Benilde is known as an advocate of inclusive education. Since its establishment in 1989, its path to inclusiveness has developed from accepting differently-abled learners, scholars of all types, to appreciating the LGBTQIA+ community. But today, in celebration of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), how does the College cater to other religions of its members, such as Islam?
With prayers, sacrifice rituals, and social gatherings, Eid al-Adha, which is observed from August 11 to 12, serves as a reminder of how Ibrahim obeyed Allah’s command to sacrifice his own son, Ishmael. This is observed as the second Islamic celebration after Eid al-Fitr, that concludes Ramadan (Month of Fasting).
Records obtained from the Registrar’s Office reflect that the College has welcomed 261 Muslim Benildeans—121 have graduated; 94 are inactive; while 46 are active as of third term A.Y. 2018-2019.
Photo by Ricardo Yan II
The Benildean sat down with Shailla Ahmed, a graduating student under the Consular and Diplomatic Affairs (CDA) program, and asked her how it’s like to be a Muslim in Benilde.
The life of a Muslim Benildean
Photo by Ricardo Yan II
20-year-old Ahmed expressed her insight on how the College should be aware of its Muslim students’ needs.
“For example, leniency when the day of Eid Adha falls earlier than the designated holiday; meaning students would have to skip morning classes just to go to prayers, and that’s not even including the family festivities that would take place the rest of the day,” Ahmed said in an interview.
Sacredness upon offering prayers is important to Muslims. Through skipping some classes, designated prayer rooms are nowhere to be found around Benilde’s three campuses.
“If I cut classes to pray at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., I couldn’t just pray anywhere. For Muslims, prayers have performance and everything has to be perfect, the place where it will be conducted has to be facing the West and we have to make ablutions in order for our prayers to be accepted,” the ID 116 student explained.
Meanwhile, the integrity of the food designated for Muslims (a.k.a halal) is believed to be something taken for granted.
“It’s not merely not eating pork, it’s also making sure that the chicken we eat is halal. Just catering to small things that make a big impact on the lives of Muslim students,” she said, hoping that the College would serve more vegetarian meals if halal meat cannot be obtained.
With the challenges of not having efficient prayer rooms and halal meals, the Filipino-Bangladesh also expressed her struggles in complying with the College’s requirements.
“I hope that they (the College) won’t require non-Catholic students to go to recollections. Because as a Muslim, I shouldn’t even be participating in such events but since it was a requirement by Benilde, I had to attend by force just so it won’t cause a discrepancy,” Ahmed said.
As a graduating student, Ahmed epitomizes respect through sacrifices for Benilde’s religious culture. With limited time left as a CDA student, she looks forward to the changes the College has to offer for its Muslim Benildeans.
