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Eid al-Fitr 2017: A time for serious introspection and a call for action…
My family and I extend our warmest greetings to all those celebrating Eid al-Fitr in the Philippines and around the globe.
For us Muslims, Eid is a time to gather and celebrate with friends, relatives and loved ones. It also marks a new beginning for each individual. Eid is an opportunity to reflect on the 30-days spent fasting and to recommit ourselves to the values of repentance, forgiveness, humility, gratitude, compassion, and generosity. Above all, Eid is a time to reflect on our role as Muslims in the political and social fabric of our community and ofour society in general. In particular, this special holiday should serve as a reminder to the Ummah (i.e., worldwide community of Muslims) of the importance of respecting the diversity and the inclusiveness of all faiths, creeds and beliefs.
While we were observing the holy month of Ramadan, we had seen terrorists claiming to be Islamic jihadist who committed senseless violence in places like London, Tehran, Baghdad, Kabul, Somalia, Cameroon, Melbourne, and just recently, at a Michiganairport.
Our country has not been spared either. Deviant Islamic extremist who pledged allegiance to ISIS – the Maute, Abu Sayyaf and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters groups;laid siege and caused destruction to a Muslim-majority city, Marawi, that claimed hundreds of innocent lives, which not only broke our heart but tested our soul as well. We have also seen video footages of the “demonic” destruction of a Catholic church, and its religious iconography and religious statues by these militants. The desecration, and the burning of the church in its aftermath, only revealed their true character and identity – they are “shaytan” or “satan”.
Certainly, I stand with our Christian friends as they try to understand this despicable and horrible sacrilegious crime. Indeed, this is a difficult time for Filipino-Muslims. Like all Filipinos, we worry about the threat of terrorism. But on top of that, we fear that our entire community will be blamed for the violent acts of a few who do not represent our faith.
In the face of this ruthless and senseless evil act of violence and hate that seeks to divide us as a nation, we, the Filipino Muslims, should harken to our family values and tap into the strength of our community to bring us together to stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers in condemning to the strongest possible terms this act of barbarity, brutality and wickedness. These radical jihadists are not just un-Islamic, it is anti-Islamic. Under any circumstances, they don’t speak for our faith and it has nothing to do at all with the teachings of our faith. Senseless violence has no place in our religion or in our society.
As a Muslim, and a father of eight children, I take it as my role, if not the responsibility, not only to condemn this act of hate and act of terror, but most important, to educate and prevent the radicalization of our Muslim youths. And as a Filipino citizen, it is my obligation to strongly support the action of President Rodrigo Duterte in the war that he has been waging resolutely against these Islamic extremist. Understand – mercy, forgiveness and
compassion are not in the vocabulary of these terrorists! And it saddens me that our Filipino Muslim political and religious leaders have chosen to remain silent in this mindless tragedy. And it also pains me to see that the opposition groups (i.e., some members of the Liberal Party and the Anti-Martial Law advocates) have opted to politicize the incidentwhen as a nation we should all be united when confronted with a serious crisis of national proportion.
For us Filipino Muslims, this is a time of spiritual renewal. And it’s a reminder that the values of Islam -- which comes from the word “salaam,” meaning “peace” -- are universal. They bind us all, regardless of our tribe, religion or creed, in a common purpose, and that is in our shared commitment to one another as one nation. Filipino-Muslims are as patriotic, as integrated, as with the rest of the 103 million Filipinos. We are an essential part of the fabric of our great country.
In the face of these difficult and trying times, we need to be clear about what we stand for. With this incident in Marawi in mind, Filipino Muslims have to strenuously denounce and fight Islamist extremism that has gradually permeated our ranks. No lives should be lost because of a twisted belief in one’s religion. And no lives should be lost because of anger and hate. Furthermore, our country should not end up being divided or having to live under a fear of terror because of a few Islamic jihadists with warped interpretation of the Holy Quran.
This is my political autopsy address to my fellow Filipino Muslims. We have to admit that we are at a critical crossroads here. Carpe diem, if we fail to take sides (i.e., a choice between good and evil; love versus hatred; moderate versus radical Islam; moderate Islamic ideology versus extremist Islamic ideology);or if we chose to be on the wrong side of history, eventually,with what has been happening in Mindanao, it would cause the polarization of the Muslim community, which could possibly lead to civil war; sectarian strife and even fratricidal war along ideological lines; such as we have seen in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya and in the North African and Northeast African countries.
So during what was a difficult Ramadan, and as we celebrate the festival of Eid, the message has to be sent out there that we, the Filipino Muslims, will stand together with arms akimbo with our Christian brethren against the Islamic jihadist; that we will engage with those who want peace; that we will go after those who wish to harm the innocent; that we will encourage dialogue not just between faiths, but oftentimes within the Muslim faith itself.
Our prayers are with the hundreds of innocent liveslost during the month of Ramadan. We also send our thoughts and prayers to the families of the heroic soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of our country’s national security.
From our family to yours, Eid Mubarak!