Our Generation MPower: Salaam Regional Workshops were a blast! From meeting with old and new friends in our Muslim Student Associations, to engaging with the issues that Moro youth deemed important, and getting to impart some of our own wisdom, we were all able to witness how the Moro, Mindanaoan, and Millennial youth put their ideas to action.
Here’s a look at some of the campaigns that really wowed us:
After the Marawi Siege, there has been news circulating that some of the fighters on the battle ground were students from torils (Islamic seminaries). This particular issue spread misconceptions regarding toril students being indoctrinated by the toril itself since most Islamic Seminaries here in the Philippines do not have a structured and organized curriculum and that there are no government agencies or institutions that checks directly the operation of torils as of the moment. It is partially true that some of the toril students are vulnerable to extremism because of their limited worldview. Also, many residents, especially in non-Muslim areas, aren’t aware of the existence of torils.
The #ToReal Camp, the campaign’s offline event, is a 2-day camp that will gather 10 toril students from Cagayan de Oro City and 10 non-muslim students of Xavier University. The campers will immerse themselves in series of activities, talks, and reflections that will develop their sense of belongness, enable them to acknowledge their own identity, and help them realize their purpose in the community.
The organization involved in this campaign is the Xavier University Siraj Muslim Religious Organization.The ultimate goal of this event is to eradicate the vulnerability of the toril students to extremism and to raise awareness of common understanding and tolerance.
