Barrack Admirer and Muslim who Made Faith Fashionable Passes Away

This bearded cosmopolitan Muslim leader is at home in Rome and has had several encounters with the Pope.

He counts among his friends - US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, Loren Legarda and Robin Padilla, rubbing shoulders with Manila's elite bigwigs and yet feels at home with the urban center's poorest communities.

Only Taha Basman of Lanao del Sur holds this unique stature. Like Barrack, he dreamt of a society where all, regardless of race and creed , were treated equally.

Wasn't it just a few years back when the US Government refused him entry in the US because of his beard? Proving the government wrong, Taha remained undaunted and wrote heavily and spoke on religious tolerance . Recognized for his work, he became a constant US visitor after he became a US-funded scholar later.

Philanthropist, interfaith advocate, publisher, school administrator, UNESCO Commissioner, Taha Basman, in his late 50s, is a tough act to follow. He lived peace to the end of his life. Just this 4 pm, he succumbed to a disease in his home in Maharlika Village, Taguig, just a week after convening the biggest gathering of Muslim leaders in January this year, the Philippine Muslim Conference in Dusit Hotel, Makati City.

Basman made home in Manila, among Christians, even married one civic-minded lady like him. Together, Taha and Anne, had a lovely brood of nine children, all bemedalled in school, and proud of their North and South identity.

Basman founded the Philippine Islamic Council and the Mindanao Research Institute. He also founded an Islamic integrated pre-school that and vocational school in Muslim-dominated Maharlika Village that has produced thousands of jobs for unemployed residents here.

He is an active co-convener of the Ortigas-based Peacemaker's Circle along with popular interfaith advocates of the country. His wake will be at his home in Maharlika Village in Taguig.(Samira Gutoc)