A new mosque to be built in Manila

9/16/2004 5:00:00 PM GMT

A mosque will be built very soon in one of Manila’s biggest shopping centers.

This event throws light on the growth of the Muslim minority within the dominant Catholic population.

Real estate firm Ortigas and Co, which owns and operates the 16ha Greenhills mall in San Juan district, Manila, is hoping to finish the 500 sq m 'prayer area' in time for this year's Eid el-fitr on Nov 14.

Mr. Rex Drilon, chief operating officer of Ortigas and Co., said: “By building this prayer area, we hope to give our Muslim brothers a solemn place of worship.”

The Greenhills shopping center is the first mall to open its doors to Muslim traders in 1990.

Despite the fact that most malls in the Philippines now allow priests and pastors to hold religious services, the planned mosque is the first to be part of a shopping center.

500 of Greenhills' 2,000 merchants are Maranaos, one of the largest Islamic groups in the country.

The opening of the new mosque means that Muslim merchants in Greenhills will not be obliged to pray along one of the mall's narrow hallways.

Mr. Drilon, said: “Their prayer times sometimes coincide with the Catholic service held on the opposite end of the hallway. The Muslims thus often spilled over onto the sidewalk.”

The fully air-conditioned mosque, which will cost an estimated 10 million pesos (S$300,000), will accommodate up to 400 people in its prayer hall.

Since the space is not that big, the mosque will not have a dome and will be part of a four-store building also housing a halal restaurant, boutiques and parking spaces.

Mr. Julkipli Wadi, professor of Islamic studies at the state-run University of the Philippines, said: “This is another manifestation of the close integration between Muslims and the Catholic majority in the country. It is another positive effort to promote harmony.”

A lot of Muslims have been appointed to government posts in the recent years, due to the complaints of discrimination and state neglect. Also Muslims are now among the most active merchants in the capital.

Five provinces in the southern Philippines, where the bulk of the six million Muslim minorities live, were granted a Limited self-rule.

But what is perhaps a major sign of growing integration is the fact that many Muslims now live in urban areas predominantly populated by Catholics. The Muslims use to live mainly in the backwater region of Mindanao.

Cultural stereotypes still make it hard for Muslims to get jobs in Manila, forcing many to change their names. And the police often attack Muslim communities, suspecting them of being havens for terrorists and other criminals.

A recent survey pointed out that a great number of Muslims preferred to be called 'Moro' rather than 'Filipino'.

“It shows that the separatist sentiment is still very strong. Many Muslims still believe they should have their own national identity and their own government,” Said Prof Wadi.

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