Is there still a way to lasting peace in Mindanao?
Credit to Author: RICARDO SALUDO| Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 18:01:28 +0000
BEFORE anything else, one offers deepest condolences and fervent prayers for the more than 20 killed and scores injured in the Jolo Cathedral bombing last Sunday.
May God punish those responsible, not only for their irredeemably evil barbarity, but also for their distortion of religion to justify their atrocities.
Terrorism is never ever sacred or just. It is mindless, merciless mass murder, pure and simple, and anyone claiming that God decrees such wanton bloodletting is either woefully misguided or willfully misguiding themselves and others.
Turning to the headline topic, the public actions and statements following the January 27 two-bomb explosions seem more of what usually happens after such carnage. National leaders, foreign governments, and international bodies issued statements of outrage, sympathy, and resolve to defend peace and security.
Among early verbal responders were Saudi Arabia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which groups Muslim nations; Pope Francis, the UN and the EU; and Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to mount all-out war against the terrorist Abu Sayaff Group, the prime suspect in the two blasts at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral. The AFP has locked down Sulu, and launched air strikes against the ASG.
Immigration authorities have intensified vigilance against foreign terrorists trying to enter. And both the AFP and the Philippine National Police have tightened security in Metro Manila.
Keep Bangsamoro on track
Well and good. But perhaps the most crucial among all responses to the bombing, and one that would help prevent more attacks, is the resolve by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the security forces, and Mindanao leaders and voters to proceed with the second round of referendum voting for the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
There is yet no clear link between the BOL plebiscite and the Jolo attack. But if the blasts are in any way allowed to delay or derail the BOL, it could very well spur opponents of the law and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) which the BOL shall create, to stage more bombings.
Anti-BARMM elements include not just the ASG, but also the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which broke away from the main Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, when the MILF began negotiating for increased autonomy, setting aside its separatist goal.
Add to the ASG and BIFF the Syria-based Daesh cabal, which has inspired and funded Mindanao terrorism, including the 2017 assault on Marawi.
So, whatever else is done to counter terrorism, the government and the nation must make doubly sure that the BOL, now overwhelmingly passed by the January 21 referendum, is implemented for the establishment of the BARMM.
This will not only show Muslim autonomy opponents that violence will not stop peace efforts. It would also give Muslim Filipinos hope of a better life and greater self-determination — and reduce the lure of extremism.
In coming weeks and months, there should be resolute efforts by all authorities and sectors involved to establish the BARRM, addressing the inevitable problems and issues with the firm commitment to make the peace plan work.
And most of all, not to let any terrorist incidents — and there may be more, as the Tuesday Zamboanga mosque grenade blast shows — will stop Filipinos of all creeds and cultures from building peace and progress.
Ulama must denounce extremism
Along with the collective resolve to forge Mindanao peace, the region’s leaders, both secular and religious, must lead all Mindanaoans in standing up against extremism of all stripes.
Let’s be crystal clear: Terrorists thrive and multiply because there are respected figures and segments of society who actually give moral, if not material support to these monsters.
That is why the Abu Sayaff have survived despite the best efforts of our security forces. Ditto the BIFF and other Daesh-inspired extremists in Mindanao. There are Mindanao leaders who see some justification for the high-profile killing of innocent civilians. And as AFP intelligence found during the Marawi siege, local politicians and business people aided and abetted terrorists.
This coddling of killer extremists must stop if Mindanao is to finally achieve lasting peace, and the Bangsamoro autonomous region is to succeed as a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive entity in the Republic of the Philippines.
The starting point in any Mindanao campaign against extremism must be the Bishops-Ulama Conference. Bringing together 24 Christian prelates and 26 ulama and ustadz figures, the BUC held its 45th general assembly last November at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao University, with no less than the Pope’s representative, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, in attendance.
The BUC, especially its Muslim members, must firmly and promptly condemn all terrorist attacks and their perpetrators as against Christianity and Islam, and the will of God. The Ulama League of the Philippines, whose ustadz are part of the BUC, must also declare a fatwa on terrorism and terrorists, as has been contemplated for years.
Needless to say, of course, leaders of all faiths must be swift and sweeping in condemning any and all savage violence. Any delay or reluctance to issue such blanket denunciation might just give moral succor to mass-murdering extremists, and buttress their twisted belief that their brutality would somehow earn heavenly reward.
This religious condemnation becomes even more imperative if the Jolo attack was a suicide bombing by a husband-and-wife team, as President Duterte said, quoting AFP intelligence. Only those who believe that Paradise awaits after they blow up themselves and others, would sacrifice their lives. The BUC must disabuse extremists of such false and destructive ideas.
Along with bishops and ulama, political and sectoral leaders must also lend their collective voice in condemning terrorism and terrorists. The nation’s and the region’s political establishment and key sectors must also make plain and public the major initiatives designed to uplift Mindanao’s poor and disadvantaged.
After Jolo, Mindanao’s response must be clear: We will continue pursuing peace and resisting those who exploit pains and grievances to sow chaos and brutality.
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