ZAMBOANGA CITY, Aug. 8 – Ulamas or Muslim clerics based in the province of Lanao del Sur, where Marawi City is situated,, are mobilizing to convene a national Ulama conference to issue a fatwa or Islamic ruling against terrorism.
Uamilodin Sharif, deputy mufti of the provincial Darul Ifta of Lanao, on Tuesday said the main objective of the conference is for the Ulama across the country to have a fatwa against terrorism amid the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City.
“Terrorism is one of the major problems the country is facing. Yes, it is true that there are already two existing fatwas issued by the regional Darul Ifta of Armm and from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Our purpose here is to bring to the national level or the scope of the Fatwa. That’s why we are convening a national conference on this,” he said.
“We want to widen the scope of the fatwa to cover all areas in the country so that all Muslims should be aware of our fight against terrorism. Radicalism does not reflect to the true teachings of Islam. That’s our objective,” he added.
As early as 2015, the Darul Ifta of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has declared that “terrorism and mischief cannot be accepted as synonyms for Jihad or one of struggle’s methods because our religion commands us to be compassionate to all beings in the land.”
“The basic purpose of Islam is to preserve the religion, the self, the mind, the property and the dignity of all persons,” the fatwa reads.
A same fatwa was issued by the Ulamas during a summit held in Cotabato City in May, where they declared that “it is haram (forbidden and unlawful) to use Islam to justify or legitimize violent extremism and terrorism.”
The Ulamas also challenged themselves “to re-educate (their) constituents to rediscover Islamic faith for justice, compassion, harmony and peace.” “It is imperative upon us all to cooperate and collaborate with the stakeholders in preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism in its many forms and manifestations,” the declaration said.
In a parallel move, the MILF’s Bangsamoro Dar Al-Ifta had issued a Shariah ruling (Fatwa) “on the need to fight violent extremism on the land and promotion of division among the Muslims, as compliance with the injunction of the Quran and the Prophetic Tradition.”
The Ulamas earlier condemned the brazen attack of the Islamic State-inspired Maute and Abu Sayyaf in Marawi City. The fighting, which started days before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on May 23, has been ongoing for more than two months with no end in sight.
Sharif said they have met in Iligan City with the top officials of the military and the local government of the province of Lanao del Sur for a dialogue and to look for other possible ways that they can contribute to reduce the incidents of violence.
“We will also inform all concern agencies in the government, including the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, of our objective,” he said.
For his part, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said he “support the intention of the Ulama in pushing for the conduct of a National Ulama Council because we believe that it will save our communities from the devastation that violent extremism may bring.”
“Awareness is very important in countering violent extremism, so therefore, we need to have all the necessary tools and medium to spread the word in condemning violent extremism at all cost,” Galvez added.
Sharif said part of their contribution is to provide the need counseling to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who were displaced by the armed conflict.
“Currently, we are giving guidance to our fellow Muslims so they can understand the true teaching of Islam. Special effort is needed, particularly to the youth because they are the ones who are being recruited by these terrorist groups,” he said.
“We go the evacuation sites--we have schedules-- to provide counseling to the IDPs (internally displaced individuals). This is on top of our weekly sermons during Friday prayer in the mosques,” he said.
He said they convinced them to be patient and to stay at the evacuation sites or with their relatives for the meantime.
The Ulama, he said, plays a critical role in the healing process.
“The Ulama are like psychologists too. We are using this to help in the healing process, especially for the IDPs to overcome the trauma,” he said, noting, “Some of the Ulama are also evacuees. They are scattered in different evacuation sites.”
“Although, our activities and interventions are limited since the livelihood of our Ulama is also affected by the crisis, we still continue to carry on with our obligation,” he vowed. “We are convening a meeting to prepare for the national conference to ensure that all Muslim clerics are well aware,” he added. (Darwin Wally T. Wee/PNA)
