Tuesday, November 6, 2012

ARMM folks to observe Sheik Makdum Day on Nov. 7

From the Philippine Star (Nov 6): ARMM folks to observe Sheik Makdum Day on Nov. 7
Residents of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will observe November 7 as a special non-working “Sheik Makdum Day” in commemoration of the arrival in 1380 via the Southern backdoor of the first ever Arab missionary to spread Islam. Sheik Karimul Makdum, also named Makdum Karim in some Islamic history books, first set foot in Bohe Indangan, or Tubig Indangan in Tausog, in what is now island town of Simunul in Tawi-Tawi, and built there what was to become the country’s first ever mosque just as he started preaching to the area’s Samah seafaring inhabitants. The term “sheik” is an Arabic honorific title that can either mean a religious official, a community chieftain or a respectable village representative.  Samah and Tausog contemporary historians in Tawi-Tawi said Makdum, as a missionary, established  Muslim communities in Simunul and surrounding islands based on the Islamic concept of oneness of faith and governance and equality of all men, regardless of race and religion. Makdum was also said to have introduced the Islamic concept of addressing peace and security issues through dialogues and consensus-building. The ARMM’s acting governor, Mujiv Hataman, has declared November 7 a non-working holiday in the autonomous region....

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=200&articleId=867415

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.