Philippine Muslims live in impoverished conditions

The dome of the Golden Mosque rises above the teeming neighborhood of Quiapo in Manila, where many Philippine Muslims live in poverty. No one has claimed responsibility for a recent spate of bombings, but accusations have predictably been leveled at extremist factions within the Muslim community, which is a minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

The dome of the Golden Mosque rises above the teeming neighborhood of Quiapo in Manila, where many Philippine Muslims live in poverty. No one has claimed responsibility for a recent spate of bombings, but accusations have predictably been leveled at extremist factions within the Muslim community, which is a minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Share
Muslim schoolgirls

Muslim schoolgirls are dismissed from classes at a madrasa near the Golden Mosque in Manila. Some Philippine government officials pin the blame for a recent spate of bombings across the country on the Asian nation’s Muslim extremists.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Security guards check a car

Security guards check a car going into the Sofitel Hotel in Manila. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo beefed up an anti-terrorist command center and troops have been placed on high alert following a series of bombings in the archipelago.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Armed security guards

Armed security guards stand watch outside a shopping center in Manila. No one has claimed responsibility for the recent bombings.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A Muslim woman sells smoked tuna

A Muslim woman sells smoked tuna and fresh produce from a market stall near the Golden Mosque in Manila. “Every time a bomb goes off, they blame the Muslims,” said Bobby Limbona, outside the mosque.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A girl naps in a food stall

A girl naps at a food stall near the Golden Mosque. A wave of violence that killed 12 recently in the Philippines has people fearful and speculating about which militant religious or political group may have been responsible.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A young boy

A young boy looks on as men listen to a recital of passages from the Koran following afternoon prayers at the Golden Mosque in Manila. Members of the country’s Muslim community say that government accusations that they are behind a recent spate of bombings are unsubstantiated.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A girl sits at the window

A girl at the window of a tenement building in Quiapo, the site of a large Muslim community in the teeming metropolis of Manila.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)