Heads turn whenever this 19-year-old hijabi, or a woman wearing a headscarf traditionally worn by Muslim women, enter the gates of a Catholic university in a city where Christianity in Asia took root nearly 500 years ago.
Zarah May Arshad, a junior marketing and communications student, stands out from among the thousands of students at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) as her attire is a give away that she belongs to the religious minority.
Having gotten used to inquisitive stares from people who are not used to seeing a hijabi, Zarah May has a ready answer each time she gets asked if wearing a veil is uncomfortable.
“I just tell them it’s much hotter in hell,” she said. “Being a Muslim is a constant struggle.”
Nonetheless, Zarah May’s presence in campus together with several other non-Catholic students, signify that USJ-R, a private university run by the Augustinians, practices tolerance.
However, regardless of one’s religious belief, students like Zarah May who have enrolled at USJ-R have to follow the school’s curriculum, which includes taking up Religious Education (ReEd) subjects which are mainly based on Catholic doctrines.
“We are not enforcing the religion, we are merely offering the subject,” said USJ-R acting vice president for external affairs Karlon Rama.
But this policy, he added, should not be misconstrued as being intolerant to Muslim students. Rama explained that accepting students like Zarah May helps boost awareness among the Catholic students that their Muslim brothers and sisters have different religious and lifestyle practices.
“They are free to practice their faith and be who they are and it’s a good thing USJ-R have a healthy population of Muslim brothers and sisters,” Rama said.
Zarah May said she’s not bothered at all in attending theology classes, but she admits that it has always been a struggle practicing her Islamic faith especially during the holy month of Ramadan which Muslims observe by abstaining from taking food and water from sun up to sun down, and performing rites and rituals for 40 days that ends with the Eid’l Fitr or celebration marking the end of fasting. (Editor’s note: Ramadan may end today, depending on the sighting of the new moon.)
Pillars
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam along with belief, worship, charity work and pilgrimage to Mecca.
Just like any Muslim child who grew up in a predominantly Christian environment, Zarah May said she had been teased for not eating pork. Muslims consider pork unclean or haram (prohibited).
Muslims eat other kinds of meat, but these has to be halal or the animal’s slaughter and processing is in accordance with Islamic guidelines.
Zarah May, who hails from Zamboanga del Norte, was born to a Pakistani father and a Filipina mother who used to be a member of the Christian sect Iglesia ni Cristo.
She said her parents gave her the freedom to choose which religion to practice.
“My parents always say that they are always right behind me and ready to support me 100 percent,” Zarah May said.
Asked why she chose to be a Muslim rather than being a Christian, she replied, “I really like being a Muslim. I believe in the teachings, it has the right philosophy, and it is what embodies a family, a community, it mostly casts out materialism and consumerism doesn’t matter here”.
Zarah May was, however, quick to add that she does not have any problem with other religions.
She said she respects the religion of her grandparents and relatives from her mother’s side.
Mixed feelings
As a marketing student in a Catholic shool and being a Muslim, Zarah May admits to having mixed feelings when theories and principles taught in her course conflict with Islamic teachings.
In her course, she said, it is inevitable to study how to brand goods and services so that it will be easier to sell in the market. Islam, on the other hand, criticizes the materialistic world’s unlimited desire to achieve more.
She said she doesn’t regard her studies as a hindrance to her religion because she believes that she fits into her chosen course.
Zarah May is the president of the Liberal Arts Communication and Marketing circle (Liacom Circle).
She admitted, however, that she once entertained thoughts of giving up her studies so she could devote more time in studying Islam which, she said, is “and has something good for her soul”.
“I erased the thought of giving up my studies because of the money and effort which will be wasted since I’m already on my third year and I’m actually a very ambitious person.” she said. /by Mayfair dela Cerna, USJ-R Intern
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