Awakened by the bloody siege of Marawi City by extremist militants, peace advocates in public and private sectors have called for the conduct of inclusive and comprehensive anti-extremism summits across the country, starting with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where such issue pervades.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu echoed lately persistent propositions by civilian, police and military sectors for summits against terrorism-bound religious extremism, likening the Islamic militancy issue to a “wild fire” that could bring about graver adversities in the Filipino society “if not addressed squarely.”
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu (left) and ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman
(MANILA BULLETIN)
In a casual talk with journalists at the sidelight of the three-day workshop on enhanced interventions for children with physical, mental and behavioral disorders at Buluan, Maguindanao recently, the governor shifted the conversation to his advocacy for “cohesive summits” on religious extremism.
The ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman had sponsored two major related summits before and after the siege of Marawi City on May 23 by Islamic State-inspired militants led by jihadist brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute in cahoots with Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.
But police and military authorities said the ARMM-led summits came up only with condemnations by the participating Muslim religious leaders and imams against the “barbaric” activities of the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute groups.
In corroboration, Mangudadatu said anti-extremism summits should be able to draw the attendance of all sectors of the society, including academic, religious, traditional, youth, professional, media, police, military organizations, and “come up with a list of short- and long-term solutions to extremism and terrorism.”
Mangudadatu said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) should also be involved in the summits to recommend their own perceived solutions to the issue.
MILF field forces in coordination with the police and Army’s 6th Infantry Division have launched combat operations in mid-August, fighting in sporadic battles guerillas of a faction in the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) affiliated with the Islamic State. More than 30 people have been killed and scores maimed on both sides.
Academician Omar Khalid, a sociology professor of the Mindanao State University main campus in Marawi City, once pointed out in the social media Facebook that military solution alone cannot solve religious extremism.
Bullets cannot kill a set of ideas, either wrong or right, such as those espoused violently in Marawi City, Khalid said, pointing out that the “proper venue to address the issue is inside classrooms and other related forums.
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/09/peace-advocates-urge-conduct-of-inclusive-anti-extremism-summits/
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