‘You must convert to Islam’
In 2016, I was given the opportunity to study for three months at Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Israel, South of Jerusalem. From Tantur, located in the Occupied Territories, it was possible to see Herod’s Hill in the distance. From the border checkpoint, where the wall was unimaginably thick, it was possible to walk to the border in just a few minutes. As in Biblical times, Palestinian workers would be sitting down along the Hebron Road near our school as they looked for jobs constructing the roads. Here, I witnessed the degrading treatment of people attempting to cross the border. Anyone who attempted to cross without a visa would be subjected to a very difficult time from the police. What made the greatest impression on me was the refugee camps we visited as it seemed to me that those living in the camps, would be there forever. In the midst of all of this and being situated so near the border, I was amazed at how our school, in contrast, was so peaceful and quiet.
On my return to the Philippines, I attended a meeting of the Interfaith Forum where I shared that it was my experience of the treatment of the Palestinians that I had witnessed at the border crossing which inspired me to try and live a life of presence in a Muslim Community. At this time, the Columban Sisters had accepted an invitation from Bishop Manny Cabajar of the Diocese of Pagadian to be a religious presence in the Muslim Community in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur and I was assigned to this ministry.
Although the house I was to be provided with was in a dilapidated state, to make it ready to be lived in proved to be no problem at all as Bishop Cabajar hired his own carpenters and the local parishioners cleaned the house and the yard a number of times. The house was so old, however, that the more cleaning and brushing that was done, the more we could see the need for repair. Only a few days after the house appeared to be ready, the nipa roof started to leak. In addition, at night, with no light, I soon became aware and frightened of the presence of rats. This was inevitable because the rats liked to eat the powdered nipa leaves so the beams and rafters had to be changed and galvanized sheets used for the roof.
I could see that the windows were well built but the frames needed to be changed. This time, it was my teenage neighbour who came to my rescue. His Grandfather, a retired Imam, was a good carpenter and was looking for work. I wondered – to trust or not to trust? After a few days, I said to myself, I could not refuse. Whatever happened, I needed to trust. I was soon to discover that the elderly Imam was actually a furniture maker of fine quality, as he gradually, not only repaired the window frames, but also the wooden staircase, the main door and my rattan chairs.
Soon after settling into life in the village, I understood that I was called not just to be a religious presence but also to try to establish friendly relationships with my neighbours. The caretaker of my house was from a Catholic family and the first visitors who came to the house were the relatives of the caretaker and the children of the Subanens who came from the mountain areas around the Lison Valley. They were at ease to come to visit but I was aware that no Muslim children were coming. As the Christian children gradually stopped coming to the house, the Muslim children started visiting. When they saw me working outside, they would usually come to help me sweep the ground of my place. Using a big box of drawing materials which Sr. Virgie had received from friends in the USA, I also encouraged them to draw and I discovered that many of them were budding artists. I soon realised that this was a unique opportunity so I asked them to teach me their language. One of them, seven years old at the time, then proceeded to tell me I had to convert to Islam!
Older students too frequently gathered in my house where they could use my computer and access the wifi connection, neither of which were available in their own homes. College students also came for tutorials. It was interesting to see the simple ways in which they showed respect for each other – if the Christian students arrived first, the Muslim children would not come and vice versa.
When I was called to another assignment and it came time to leave this area, I had grown in admiration and respect for the Churches and other groups in the Diocese and surrounding area who were a constant support for the Interfaith Forum of Pagadian. My house had been surrounded by lots of Mango trees of different varieties and huge Narra trees. With its rich, reddish-brown colour, the Narra tree is highly prized for its use in furniture, carvings, and construction. As a sign of tenacity and perseverance in the Philippines, where it is frequently connected to strength and durability, I was aware that this tree, during my time in Labangan, had been a source of encouragement to develop for tenacity and perseverance during my time living in a community of both Christians and Muslims.
By Sr. Minerva Dangaran for Far East Magazine
(Sr. Minerva has served on mission in Korea and, more recently, in her native Philippines where she is involved in projects which concentrate on care for the Earth.)
