My Pinay Friend Is Going To Saudi

[the_whipster]

in February I was in Manila for a few days and hung out with this 25 year old Filipina. We slept in the same bed, did videoke, ate and went to the movies and so on together for four days.

 

I liked her. Good company. Good attitude. Fun and no trouble whatsoever. She didn't ask for anything at all, although I did pay her taxi fares from and back to Quezon city from Paranaque.

 

I've been texting and messaging on FB with her since. I knew she was from Zamboanga originally and even had a kid back there.

 

turns out she is about to leave for Riyadh to serve a two year OFW sentence.

 

interestingly, it also turns out she comes from a mixed Muslim-Christian family. Her mother is Muslim. Now as far as I understand it that does not make her a full on Muslim, as Islam comes down in the male line (unlike Judaism, which is the female line). And she says she was baptised Christian. However when she is back in Zambo she does go to mosque sometimes.

 

I have comes across mixed Muslim-Christian families before, in especially Lebanon. And they are not unknown in the United States either in Arab American families.

 

her mother is Muslim. So she had one or two Islamic influences growing up, obviously just as a half Thai would probably have Buddhist influences growing, even if they were baptised Christian. But she can't go to Mecca for hajj, right? She would have to formally convert, to do that?

[Old55]

Those are questions you should ask her. From what you shared it seems she is Catholic?

[BrettGC]

But she can't go to Mecca for hajj, right? She would have to formally convert, to do that?

 

Non-Muslim's are prohibited from entering Mecca at any time.  She would have to convert fully to Islam and even then, being female, she she couldn't travel unaccompanied by a male family member be it husband or relative.  

 

 

UPON WHOM IS Hajj FARZ (CONDITIONS)

Hajj is FARZ once in a lifetime upon every adult, male and female. The conditions that make Hajj FARZ are as follows.

1. To be a Muslim;

2. To be mentally fit (not insane);

3. To be physically fit, (not invalid or handicapped);

4. Buloogh, (to be physically matured);

5. To be a free person, (not to be a slave);

6. To have sufficient provision for one's dependants, e.g. children, for the duration of one's absence as well as to possess all requirements for travel and be financially independent. If one has the means to travel and staying at Makkah Mukarramah, Muzdalifah, Meena and Arafat.

* Hajj becomes FARZ even though one does NO have the means of going to Madinah Munawwara.

7. Security of route;

8. A woman must be accompanied by her husband or a Mahram. (A Mahram is a male member of the family whom she is NOT allowed to marry according to Islaamic Law.)

If any of the above conditions are not found, Hajj will not be FARZ.

Once the above conditions are found, Hajj becomes Farz. It becomes Waajib upon such a person to perform Hajj during the first available Hajj period. Delaying the Hajj will be a sinful act.

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MASAA'IL REGARDING THE MAHRAM

1. If the Mahram is a minor or one who is so irreligious that he cannot be trusted by even his mother and sister, then it is not proper to travel with such a person.

2. When a trustworthy Mahram is found, it is not permissible for the husband to refuse permission for her to travel. If he does, she should still proceed for Hajj.

3. A girl almost attaining maturity should also be accompanied by a Mahram.

4. A woman going for Hajj (with a Mahram) should bear all the cost of the Mahram.

5. If no Mahram is found by a woman all her life, it will not be regarded a sin if she does not perform Hajj. However, such a woman MUST mention in her will that someone be sent for Hajj on her behalf after her death. This will be binding on her inheritors provided it be possible to fulfill the Hajj expenses from one-third of her estate.

Edited May 7, 2014 by BrettGC

[the_whipster]

I've just been getting a bit more detail, here is one of her answers.

 

When i was a bby my m0m and dad is n0t already married..thats my gradm0ther she care me and baptis to cath0lic but the traditi0n im gr0w up with my m0ther and speak islam words

 

as often it is not that clear precisely what that is supposed to mean.

 

she apparently thinks she can speak Arabic, but my guess is that she very probably can't. Any more than a Filipino can speak Latin just because that can be the language of Catholic liturgy there.

 

it only came up because I jokingly suggested she stash a bag of chicharon in her check in bag, because it was the last she would see of any for quite a while. She said 'is not allowed', and she wouldn't do it. I don't know if she eats pork or not. She was drinking beer in the evenings, but only moderately.

[BrettGC]

She was drinking beer in the evenings, but only moderately.

 

My guess mate is that the drinking moderately is more a Filipina thing than Islamic for her, as much as I hate to stereotype, it's been my experience with most of my Filipina family and friends.  I know many Muslims that drink moderately; some of my ex-gf's family (by marriage) in Butuan, a lot of Indonesian friends and even some of my students from the Gulf states.

 

I wouldn't underestimate her linguistic ability either under normal circumstances.  Most in PI speak Tagalog, English and their local Language all to varying degrees (I say language, as some of the local "dialects" bare no similarity to Tagalog whatsoever).  However, you're right, Latin is a bit of a stretch given the rarity of the Liturgy to be given in Latin these days.  Is her priest Opus Dei?

Edited May 7, 2014 by BrettGC

[the_whipster]

I don't think she is a 'real' Muslim but even if she is it would not be the first time I have subsequently discovered somebody was probably a Muslim. As I am not Filipino 'what is your religion?' is not of the first questions I ask somebody within a few minutes of meeting them. As you know they do not necessarily advertise it. You cannot tell just by looking at them. You might see two sisters or cousins walking arm and arm down the street in somewhere like Iligan, only one of them is wearing hijab but both of them are Muslims.

[the_whipster]

 

 

I wouldn't underestimate her linguistic ability either under normal circumstances. 

I wouldn't either. Filipinos are good linguists, just about all of them can speak at least three languages/dialects and many can speak several more than that. This means that they are better able than most people, to pick up and learn new languages. I don't think she can speak Arabic now. But I think there is a very good chance that she will by the time she ever leaves.

[the_whipster]

here's some more :

 

Q : do you eat pork?

 

A : Yes if my m0m cann0t see!

 

lol

[BrettGC]

here's some more :

 

Q : do you eat pork?

 

A : Yes if my m0m cann0t see!

 

lol

 

LOL I've often wondered about that with Islamic Pinoys, given that pork is so pervasive there.  Hell, we even own 20 sows now!  Shell fish are off the menu too, and the beef in PI, in my experience, is crap.  Must be a lot of chicken, goat and fish on the table.

[the_whipster]

yes goat is very much on the menu in parts of Mindanao, in part for sure as a subsitute for pork. In fact I was a regular customer at a Kanding Restaurant in CDO. They sold no other meat, apart from Goat. It was like a Goat Propaganda Unit. The walls were plastered with all these signs saying how healthy and nutritious goat meat was compared to everything else. You could even arrange to buy live animals there. Like going into a Jollibee and coming out with a cow.