Muslim clerics call for summit vs religious extremism

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines —  Islamic theologians, many of them displaced residents of Marawi City, are urging Malacañang to organize a national congress of clerics against violent religious extremists.  

The proposal was channeled through Lt. General Carlito Galvez, Jr. of the Western Mindanao Command during a dialogue in Iligan City Monday.

The Maranao Islamic missionaries present in the dialogue also promised to issue a fatwah (edict) against the Maute terror group that has laid siege to Marawi City since May 23, sparking hostilities that have since dragged on.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in previous speeches, criticized the Maranaos — the predominant people of the Lanao provinces — of allowing the Islamic State-inspired local terror group to gather in Marawi. This has been disputed by Samira Gutoc, a peace advocate from Marawi and a former member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.

"We don’t know this Maute’s campaign. They’re not in mainstream. They’re not in public platforms. They’re definitely strangers," she said in June.

READ: 'Maranaos don't support terrorists'

The president, who claims to have Maranao blood, has also apologized to the Maranao people for declaring martial law in Mindanao. He promised the government will rebuild Marawi City to its former glory as provincial capital.

“We support the proposal of having a national summit of Islamic missionaries against violent religious extremism. We can defeat extremism if we unite as one peace-loving community,” Galvez told The STAR Tuesday.

Wesmincom has administrative control over military units operating against terrorists in Marawi City.

The general said he is thankful to the Lanao del Sur Provincial Crisis Management Committee for organizing Monday’s dialogue.

The gathering was meant to generate support from the Maranao religious community in fostering tranquility in Marawi City.

Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Maute's activities are 'haram'

The ARMM Darul Iftah, also known as the House of Opinions, ruled two months ago as “haram,” which means forbidden in Arabic, the activities of the Maute terror group, also known as the Dawlah Islamiya.

The declaration also included other militant jihadist blocs in the south that are operating in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The regional Darul Iftah, led by Sheik Abu Huraira Udasan, is comprised of preachers from across the ARMM’s five provinces, among them graduates of the Al-Azzhar University in Cairo, Egypt and other Islamic learning institutions in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

The religious organization functions as a religious advisory body for all sectors in the autonomous region, which also covers Maguindanao and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Government needs help of moderate clerics

Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong of the ARMM’s 24-seat Regional Assembly said on Tuesday that there is an urgent need for Malacañang to involve local moderate clerics in restoring normalcy to conflict-stricken Marawi city.

“We need to maximize our efforts in educating the public on what is wrong about violent religious extremism. We need the help of our local Islamic religious community,” said Adiong, spokesman of the inter-agency PCMC.

The moderate clerics in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur are themselves under threat from the Maute terror group.

The founders of the outlawed group, siblings Omar and Abdullah Maute, are hostile to moderate Islamic theologians opposing their extreme interpretation of teachings in the Qur’an.

“We can achieve major breakthroughs in our common campaign against violent religious extremism if the religious sector is with us,” Adiong said.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, chairman of the regional peace and order council, said he is also in favor of a national “ulama” congress against violent religious extremism.

The term ulama mean community of clerics, imams and preachers in Islamic schools.  

“That is very sensible. That will unite our religious leaders against misguided militants whose activities are dangerous for all sectors in the Bangsamoro homeland,” Hataman said.