A viral claim on Facebook that the construction of the Manila Golden Mosque in the 1970s was fully funded by the Marcos regime is false.
The construction of the Manila Golden Mosque, also known as Masjid Al-Dahab, in Quiapo, the largest in Metro Manila, was funded through foreign donations, at least two publications wrote.
In the book entitled “The Islamic Voluntary Sector in Southeast Asia (Islam and the Economic Development of Southeast Asia)” published in 1991 by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Carmen Abubakar wrote that “in Metro Manila, where Muslim communities have established themselves in modern times, seven masjid can be identified. One of the biggest and most beautiful is the Blue Mosque at Maharlika Village, located in Taguig. Another is the Golden Mosque at Quiapo.”
“These two masjid were constructed through foreign donations, notably from Libya and Saudi Arabia,” wrote Abubakar, who was then an associate professor and acting dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=btrIBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq=saudi+arabia+and+libya+funded+Manila+Golden+Mosque&source=bl&ots=WFHMEccSvP&sig=ACfU3U22xA8WKqlDCZIeBUDeEC2xjH3cWg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj21qnvg6L2AhVWEHAKHfU1B70Q6AF6BAgxEAM#v=onepage&q=saudi%20arabia%20and%20libya%20funded%20Manila%20Golden%20Mosque&f=false
In the 31-page “Philippines Terrorism: The Role of Militant Islamic Converts” published by the International Crisis Group in December 2005, it also noted that the Manila Golden Mosque was constructed with funds from Saudi Arabia and Libya.
“Its Golden Mosque on the north bank of the Pasig River, built with Saudi and Libyan funds, now serves Manila’s best-known Muslim community,” it stated. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/14770/110%20Philippines%20Terrorism.pdf
Facebook page Muslim Christian Solid Alliance (Mucsa) claimed that Manila Golden Mosque was fully funded by Marcos, Sr., with its construction under the supervision of then First Lady Imelda Marcos.
“Our sincerest felicitations to the Marcoses for the great gift to the Muslim Ummah (community),” the post said.
According to an Inquirer report, Imelda commissioned its construction in 1976 in time for the planned visit of former Libyan President Muammar el-Qaddafi, who was to help facilitate talks between the government and a Muslim rebel group in Mindanao. The construction was completed even if the latter’s trip did not materialize. https://business.inquirer.net/236162/a-symbol-of-faith
The false claim of Mucsa, which describes itself as a page dedicated to the BBM Youth Movement, generated at least 4,600 reactions, 3,000 comments and 2,697 shares as of posting. BBM refers to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., who is among the contenders for the 2022 presidential elections.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
(This fact-check piece was produced with the support of Internews’ Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator Project.)
