community herein.

 

During the celebration of World Hijab Day on February 1 this year, Paudac served as a keynote speaker, highlighting primarily her noteworthy experiences as a hijabi in the broadcast industry.

 

She stated that on her first day, her anxiousness as to whether or not she could not stutter speaking was overflowing; however, she thought, “Pull yourself together because you are a Bangsamoro woman.”

 

This year’s celebration carried the theme “Veiled in Strength,” which not only raised awareness about the importance of wearing hijab but also fostered understanding of the rich traditions within Muslim cultures.

 

Paudac also shared that, somehow, her colleagues were taken aback by her proficiency in speaking English and Filipino, doubting if she were truly a Maranao, one of the known Muslim tribes residing mainly in Marawi City and Lanao Province.

 

This led her to prove that the constituents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are educated individuals, saying, “We have so many lawyers; we have so many doctors. Everyone here is a professional.”

 

As of January 2024, the employment rate of the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), is estimated at 95.5 percent, which is significantly higher by 0.3 percent compared to last year’s 95.2.

 

In the same month, the autonomous region, alongside Cagayan Valley, recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the entire Philippines both at 2.9 percent, which means that more job opportunities are afforded to the Bangsamoro people.

 

Further, this dispelled the notion that Bangsamoro people are “illiterate” and that all they know is to be engaged in commerce by selling digital versatile discs (DVDs), cellphones, and other gadgets and subsequently attaching ‘tempered glass’, a screen protector, thereto.

 

“At that moment, I have shown further that wearing a hijab on the TV as a Bangsamoro woman could change their mindset towards us [Muslims],” she continued during her speech at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex (SKCC), Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.

 

The Hijabi Anchor added that her appearance on Philippine TV amounts to “representation” of the Filipino-Muslim community, demonstrating that Bangsamoro people can deliver, be productive, and are competent, excelling in their fields of endeavor.

 

She also stressed that such intervention bridges the gaps, existing in peacebuilding and conflict resolution, for she represents the autonomous region, making her the “voice” of her fellow Muslims.

 

Likewise, this paves the way for halting the stereotyping existing against Muslim women, which says that generally, they can only stay at home and just serve their husbands, if married, and manage the household.

 

In today’s setting, the Bangsamoro TV Presenter mentioned that women have their mission and purpose, saying, “We still have to do a lot.”

 

Based on statistics, about 47.7 percent of the global workforce, amounting to 3.7 billion of the world’s total population, is composed of women.

 

She also expressed that Muslim women are empowered and strong because they wear hijabs.

 

 

Paudac also urged her fellow Bangsamoro women, who are yet to wear the Muslim veil, to embrace being a hijabi at their own pace, gradually.

 

“It is okay if you are not yet ready for it. It needs not be forced, but, Alhamdulillah, we will [eventually] come to that level,” she stated.

 

The Salaam TV’s Channel Manager underscored that she has come to where she is right now because of her hijab.

 

“With this, I am Princess; I am wearing my veil, and I choose to cover,” she emphasized. (Johamin Inok/BIO)