“Chief Minister Ebrahim is a pivotal leader in the Bangsamoro Peace Process. As the first Chief Minister of the BARMM, Ebrahim embodies the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people for peace and self-determination. His leadership has been instrumental in fostering dialogue and cooperation among diverse communities.”
— Ulama group statement
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-G70
COTABATO CITY, July 27, 2024 (SDN) — Gathering thousands of Islamic scholars (ulama) in one place presents a huge logistic challenge. But it can be done.
As amply demonstrated, this happened today, Saturday, during the 23rd Annual General Assembly of the scholars of Islam at Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Committee on Da’wah and Masajid Affairs which counts its membership from all over Mindanao, majority of them from the Bangsamoro region, organized and led the gathering with the theme revolving around “Staying with the Group is Mercy, While Disunity is Punishment”.
MILF Central Committee Chair and BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim delivered the Keynote Address. He also administered the ulama’s oath taking, one of the event’s highlights.
Among the most prominent of the Moro religious leaders in attendance included Sheikh Abdulrauf Guialani, Mufti, Bangsamoro Darul Ifta, Dr. Muhammad Nadzir S. Ebil, Islamic jurist, of Hay’atul Ulama, and Sheikh Abdulwahab Pak, vice chair, Committee on Da’wah and Masajid Affairs, Central Committee, MILF, and many others of distinction. Pak is also the vice president for Ulama Sector of the MILF’s political arm, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).
One of the prominent Moro leaders in attendance was Datu Antao Midtimbang, former Member of Parliament (MP) of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), now UBJP vice president for Traditional Leaders Sector.
From the BARMM as well was Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal.
The assembled Islamic scholars highlighted the ulama’s role in governance in society, among other important matters.
Apparently taking advantage of their collective presence at the event, the ulama have expressed “their unwavering and unequivocal support for Ebrahim as both MILF Chair and Chief Minister of the BARMM,” a statement shared with SDN – SciTech & Digital News showed.
“Chief Minister Ebrahim is a pivotal leader in the Bangsamoro Peace Process. As the first Chief Minister of the BARMM, Ebrahim embodies the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people for peace and self-determination. His leadership has been instrumental in fostering dialogue and cooperation among diverse communities,” the ulama’s statement emphasized.
At the same time, the assembled ulama called “upon all stakeholders to unite in support of Ebrahim’s vision for a peaceful and prosperous Bangsamoro, ensuring that the hard-won gains of the peace agreement are preserved and advanced for future generations.”
“Peace agreement” apparently refers to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which the MILF and the Government of the Philippines signed and forged on March 27, 2014. The CAB was the result of 17 years of protracted peace negotiations that started in 1997, characterized by on-and-off minor and major shooting wars.
One of the participants at the assembly said around 22,000 Islamic religious leaders attended the event.
As this developed, it can be emphasized that the ulama (singular: alim, from Arabic word “ilm” — knowledge) hold important sway in a Muslim community, their voices and their words given much weight among the people. They also enjoy respect, and they are looked upon as arbiters of issues that concern interpretations of the Holy Qura’n, and the Sunnah/Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad.
Having thoroughly studied and learned verses of the Muslim Scripture, many of them studied for many years abroad, like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, among other Muslim countries.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 CAB, is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction. With the recent plebiscite at SGA, the BARMM now has eight new municipalities as residents voted “Yes”.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities (plus eight newly established under the SGA: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. — EKU (✓)
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To be updated.