Islamic group to Pope: Help end Mindanao conflict

MANILA, Philippines - An Islamic group has sought the help of Pope Benedict XVI in ending more than 30 years of conflict in Mindanao, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said. The Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID) lamented the conflict in Mindanao has worsened underdevelopment and poverty in the region. "We hope Your Holiness could help us bring peace and justice to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao by expressing concern about the unfolding humanitarian crisis and appeal for restraint for the protection of all civilians, as well as for the opening of access for the provision of speedy humanitarian assistance to the affected population," they said in their letter, excerpts of which were posted on the CBCP website. PCID lead convener Amina Rasul went to the Vatican last Nov. 1 to join a group invited to a dialogue with the Pope. She said she will hand over the open letter during the meeting. The group said Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world's population in a well interconnected world. But it said that without peace and justice between these two religious communities, "there can be no meaningful peace in the world, for the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians." "As a concrete manifestation of how our faiths move us to help restore the dignity of our people in Mindanao by granting them their most cherished life in peace, we are making this appeal to Your Holiness to help us convince Philippine government and the MILF go back to the negotiating table as soon as possible, the group said. "We believe that it is imperative that both government and the MILF share the responsibility for moving the peace process towards a sincere dialogue that reflects heavily the hearts and minds of all people who are affected by the escalating war in Mindanao," it added. The group said that in the last two months, more than 100 people were killed while 600,000 became refugees as a result of the conflict. PCID said justice has long been denied the minorities of the Philippines, including Muslims and indigenous people's communities. "Their oppression has led to armed ethnic conflict between the Muslim minorities and government," the letter read. - GMANews.TV