Sulu Sultan reaches out to INC after CBCP meet

From the Manila Standard Today (Apr 8): Sulu Sultan reaches out to INC after CBCP meet

The Sulu sultanate on Sunday said it plans to reach out to more Christian groups to find a peaceful solution to the Sabah conflict after its meeting with Catholic bishops last week.

Abraham Idjirani, the sultanate’s spokesman, said Sultan Jamalul Kiram III hoped to foster “solidarity among Muslims and Christians” in a series of meetings with groups such as the Iglesia ni Cristo and Ang Dating Daan.

The crisis, in which more than 60 followers of the sultan have been reported killed, was triggered by the sultanate’s decision to send an armed contingent of 235 into Sabah last February to reassert its claim over the territory that Malaysia has claimed as its own.

While Malaysian security forces battled the sultan’s followers and cracked down on Filipinos suspected of supporting them in Sabah, the sultan met with officials of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to gain Catholic support in his bid to reclaim Sabah.

On Sunday, Idjirani reiterated that the entire Filipino nation would benefit from the success of efforts to take back Sabah, a resource-rich territory that historically belonged to the Sulu sultanate.
Groups such as the Iglesia ni Cristo and Ang Dating Daan also have a number of members in the disputed territory, Idjirani said.

“We cannot neglect the contribution of Christians in peace development,” he added, noting that up to 30 percent of the population in Sabah are Christians.

Idjirani also brushed aside concerns that seeking the help of Christians might spur a religious war.
“That will never happen because Sultan Kiram and even the people know the implications of a religious war, so they will not resort on that,” he said.

The sultan’s brother, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, continues to leave the remnants of the original force, which was recently reinforced by 100 fighters from Sulu, Idjirani said.

The Sulu sultanate claims Sabah as part of its territory, insisting that the land was only leased to Malaysia.

The sultan, his daughter Princess Jacel, and his adviser, Pastor Saycon furnished the Catholic bishops led by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma last week with historical documents aimed at bolstering the sultanate’s claim on Sabah.

Idjirani said they were well received by the bishops, who promised to study the matter seriously.
The meeting was brokered by Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, he added.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/04/08/sulu-sultan-reaches-out-to-inc-after-cbcp-meet/