True. Very True.

The Oscar best picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire" is the story of a Muslim boy, who makes the unlikely protagonist in a story of rags to riches and the power of love. Despite the Mumbai attack in 2008 last year, the movie humanizes the Muslims of Mumbai even if they are discriminated against by the Hindu majority as the Muslim protaganist in the movie, Jamal, is orphaned in an anti-Muslim riot and the Muslims in the movie come from the lowest rung of Mumbai society and are portrayed as living in a gangland environment probably because they never got a fair shake as a discriminated minority in India (sounds familiar?).

In the Philippines, the Muslims are hardly portrayed as successful individuals either in movies or in popular culture or in sports. So what does that say about Christian Filipinos ingrained prejudices against Muslims, i.e. the Moros? For example, no Muslim can now ever win in Senatorial elections with a national constituency but lets hope Adel Tamano can win in 2010 (but in order to win he has to de-emphasize his being a Muslim so even if he wins he loses).

-received in an email today from Sec. Ishak Mastura