Muslim scholars tapped to fight extremism

DAVAO CITY: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has tapped Muslim scholars to help in the Philippine’s counter- terrorism efforts by keeping young Muslims away from extremist ideologies.

About a hundred prominent Muslim scholars from across the country, mostly educated in the Middle East and Africa, gathered to throw their support behind the call of the custodian of two mosques in Saudi Arabia to end extremist ideologies wrongly attributed to the Islamic faith.

“Terrorism is a criminal phe- nomenon and it has nothing to do with religions and the Muslims,” the scholars said in a joint of the Religious Attaché of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Manila.

They believe that “terrorism is the result of political and sectarian values and moral responsibility and a result of misinterpretations of true teachings of Islam distorting the image of the religion leading to some leaning to retaliate with extreme force.”

The scholars are composed of businessmen and clerics that are operating Madrasas (Islamic schools), mosques and religious organizations in the country.

Among them are prominent members of the Agama Islam Society, the Markazus Shabab al-Muslim Fil-Filibbin, the Mercy Foundation, the Al-Maarif in Baguio and the Regional Darul Ifta of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao together with other religious groups and individuals.

The group pledged to start confronting their members and fol- Scholars A2