Two women in war and peace
Perspective
Rowena V. Guanzon
13 March 2008
Visayan Daily Star
Two women in war and peace (part 1)
This Women’s Month I had the honor to get to know two extraordinary women who have survived the worst trials and made a difference in this world by helping other women. In the International Labor Organization Forum for International Women’s Day on March 7, 2007, where I spoke about the challenges of women’s human rights lawyers, I heard Hadja Bainon Karon and Cecile Oebanda Flores speak. After that experience, I thought to myself that I have no reason to complain for all the minor difficulties I encounter as a women’s human rights lawyer. Life is so short, and these two women spent many of their younger years fighting for survival and their political beliefs. They have lived in times of war and now lead organizations that help other women survive and improve their lives.
Hadja Bainon Karon is about four feet eleven inches tall, weighs about 90 to 95 pounds, with a scarf covering her head. She could be just any Muslim woman you will meet in the streets, except that she is not. She is exceptional. She heads the Women’s Committee of the MNLF or the Moro National Liberation Front. As a young woman, she deplored the killings of fellow Muslims by the military in Mindanao, heard about the rape of Muslim women, and decided to join the MNLF fighters in the forests. With other Moslem women, she trained in handling firearms to protect themselves and raised a family in the jungles of Mindanao.
Hadja Bainon Karon spoke softly as she narrated, trembling, that she married one of the high ranking officers of the MNLF and had children, and that she lost her husband and five brothers in their battles against the military.
Hadja Bainon Karon is now a peace activist, and helps train and empower Bangsamoro women for peace by creating jogs and generating income. A multi-awarded woman leader, she was formerly the Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. Hadja Bainon Karon said “it is easier to work for war than work for peace.” In war they knew exactly what to do, but in times of peace, she said that they did not know where to begin. Her story is not only hers but of thousands of Muslim women who suffer discrimination, violence, poverty and lack of education. As we walked towards the elevator after the forum, she said that she removes her scarf when she walks the streets in Manila, afraid of discrimination or senseless violence. She is worried about the anti –terror ism law and how it can be wrongly used against Muslims suspected of being terrorists.
Hadja Bainon Karon is right. It is easier to work for war than work for peace. But she has dedicated her life to make sure more Muslim women are educated and can have gainful livelihood. And she is not about to retire soon.
