Muslim scholars issue fatwa against Erap, Roxas, Drilon

Muslim legal scholars, or ulama, have issued a fatwa against former president Joseph Estrada, Senator Manuel Roxas, and former senator Franklin Drilon, declaring them “enemies of Islam" and sanctioning votes for them in the May elections as haram (forbidden). The fatwa, a religious edict declaring the three candidates “enemies of Islam," was issued by the Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulama on March 9 and publicized by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) through an article posted on the MILF website on Saturday. Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) is running for the presidency. Roxas and Drilon, both of the Liberal Party (LP), are running for vice president and senator, respectively. “After studying the actions and policies of Mr. Erap Estrada before and after his election as president until this present time, we found out that he is really an enemy of Islam," the MILF Luwaran article quoted the Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulama as saying. “During his incumbency as Philippine president, he declared and waged all-out war against the MILF which resulted in widespread destruction in Mindanao and Sulu and over 1 million Bangsamoro Muslims being uprooted from their lands and homes. Mosques were not even spared and were also desecrated and destroyed. He has publicly announced that once elected as president, his priority is to make war against the MILF, which is currently holding peace talks with government, again," the article continued. Meanwhile, the ulama council cited Roxas and Drilon’s opposition to the 2008 MILF-GRP Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which in turn was junked by the Supreme Court, as the basis for including them in its fatwa. The agreement, the group said, “would have brought the conflict in Mindanao to near closure at the negotiating table between the Philippine government and the MILF." “Up to the present, they are against the welfare of the Bangsamoro," the fatwa read. The MILF also said that Nacionalista Party senatorial candidate Adel Tamano, a Muslim, was also alluded to by Bangsamoro Muslims who held a mass rally in early March, as one of those who opposed the Bangsamoro cause and the MOA-AD. Tamano, however, was not included in the fatwa. "We will utilize the media and organize more rallies, conferences and Friday congregations to make sure that Erap, Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon will not succeed in this 2010 election", said Hadji Abdullah Lacs Dalidig, chairman of the ‘Islamic Movement on Electoral Reform and Good Governance’ (IMERGG). The MILF upheld the fatwa, asserting the right of the Islamic community “to express outrage over issues that affect their lives." “It is the right of the Bangsamoro masses to ventilate their individual as well as collective opinion, even outrage, on issues that affect their lives and the dire condition they are in. The rightly-guided ulama, as true guardians of the Islamic faith, also have all the right to issue a fatwa against those who, by their actions, have proved to be inimical to Islam, our Moro nation, and the right of self-determination of our people," an anonymous ranking MILF member in Ranao was quoted as saying in the website. No effect on Erap’s votes Estrada’s camp said, however, that the fatwa’s issuance will not affect his votes in the coming elections. “We don’t believe this will affect President Estrada’s votes because the Muslims in Mindanao also want the peace that [he] seeks," Estrada spokesperson Margaux Salcedo said in a text message to GMANews.TV, adding that Estrada’s high ratings in Mindanao show that the Mindanao electorate still seeks his leadership. In a separate statement sent through e-mail, Estrada blamed the MILF for the failure of the peace talks, and insisted that he was a friend of the Muslims: "Ako ay kaibigan ng mga Muslim. Kaya ko pinipilit na dapat na magkaroon ng kapayapaan sa Mindanao. Ang sama ng loob ko lamang ay ang MILF, patuloy na nananakit, pumapatay, nanggagahasa, nangingidnap sa mga kapatid nating Pilipino dito sa Mindanao (I'm a friend of the Muslims. That's why I've been pushing that there must be peace in Mindanao. My only disappointment is that the MILF continues to abuse, kill, rape, abduct our Filipino brethren here in Mindanao)." "I consider the achievement of peace in Mindanao my greatest achievement. Because that meant that Christian and Muslim brothers could finally live together, side by side, in peace in Mindanao. This was what I achieved in 2000. This is what I promise to return this 2010," Estrada added. Estrada also said that “the failure of the peace talks was due to the stubborn insistence of the MILF for secessionism" and maintained that he will “protect the territorial integrity of the Philippines" should he get elected. Appeal for reconsideration Explaining their party’s side, LP spokesperson Florencio “Butch" Abad said “it is unfortunate that they (MILF) have misunderstood the intentions of Senator Roxas and Drilon" in their opposition to the MOA-AD, and urged the group to reconsider the issuance of the fatwa against the two. “They are not against the aspirations of the MILF in achieving autonomy and recognizing their ancestral domain. They are actually more concerned on the possible dismemberment of the country," Abad said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV. “The real problem is lack of communication and opportunity for the party to explain their side. I hope that the MILF will reconsider their position. We appeal for more dialogue and for reconsideration of the fatwa," Abad added. Abad added that the LP has already started talking with representatives of the MILF “to explain our positions and clarify why Senator Roxas and Drilon took the stand against the MOA-AD."—JV, GMANews.TV