It is a holiday here in the Philippines, and this is because Ramadhan has been included in Philippine legal non-working holidays. If my memory serves me right, this was initiated by the previous administration in an effort to make Muslims feel less isolated from the majority of Filipinos who are largely Catholic.

From then on, Ramadhan has been consistently made part of the legal holidays, and if you ask me, I think it has served its purpose well — because not only does this show that the government respects the religious practices of Muslims who constitute a large part of Mindanao’s population, but it can moreover afford our Muslim brothers the chance to commemorate this meaningful annual tradition.

However, in the US right now, a ruckus has ensued following the pronouncement of several local church leaders that they intend to burn copies of Quran on the first day of Ramadhan. This, according to these bizarrely esoteric people, is the best revenge after the 9/11 attacks that claimed thousands of American lives.

Even nincompoops can see that clearly, the premises established to justify this massive burning ceremony are suspended in an airy-fairy context that digresses significantly from the real merits of the issue at hand. First and most glaring is the fact that one needs to make a distinction between radical and moderate Muslims. Anyone can see that moderate Muslims just want to meditate during Ramadhan, free of harassment, and without the need to see the thick, black smoke, mixed with spite, from burnt Quran copies.

The least that these church leaders can do is to assume a much more transcendental role and stop the religious polarization that’s already existing as they speak. Of course, it does not help that this religious bigotry has to happen when a similar religious-based upheaval, the Downtown Mosque controversy in Manhattan, is dividing Manhattan residents. If you ask me though, there is no need for this differentiation, because again, radicalism as opposed to moderatism has to be established before any of these outcries become legitimate and justified. Sigh.

For a supposedly politically mature country, this sure is a surprise — but anyway, before this transforms into a bloody spitfest, allow me to just say that: In the spirit of religious diversity and universal solidarity, I join all our Muslim brothers as they prepare for and celebrate Ramadhan.