Filipino Muslims discuss getting together to tackle problems

ABU DHABI // Up to 15,000 of the 450,000 Filipinos in the UAE are Muslim, but they have had a limited voice - until now. In a move aimed at raising the profile of the Filipino Muslim community, a group is pushing for the creation of an umbrella organisation to represent the interests of at least five Muslim tribal groups who live and work in the country.

"There's a need to reach out to other tribal groups," said Hanifah Ampatua, the president of the Maranao community (Marcom) in the UAE. "We'd like to consolidate all these groups and eventually form a federation that shall serve as an umbrella organisation." Maranao is a term used for the people of Lanao, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Philippines. There are between 600 and 800 Maranaos in the UAE, most of whom live and work in Dubai and Sharjah.

At least 300 are active members of Marcom, according to Ms Ampatua, a civil engineer who has lived in Dubai for the past four years. The group is accredited by the Philippine Consulate in Dubai. Marcom would consult with the leaders of the different Filipino Muslim organisations in the UAE about the proposed alliance, said Ms Ampatua. The consultation will also involve new Filipino Muslims, or those who converted to Islam, and Filipino Muslims who are married to Arabs.

"We have not been able to sustain the assistance that we have been giving to other Muslim tribes," said Sahron Roy Tamano, Marcom's former president. "Although we are a social group that promotes camaraderie among Maranaos, we feel that the low-skilled workers, especially housemaids, require our immediate attention. "Sixty per cent of problems of Filipino Muslims that we receive are from Maguindanaoans and Iranuns." Maguindanaoans, the biggest group of Muslims from the Philippines, are mostly housemaids.

The proposed alliance is expected to help to address issues such as Filipinos arriving in the UAE on false job promises; housemaids staying in women's shelters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after fleeing their employer's homes; and the repatriation of deceased compatriots to the Philippines. Most of the labour issues faced by Filipino Muslim workers are being dealt with by another group, the Bangsa Moro Labour Organisation (BMLO). The members of the group are made up of Maranaos, Tausugs, Maguindanaoans and Yakans.

Ms Ampatua said her members had joined the BMLO during their quarterly visits to the shelters. They distribute toiletries, clothes, noodles and rice to the women. During Ramadan, they serve iftar to both Muslims and Christians who seek refuge there. "We'd also like the Filipino Muslims to be recognised not only in the UAE, but also in other Muslim countries," she said. Abdul Cahar Limano, an oil worker in Abu Dhabi, said: "How can we help other Muslims of different tribes if we are not united? We will support this federation."

He is the vice president of Bangsa Nunungan, a Filipino Muslim organisation of the Maranao tribe in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Amilbahar Amilasan, the new labour attache in Dubai who is from Sulu and belongs to the Tausug tribe, said it would make a difference when the entire federation extended help to distressed workers in the UAE. "If they join hands, they could properly monitor and solve their problems," he said. @Email:rruiz@thenational.ae