Muslim Modesty: Cultural Reverberations of Local Predominant Conventions Towards the Meaning-Making of Modesty Among Young Adult Muslimahs in Marawi and Manila, Philippines

• Main Authors: Balo, Gian Sofia C., Mama, Rehan Allyzah D., Monteroso, Alyssa Isabelita B., Tsai, Aliana Eibrielle T., Veloso, Diana Therese M.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Islam; modesty; Muslim women; predominant conventions; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/sinaya/vol1/iss1/5; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/sinaya/article/1006/viewcontent/5_Balo_etal_Muslim_Modesty_1.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Islam is widely recognized for its prominence on the manifestation of modesty throughout existing religious customs, primarily grounded on holy scriptures urging Muslimahs, especially, to maintain self-effacement in public. However, the universal benchmark for Islamic modesty has been interpreted and reshaped by Muslim women worldwide, depending on cognitive and external constituents observed and practiced across different localities, upbringings, and ethnic groups. The study utilized a qualitative approach in ascertaining these determinants and examining their comprehensive bearing toward a Muslimah's meaning-making of modesty. The research focused on a comparison between Muslimahs living in Manila and Marawi due to their contrasting lifestyles, norms, and backgrounds, specifically the internal and external factors, their lived experiences, and their influence on the meaning-making of modesty. Findings show that the meaning-making processes between Manila and Marawi respondents considerably differ. The former relies more on external considerations such as the prevailing norms (social, religious, and ethnic) of the non-Islamic city. However, it is notable that perception and practice only narrowly accord with one another among Manila respondents. Marawi respondents have a far more extensive grasp on Hayaa, where they primarily establish their judgment and compliance according to internal influences (personal belief and knowledge) while still acknowledging the impact of a Muslim-centered environment towards their practice.