Extreme jihadists out to derail peace negotiations

From the Manila Times (Jun 29): Extreme jihadists out to derail peace negotiations

Muslim jihadists here continued preaching their “ex–treme ideology” amid peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and this month’s ob–servance of the Holy Ramadan, sources said.

Muslims worldwide will start performing sawm or fasting Sunday as part of the their obligations, while waiting for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the government and the MILF on March 27 in Malacañang to end the decade-long misunderstanding in Muslim Mindanao.

Even the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)—a group that led the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the “failed experiment” that will be replaced by new Bangsamoro government next year—is reportedly giving their support for the peace process and the linking of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the CAB.

According to reports, the merging of FAB and CAB is being facilitated by the 57-member Organization of Islamic Con–ference (OIC) that hosted a special meeting between the MNLF and MILF in Saudi Arabia earlier this month that culminated in a “memorandum of understanding” between the two fronts.

However, the sources, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said more “ji–hadist preachers” here were calling for the establishment of a Khilafah Islamiya [Islamic Caliphate] state in the country.

The sources identified the group leaders as Magdaga Binatac and Jamal Alim Amboloto, both calling themselves as “Abu Jamal,” who started preaching on local cable television since 2011.

The concerned residents provided a copy of the group’s recorded sermon videos and other documents related to their advocacies.

The videos show that the group was lecturing on RPMD TV 10, a local cable station owned by the former Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Faisah Dumarpa and her husband Atty. Salic Dumarpa, a member of the Sautol Haqq or Voice of Peace.

Earlier this year, the group for unknown reasons moved to two-way radio (icom) frequency here after their three-year stay in the TV station, the sources told The Manila Times.

In the videos, the two preachers along with other speakers invited Muslim residents here to heed their call for a jihad [Holy War] instead.

The group claimed that the “primary obligation” of a Muslim was to consider the kufar [infidels] and tagut [tyrants] as their mortal enemies and that every Muslim should implant in their hearts and minds a determination to “fight them and be angry” with them.

They also believed that Muslims should “go first to jihad” before “performing the five pillars of Islam” including fasting in Ramadan to establish a full-blown Sharia’ Law as practiced in the early history of Islam by the Khulafa ul-Rashidoon [the rightly guided Caliphs] and oppose the current peace process.

In a document furnished by the sources, the extremists justify the acts of grabbing non-Muslims’ wealth, kidnapping and killing of infidels and tagut as halal or permissible in Islam, through jihad where Dar Al Harb or a place of war exists.

The sources said Magdaga has also been running a madrasah [Arabic school] called Darul Abrar here since 2011.

http://www.manilatimes.net/extreme-jihadists-out-to-derail-peace-negotiations/107592/