08
Feb

IPDM MSU Marawi City Celebrates World Hijab Day and Interfaith Harmony Week with NCMF GAD Focal Officer, Lanao del Sur Partnership

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MSU Main Campus - Marawi City > 11-Sustainable Cities & Communities (SDG Goals) > IPDM MSU Marawi City Celebrates World Hijab Day and Interfaith Harmony Week with NCMF GAD Focal Officer, Lanao del Sur Partnership

By Aliah P. Cali-Pascan, DPA

Marawi City, BARMM – The Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM), in partnership with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Lanao del Sur, successfully celebrated World Hijab Day and World Interfaith Harmony Week. The event, marking the third year of collaboration between the two organizations, highlighted the significance of both observances and fostered understanding between different faiths.

The program featured Dr. Aliah P. Cali-Pascan, Peace Action Officer and GAD Focal Person of the IPDM, who provided a rationale, background, and history of the two significant dates. Dr. Anisah M. Laguindab, GAD Focal Person and Chief Medical Officer for the NCMF, delivered a message emphasizing the importance of the events and the role of youth in promoting hijab and interfaith harmony. Dr. Khayronesah Abbas offered closing remarks.

A highlight of the celebration was the distribution of free hijabs, which was met with enthusiasm and appreciation. Women such students and employees from diverse backgrounds, including a woman in military uniform, received hijabs. Many shared their feelings about wearing the hijab, expressing that it provided a sense of protection and safety, while others mentioned its connection to Jannah (paradise). Participants emphasized that wearing the hijab was a personal choice and not a compelled act. The event underscored that the hijab is not merely an accessory, but a meaningful expression of faith and identity.

The IPDM and NCMF expressed their gratitude to the generous donors who made the event possible:

1. Director Faisah Sangcopan

2. Director Edenairah Esmail

3. Director Melba Angni

4. Director Jayneveb Recentes-Magolama

5. Former Director Noraisa Gandamra

6. Prof. Nawirah Abdullah

7. Aisa Adiong

8. Prof. Rashida Abdulrashid

9. Noron Batugan

10. GAD Focal Person Dr. Anisah Mapupuno Laguindab

11. Dr. Yannah Habib-Mangotara

12. Baelabi Rehanna Pamela Macaayong

13. VP Dr. Engr. Labimombao Macabando

14. Waffah P. Cali

15. Dr. Aliah P. Cali-Pascan

16. Prof. Saima Pacalna

17. Dr. Khayronesah Abbas

The IPDM and NCMF look forward to continuing their partnership in promoting peace, understanding, and cultural awareness in the years to come.

About the author

The institute for peace and development in Mindanao (IPDM) was created by the MSU Board of Regents during its 182nd Meeting on December 7, 2001. The institute assumed the functions of two defunct units: the Muslim Christian Center for Peace Studies and the Muslim Mindanao Development Institute. It is now the central coordinating unit for all existing peace and development programs of the campuses of the University. MSU was established on September 1, 1961 as one of the government responses to the so-called “Mindanao problem.” The problem includes a violent struggle of segments of the Filipino Muslim population to redress long-standing grievances and assert Muslim selfhood and identity in the face of real and imagined threats of cultural and spiritual assimilation by the majority Filipino Christian population. The University was mandated to accelerate the “integration” of the cultural communities in Mindanao into the mainstream body politic and to accelerate the development of its service areas through instruction, research, and extension. In the pursuit of these objectives, the University also seeks to infuse spiritual and moral values, national consciousness and solidarity, and mutual understanding among Filipinos, which are necessary for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. IPDM was therefore, created with the expectation that it would contribute to the easing of tensions and the promotion of justice and peace between Filipino Muslims and Christian by expanding knowledge, improving understanding and heightening sensitivity in relations between the peoples of Mindanao in particular, and the Philippines in general.

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