IT is high time to end the ignorance that is a major cause behind the discrimination against Muslims and other groups in the Philippines.

Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla stressed this on Thursday at the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs hearing, where a bill seeking to establish a “National Hijab Day” was taken up.

“Kapag may discrimination, ibig sabihin noon may kamangmangan… Maraming tao akala nila they are knowledgeable, but they are fools,” Padilla said after hearing some resource persons’ testimonies of the discrimination they experienced.

For his part, Sen. Francis Tolentino, during the hearing, stated his “strong support” for the bills establishing a National Hijab Day in the Philippines.

Padilla, who filed Senate Bill No. 1272, seeks to declare the first day of February of every year as “National Hijab Day” to ensure understanding and to fight discrimination through “awareness, education, and empowerment.”

A hijab is a veil worn by Muslim women that cover the head and chest. This is worn in the presence of adult males outside of the women’s immediate family. This piece of clothing is said to be an expression of the Islamic faith and has been a source of discrimination and prejudice against Muslim women.

“Talagang tunay ang discrimination,” added the lawmaker, who himself has experienced being a victim of discrimination not just because of his Muslim faith but also because of being an “ex-convict”.

At the hearing, Padilla narrated he witnessed discrimination against Muslim women because they wore a hijab – when they were about to board a ship heading for Bohol.

Padilla narrated that the security guard on duty was “rude” to his companion, who was wearing a hijab, but very courteous to those not wearing a hijab.

“Some people may act that way because of what they watch on TV or the movies – or even in news shows that may be biased. That is why the National Hijab Day is important – so that non-Muslims will understand why Muslim women wear hijab,” noted Padilla.

Also at the hearing, women’s rights advocate Samira Gutoc narrated being “shamed” in a part of Manila because she was wearing a hijab. She added some nurses in Zamboanga treat those wearing hijab differently.

For her part, Atty. Maisara Latiph said she experienced discrimination along Recto in Manila some 30 years ago when she was still 17 years old. She also noted some schools had regulations that required them to remove their hijab.

Latiph also said even drivers of public transportation refused to let them ride because they were wearing a hijab. “Ito nararanasan namin araw-araw,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ceazar Maranda, director of the Bureau of Muslim Cultural Affairs of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, said he witnessed such discrimination in a mall along EDSA when he went there with his mother and wife.

He said that when his mother and wife entered the mall, the guard commented, “Mga Abu Sayyaf nakapasok dito.”

Maranda said he called the attention of a manager to point out the incident.

Also, Maranda said a major drugstore chain has refused to hire Muslims even as interns.

Latiph said it is high time to pass the bill for National Hijab Day. “It is high time we pass this legislation that sends a message of unity and solidarity for people of different faiths in this country… Ito ay 30 years in the making,” she said.

In the international sphere, “World Hijab Day” was launched in 2013 with the aim “to raise awareness and normalize the wearing of [the] hijab.”

In Cotabato City, the Bangsamoro Women Commission led the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) celebration of the World Hijab Day themed “Hijab is our Crown, Not a Crime”.

Tolentino again lauded the initiative to recognize and celebrate with the Muslim community, saying, “The official dedication and united celebration of the Islamic faith is a symbol of the Philippines’ continued commitment towards a united nation.”