By Samira Gutoc
Di ko maipagkakaila na malalim at matindi ang naramdaman kong kalungkutan noong nabasa ko ang memo ng Manila Police District na inuutusan ang iba’t ibang mga station commanders sa Maynila na mag-sumite ng listahan ng mga mag-aaral na Muslim na naka-enrol sa mga paaralan, kolehyo, at unibersidad sa kanilang mga distrito.
Nakakadismaya’ng isipin na ang ating mga kabataang Muslim na wala naming nilalabag na batas ay pinaghihinalaan na agad na posibleng magiging instrumento ng karahasan. Nasaan na ang ating pag-unawa, ang pagbukas ng ating loob at isipan sa paniniwala ng iba?
I condemn in the strongest of words this memorandum by the Manila Police District, which reeked of religious profiling, was discriminatory and put at risk the safety and security of our innocent Muslim youth.
Kaya’t nagpapasalamat ako na binawi na ni National Captial Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Major General Debold Sinas ang memorandum na ito. Nothing would have been solved by putting together a list of Muslim students, aside from promoting Islamophobia among our fellow Filipinos.
I would like to suggest that if the PNP is truly and sincerely concerned about addressing terrorism and lawless violence, they should initiate, cultivate, and maintain an open-mindedness and facilitate respectful dialogue with Muslim leaders and the Muslim communities, not resort through discriminative profiling.
Perhaps, they should profile those who practice graft and corruption, tolerate corruption, those who allow the Mainland Chinese to disrespect the Filipino people and violate our laws, and not the Muslim (and even Christians) youth simply because of the NCRPO Chief suddenly prompted by his whims and caprices because of the powers that be bestowed by his position. Because this is not right.
On the final note, I would like to let Maj. Gen. Sinas and the rest of the PNP brass that if they need my help to facilitate any dialogue, I am more than willing to help om this. Until then, I continue to pray for peace for all of us, Muslims and Christians alike.