Beauty Beyond Religion

Take a breath before you say her name: Sharifa Areef Mohammed Omar Akeel. To be safe, just call her Sharifa Akeel which was how her name was announced when she won the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International crown on Sept. 16 and, on Oct. 4, 2018 Miss Asia Pacific International. Her being a Muslim generated a minor controversy, especially when she had to wear a swimsuit in both pageants.

Sharifa, 21, was a popular choice not only because of her dusky good looks but also her intelligence. She won the judges’ nod in the Q&A.

Question at the Mutya quest: Pageants are now promoting beauty and diversity which is a great step towards intersectionality. What do you think about pageants that include more plus-size women and women from different religions?

Answer: I will set myself as an example of it. Because Mutya ng Pilipinas openly accepted me for who I am despite my religion, it only means that Mutya ng Pilipinas promotes diversity... beauty in diversity. And as a Mutya, I will continue the legacy of the past winners and then promote it to the whole world that we have our unique beauty despite our individual differences amid diversity. If there is one thing that I learned from this pageant, it is that a beauty queen is not only looking for physical perfection but what’s inside you, your thoughts and your grace, and the way you handle yourself, regardless of race and religion.

Final question for the finalists at the Miss Asia pageant was about diversity:

Answer: Cyberbullying is the main problem because of how unaccepting netizens can be of people’s differences. We have to accept the fact that each of us is born with strengths and weaknesses, and that we have our imperfections. Let us appreciate one’s uniqueness and relevance. Millennial values of compassion would help in promoting uniqueness and authenticity in society. You are a beautiful creation of God no matter who you are and wherever you are in the world. Beauty is indeed diverse and it is visible to all of us.

Any fears or worries when you joined, first, the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant, and then Miss Asia Pacific?

“Actually, my main worry was about my religion. I am a Muslim so I was afraid that they wouldn’t accept me. At kung i-accept man ako, that they wouldn’t let me win because of my being a Muslim.”

Was there any discrimination?

“That was what I was worried about... religious discrimination... especially when I learned that the (organizers) received death threats. Pero ang sa akin naman, pinanindigan ko na wala akong dapat ikatakot because the government of Sultan Kudarat Province was very supportive and so was my mom.”

What side of you is Filipino?

“My mom is Sarah Mangatong, a Filipina... a natural-born Maguindanawon, and my father is half-Qatari and half-Iranian.”

Your father must be happy that you won not just one but two pageants.

“I’ve never met my dad. Our communication was limited to calls, sa mga tawag lang. I guess that we were not destined to meet; hindi tinadhana na magkita kami. I got the news that he passed away in 2015.”

How sad!

“Yes, how sad! The communication just stopped. My mom didn’t agree with my dad’s wish to take me abroad. She said, ‘Okey but after she finished college.’ Life is short and my dad died without getting his wish.”

How did your parents meet?

“They met in Qatar where my mom was working. My mom got pregnant. But they couldn’t get married in Qatar so my dad decided to come to the Philippines with my mom. They got married in Muslim rites in Cotabato City. My dad stayed here for only seven days and he went back to Qatar and never came back.”

How many siblings do you have?

“I am an only child but I have six half-siblings. I am the eldest. My dad married another woman and they have four children. Then, he remarried again and had two children.”

Have you been to Qatar?

“Never!”

Do you have a stepdad?

“No, I don’t have. It’s just me, my mom and my grandmother.”

As far as I know, there have been other Muslims who have joined.

“Oh yes, mayroon din. I think I became controversial because I won. Ako ang nag-trending.” (Note: Other Muslim beauty-titlists: 1979 Bb. Maja Pilipinas Ava Quibranza, 1966 Miss Republic of the Philippines Vivian Lee Austria and 2013 Miss World Philippines 2ndPrincess/2018 Miss Philippines Earth-Air Zarah Bianca Saldua.)

And at the Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific International: Sharifa with Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International Aya Fernandez, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism Queen of the Year International Kesha Ramachandran, Mutya ng Pilipinas Global Beauty Queen Pauline Amelinckx, Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Communities Jade Roberts, fi rst runner-up Mary Justine Teng and second runner-up Kristine Malicsi.

You wore a swimsuit during the two pageants. Was it a violation of any Muslim custom?

“I think that was what other Muslims didn’t approve of, ‘yon ang ikinagagalit nila. I respected them, so every time I was interviewed, I would just say that I am a Maguindanawon because some (Muslims) were saying that I was not a Muslim kasi I was wearing a swimsuit.”

Do you have a boyfriend?

“Yes, I have.”

A Muslim?

“No, he’s Christian, a Medical Technologist.”

No cultural-religious conflict?

“None whatsoever.”

You are a teacher, aren’t you?

“Yes, but I still have to take the licensure exams for teachers next year.”

You have a very strong character. Saan mo namana ‘yan?

“From my grandmother. She has been my inspiration. Every time I came out onstage with a full smile, it was because I had my grandmother in mind. Pagkatapos ng pinagdaanan namin when I was a kid, I told myself, ‘Look, I am here, nandito na ako sa stage!’ Kaya lumabas ang pagka-natural ko.”

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

“I really wanted to be a nurse but due to poverty, I couldn’t afford the tuition fee. Pero it’s okay because I really love children so kinareer ko siya. I enjoy teaching especially illiterate children. It’s very challenging.”

How was your childhood?

“I came from a very poor family. We used to live in a bahay kubo, me and my Lola, in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, because my mom was abroad working. May tukod ang bahay namin. We planted vegetables for me to sell. I helped harvest corn and palay.”

Good thing you didn’t scar your legs.

(Blushing a bit) “Actually, I have a peklat (scar) on my leg. Maliit lang naman, so I’m not conscious about it. I got it while harvesting kabibe and kangkong. I also harvested nipa, and tied them up for sale. Gumagawa din ako ng traditional oil na binibenta ko rin. Even as a child, mahilig na ako mag-business. Small business lang naman so I could earn money to buy food and for my baon sa school.”

So you’re really a country girl.

“Oh yes.”

When did you first join a beauty contest?

“That was when I was at Notre Dame of Silliman College in Sultan Kudarat, in the coastal area of Lebak. I was crowned Mutya ng Notre Dame and Mutya ng Lebak and Mutya ng Sultan Kudarat in 2016. That was my first time to leave our town. That’s when I learned na ang dami palang hindi ko alam. My first time to be in Manila was when I joined Mutya.”

What will you do with your prizes? (P250,000 from Mutya and $10,000 for Miss Asia, among others.)

“I want to save it and then I plan to build a house for my mom and my grandmother. That’s our big dream.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)