REALIZING that wrong indoctrination and ignorance are among the root causes of the conflict between Christians and Muslims in Mindanao, the military conducted an interfaith symposium in the town of Maluso, Basilan.

Lieutenant Colonel Jones Agustin, chief of the Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion, said a total of 147 graduating students of the Catholic-run Claret High School have attended the symposium held last week.

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Agustin said the symposium includes a documentary film showing entitled “Healing the Past, Building the Future” and a discussion on how the conflict between Christian and Muslim Filipinos started.

“The activity further detailed the effects of these conflicts to the mind set of both the Christian and Muslim Filipino youth,” Agustin said.

He said the symposium aims to educate the youth of Basilan province on how the conflict between Christian and Muslim Filipinos began so as to eradicate the prejudices and mistrust that was instilled in their minds through wrong indoctrination.

He said the youth of Basilan being the future of the province must understand the history of the conflict to encourage them to actively participate in solving the conflict and be catalyst of change in their own community.