We received the saddest news yesterday. The news we've been dreading since the siege commenced. As the war stretches on, all our hopes are thinning out.
We lost her to false ideology.
My heart is crumbling to pieces.
How?
Why?
Who am I to judge her intentions?
She's always been a very good person to me and to everyone around her. Well-loved by many. Her soft voice and laughters.
Her beautiful face.
Such gentle soul.
Her memory will live forever and will forever leave a scar in our hearts.
Nobody's coming home yet.
There's no point in coming home.
We have no home.
She won't be with us forever.
May Allah forgive her and grant her jannah.
May we meet again in jannah.
Ameen.
August 11, 2017
August 7, 2017
August 6, 2017
Thoughts On The Marawi Siege
Can you imagine the place where you were born and raised reduced to rubble and ashes?
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| Photo courtesy of Najib Zacaria (Facebook) |
I can’t. Never in a million years. But, it happened.
Two months ago, our city was
attacked by young men claiming to purge Marawi from the heavy burden of major
sins it carries and ultimately let Islam, their definition of Islam, rule the
city. Chaos ensued. The high and mighty Meranaos left their turf and found
themselves in evacuation centers or in houses of relatives in the nearby cities
of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. The government forces started to bomb the city to
get rid of the terrorists. Airstrikes and bombings continue to rain as of writing time. It
is unfathomable.
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| Photos courtesy of Marawi City Pulse (Facebook Page) |
A divine punishment?
I have long been anticipating an
end to the madness of the unruly Meranaos. I was guessing of a major calamity
to hit like the one I saw at Leyte (typhoon Yolanda) or at Davao Oriental
(typhoon Pablo). Just like anything in life, Allah’s plans are unpredictable
and way beyond our imaginations. Any Meranao who have observed other cities in
comparison to ours will definitely agree on one thing: ours is regressing to
anarchy. I do not want to highlight here all the bad stuff going on my beloved
city before the siege happened but in a nutshell, major corruption and abuses
from the grassroots to the top is undeniable.
What are they fighting for?
The perpetrators of the attack were
young idealistic group of young Meranao men who were disappointed by the
society, significantly by our leaders and the people who are following them
blindly. Knowing that Islam is perfect and is the only solution, they wanted to
truly raise Islamic law (shari’ah) in the “Islamic City” of Marawi. However
forcibly and violently, out of the teachings of Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur’an
and of the Prophet Mohammad (saw) in his hadith (traditions). As the siege
continues, the story slowly unfolded. The attackers were not only composed of Meranaos
(Maute Group) but they were joined by Tausug bandits (Abu Sayyaf) and even
foreign-based terrorists under the flag of ISIS. Several conspiracy theories
even rolled out, that President Duterte has his hands on this in order to
declare Martial Law in the island of Mindanao as his only way to capture big
time drug lords who are hiding in Marawi and in the mountains of Lanao del Sur.
I strongly disagree with the attackers' extremist ideology, that is not the Islam I was taught of. The Islam which taught me to be merciful and forgiving of other people even to those who do not share the same faith with me, the Islam which taught me patience and respect, the Islam which taught me to be gentle and loving. I do not understand which part of the Qur'an or which hadith they are fighting for. Who misled these people? Who planted hatred in their hearts? Why are they so full of it? Jihad? Is it not that the major jihad that every Muslim must fight is his own ego? His own evil? They're spreading evil and mischief and yet they do not know it. They're the hypocrites that Allah (swt) has mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah.
I strongly disagree with the attackers' extremist ideology, that is not the Islam I was taught of. The Islam which taught me to be merciful and forgiving of other people even to those who do not share the same faith with me, the Islam which taught me patience and respect, the Islam which taught me to be gentle and loving. I do not understand which part of the Qur'an or which hadith they are fighting for. Who misled these people? Who planted hatred in their hearts? Why are they so full of it? Jihad? Is it not that the major jihad that every Muslim must fight is his own ego? His own evil? They're spreading evil and mischief and yet they do not know it. They're the hypocrites that Allah (swt) has mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah.
"And when it is said to them, 'do not cause corruption on earth', they say, 'we are but reformers."
"Unquestionably, it is they who are corrupters, but they perceive it not." (Holy Qur'an. Surah Al-Baqarah, 11-12)
The fall of the Meranaos.
Today is the 76th day
of the siege, 76th day of our nightmare and it seems that the end is
not about to happen soon. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that my own
family are internally displaced people now. My aunts and my 80+ y/o grandma
left our ancestral home in Lilod Madaya on the 4th day of the
attack, they put Ina on her wheelchair and hiked from Lilod crossing Mapandi
bridge up to Old Capitol and down to Emi (almost 6-8km) where a car was waiting
for them to bring them to Pantar. I cannot fathom what they had to go through,
the emotional and physical pain. My sister-in-law and my nephew and niece had
to walk almost 2 kilometers where my brother was waiting for them as cars
cannot pass through their barangay. My mother-in-law left their house with only
her handbag and the clothes she was wearing. My cousin even left the money she
was keeping for her children’s enrollment thinking that they’d be coming back after 2-3 days. I’m in tears now. Pause.
Everyone has a depressing story
to tell. My parents are left in our house in MSU, they refused to leave no
matter how strong I urged them over the phone. The military secured the campus,
they told me. They felt safe. But the earth-shaking sound of the airstrikes and
bombs are very loud from our house, I can even hear it over the phone everytime
I call Mama. MSU is the only stronghold left for the Meranaos. If they take it
away from us, then they just dim the light that put Meranaos on the Philippine
and even on the world map.
The Ruins of Marawi.
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| Photo courtesy of Marawi City Pulse (Facebook Page) |
Every time my father and I go
downtown Marawi, we notice all the bad stuff all around us. Garbage, narrow
streets, tarpaulins, lawless elements aka motorcycle drivers and even unruly
motorists. He once quipped that the only solution is to leave Marawi and create
a new one. That’s why, I told him, a lot of Meranaos flee to live in the metro
or abroad and vowing never to come back. Others return several decades later to
attend a loved one’s funeral or to see their loving relatives. It is like a prophecy
coming to life. Seeing all the destruction, it is eerie to return to the city
and live in it again. If my father and I can have our way (which is one million
times impossible), we want to leave the ruined part of the city as it is. The ruins will remind us and our children of what we were as a people and how we rose (speaking from the future) from the rubble and ashes of destruction. I hope we can build a new Marawi elsewhere, where we can apply the better change we were clamoring for, where true and just governance can take place, where we can truly change anew. Lanao del Sur is a wide and a beautiful province, we can choose anywhere around the Lake. Just please, don't take MSU away from us.
July 25, 2017
July 18, 2017
July 17, 2017
My little girl is 7 months old today. On 7/17/2017. 😆 #AmreenNurlailah
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2t5FLEz
July 7, 2017
July 3, 2017
June 27, 2017
White Flag
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2tforAf
My sister-in-law sent me this photo of our gate (our house is within the premises of MSU campus) where a white flag is raised to indicate that civilians live inside. Among us, Meranaos, a white flag hanging outside a house means death and mourning. My SIL told me that almost all houses and cars wave white flags. How apt in this time of mourning for our dying Motherland.😥 I terribly miss home. I badly want to "hug" Marawi if I can only do so.
#MarawiInMyHeart
#MarawiMyHome
#BornAndRaised
#LetsBuildMarawiAgain
June 24, 2017
📷 @lonelyplanet Lake. Mountains. Blue Sky. Cool weather. Very Marawi. 😢 #MarawiInMyHeart #thisisnotMarawi
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2s4T4DU
June 22, 2017
June 21, 2017
June 17, 2017
"I'm six (6) months old today and supposed to be boarded on a plane going to our hometown, Marawi, but nope, we're cancelling our flight because of the uncertainties of the situation there. My Ina badly wants to curse the people who wreaked havoc in our inged a Ranao but I smiled at her to remind her to bear patience and leave the fate of those bad people in the hands of Allah. Allah is The Most Just, He will never allow evil to triumph. We are really excited to go home, my Ina has been planning it for several months now, but it's not yet the right time. Hopefully, when peace starts to settle in, we'll be the first people to board the plane. In shaa Allah. ❤️" #AmreenNurlailah
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2sbqlk5
June 13, 2017
June 12, 2017
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2rScSgO
What breaks my heart about the Marawi siege is the fact that I will no longer walk my children through my childhood in the place where I was born and raised. It hurts me because all my plans of raising my kids in inged are all gone. I'm not even sure when will we return to the place we call home. I am more resolved now to raise my daughters in a very Meranao household (language and the good in our traditions) to plant their identity in their hearts, in shaa Allah. The future maybe dark for us now but let us not lost hope in the mercy of Allah (swt). Rebuilding Marawi will start with us and will continue in our children's generation, and hopefully they're a lot better than us. In shaa Allah.
What breaks my heart about the Marawi siege is the fact that I will no longer walk my children through my childhood in the place where I was born and raised. It hurts me because all my plans of raising my kids in inged are all gone. I'm not even sure when will we return to the place we call home. I am more resolved now to raise my daughters in a very Meranao household (language and the good in our traditions) to plant their identity in their hearts, in shaa Allah. The future maybe dark for us now but let us not lost hope in the mercy of Allah (swt). Rebuilding Marawi will start with us and will continue in our children's generation, and hopefully they're a lot better than us. In shaa Allah.
June 9, 2017
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2r27gO0
Several nights ago, had an iftar with these two ladies whose presence in my life means so much. Was able to finally let out my feelings about the Marawi siege. @leiremd, who is a Psychia resident thought I may be having an acute stress disorder. If I'm going through this who's thousand miles away from Marawi, ano na lang ang mga nandon mismo at yung iba na-trap pa in the middle of yhe firefight and bombings? Subhanallah. I hope and pray the Marawi siege ends soon because this is too much already. Kawawa na ang mga nasa evac centers. I cannot imagine the emotions when the Meranaos return to Marawi, when most houses were either deliberately burnt by the militants or bombed by the military. Yung mga nakasurvive naman na bahay, ninakawan ng mga oportunista. Subhanallah. The civilians have suffered so much. Realistically speaking, physical rehabilitation of Marawi will take decades. I pray that along with this rehabilitation, may we also put our characters under rehab and may we stand united for a better Marawi. Ameen.
Several nights ago, had an iftar with these two ladies whose presence in my life means so much. Was able to finally let out my feelings about the Marawi siege. @leiremd, who is a Psychia resident thought I may be having an acute stress disorder. If I'm going through this who's thousand miles away from Marawi, ano na lang ang mga nandon mismo at yung iba na-trap pa in the middle of yhe firefight and bombings? Subhanallah. I hope and pray the Marawi siege ends soon because this is too much already. Kawawa na ang mga nasa evac centers. I cannot imagine the emotions when the Meranaos return to Marawi, when most houses were either deliberately burnt by the militants or bombed by the military. Yung mga nakasurvive naman na bahay, ninakawan ng mga oportunista. Subhanallah. The civilians have suffered so much. Realistically speaking, physical rehabilitation of Marawi will take decades. I pray that along with this rehabilitation, may we also put our characters under rehab and may we stand united for a better Marawi. Ameen.
May 26, 2017
May 22, 2017
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2qJgnWI
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta'if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah has sent him to destroy the people of Ta'if for their sin of maltreating their Prophet. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta'if because what they did was out of their ignorance. May we always find in our hearts to forgive the people who've hurt us in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, and may Allah forgive us for the things we do in our daily lives that do not please Him. May we all have a meaningful Ramadhan ahead of us. Ameen. ✨
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta'if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah has sent him to destroy the people of Ta'if for their sin of maltreating their Prophet. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta'if because what they did was out of their ignorance. May we always find in our hearts to forgive the people who've hurt us in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, and may Allah forgive us for the things we do in our daily lives that do not please Him. May we all have a meaningful Ramadhan ahead of us. Ameen. ✨
May 12, 2017
May 9, 2017
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