As Muslims in Cebu join the rest of the faithful in marking the end of Ramadan with the commemoration of Eid’l Fitr today, local Islamic religious leaders lament the decline of the number practicing Muslims in the country.
Dr. Aladdin S. Ubpon, an imam of the Al-Khariah Mosque in barangay Mambaling, Cebu City said the decline in practicing Muslims stems from their weakening faith and self-discipline.
“Ramadan is self-discipline, its purpose is not only to abstain, but to strengthen our conscience,” he said. The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) placed the number of Muslims in the Visayas at 300,000. Of that number, 100,000 are in Cebu.
Imam Mochtar A. Salendab of barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City and Danny Daham agreed, with Daham saying that not a few Muslims call themselves as such because they were born and raised in Mindanao.
“I’m sorry but just like Roman Catholics, if Muslims don’t understand the teachings of the Koran then they will soon be inclined to doing immoral acts,” Daham said. Daham also admitted that unlike other countries, there is a small Muslim population in the Philippines since the government provides only limited support.
Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, began last June 29. During this period, Muslims fast from dawn at 4 a.m. to dusk at 6 p.m. /US-JR Interns Maeine R. Mosquite, Zonah Mae K. Perez and Mayfair dela Cerna
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