This year’s Samahang Pisika ng Visayas at Mindanao (SPVM) was held at Andres Bonifacio College in Dipolog City. The annual event, now on its 13th, was a three-days activity that educate, update and allow interactions between physicists from all over the Philippines. This conference was held from October 20-22, 2011.
Among the participants (more than 1600), there were three female Muslims. Their outfits were so distinct from the crowd. Just like any other “practicing Islam” women, they were beautifully covered from head to toe. They are the following.
1. Shalima Arriola, a Physicist from Basilan. She got her BS Physics degree from Western Mindanao State University, Zamboanga City and she is now working at Basilan State College, in Isabella City, Basilan.
2. Fareedah Matanog. A high school Physics teacher. She finished her BS Metallurgical Engineering in 1996 at Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). She is presently working at Datu Calaca High School, in Marantao, Lanao Del Sur.
3. Ameera Jose. She is a BS Physics student at Western Mindanao State University, Zamboanga City. She is one of the authors of the scientific paper entitled “Aviation’s worst nightmare: microburst” published nationally by October 2011.
History has it that, precisely in 8th to the end of the 13th century, Islam had patronized and fostered the Greek scientific heritage in the field of medicine, astronomy,mathematics, physics, chemistry and philosophy. Islam continued to add new scientific achievements which bear witness that Muslim were deeply and seriously interested in scientific research. It was on the cream of the Islamic scientific achievement of Andalusia that the European Renaissance and its modern scientific inventions were based.
These three brave women are among the very few Muslims in the field of Physics here in Philippines, who serve as catalysts to motivate us and the future generation to lead the "revival" of scholastic attitude and scientific advancement in this modern age among muslims.
To these sisters, More power to all of you!
