COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Government is engaging imams (Muslim religious leaders) and asatidz (Islamic teachers) as its partners in preventing violent extremism in the region.
On Saturday, Dec. 24, some 450 imams, asatidz, and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) were convened in Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat for a capacity development program which involved discussions on the programs on peace, security, and public safety, and the Muslim perspective in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).
The program was organized by the Bangsamoro Task Force on Ending Local Armed Conflict (BTF-ELAC) which is the regional government’s initiative in addressing armed conflict in the region – a counterpart to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
According to Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, the program’s framework is “community resiliency” which aims to involve community leaders in helping counter violent extremism. For instance, the Islamic teachers can include in their lectures the solutions in preventing such violence.
“Nya nin mana na sekitanu a native sa dalpa na sekitanu mismo i manguna sa kakontra sa nyaba a gabproblema sa dunya, dikena bu siya sa Pilipinas inya a problema, violent extremism anya,” Sinarimbo said in vernacular.
[This means that, we, as natives of our communities, will lead in countering this global problem. Violent extremism is a problem not only in the Philippines.]
For Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua, violent extremism is never the answer in resolving conflict.
“Amayka niya resolution na conflict ay through dialogue, umengka embityalan na embityalan. Dikena nya bu solution sa problema I kambunwa ataw a kapangimatay,” Macacua said.
[If conflict can be resolved through a dialogue, discuss if you must. Warfare or killing people is not the only solution to a problem.]
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim emphasized in his speech that because of the dialogues and peace agreements between the MILF and the national government, BARMM was established, which ended the long history of armed conflicts.
Ebrahim also stressed that the struggle or jihad to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people will continue.
“Nya tanu den sa stage a pedtatabangay tanu sa national government. Dikena inya nya nin mana na tinelenan tanu den su jihad. Kagina jihad anya na taman sa kapatay na di mawa,” said Ebrahim.
[We are already in the stage of working together with the national government. But this does not end our jihad. Our jihad will continue until the end of our lives.]
Also part of Saturday’s activity was the distribution of financial assistance to the participants. Each of them received Php9,000, which was funded by the national government, according to Minister Sinarimbo. (Johanie Mae Kusain/BIO)
