[EXCERPTS: Keynote Presentation of the UNDP-Japan Partnership with Ateneo de Davao University, August 6, 2018]
WE AT the Al Qalam are privileged to welcome you all here. When we started out in 2011, we envisioned a center for inter-and-intrareligious dialogue, community organizing, engagement, advocacy, and peace-building. Since then, we have continued to grow to improve our services to our affected communities.
Our end goal is to have a more peaceful, open-minded Mindanao based on the strength of our cultures and traditions. We are working to achieve this in four ways, namely: formation, instruction, research, and engagement. I will explain each aspect of our FIRE in brief.
For our formation services, we strive to provide spaces for our Muslim students to hold recollections, retreats, and other spiritual services. We instruct our students in the many facets of our society, through our AB Islamic Studies program, Islamic Finance projects, and in Mindanao History. Our research focuses on the study of Islamic identities, culture, and in preventing and countering violent extremism. This brings us to our engagement with local communities, and those who have been marginalized.
These drivers of violence must also be included in the conversation, so that our peace is truly inclusive. Our mandates are what make us who we are as an institution. This way, we can integrate their perspectives into social development processes and policy that will benefit them.
In light of the present situation and our historical struggle leading up to the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, we need safe spaces like this now more than ever. The signing of the RA 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, is a right step towards our goals.
When I attended the symbolic turnover of the BOL during the consultative assembly of the Bangsamoro last July 29, the main word was compromise: compromise in the sense that we maintain basic respect of human dignity, and to the core principles of our faith.
There is an African proverb that states, “If the young are not initiated into the tribe, they will burn down the village just to feel its warmth.” This reflects how we should treat the youth in preventing violent extremism. We need to reframe who their perspective towards positive examples. This can be done by addressing these three things – addressing the youth’s sense of identity, need to belong, and sense of purpose.
Violent extremists have taken advantage of this. This is why our work with the youth is so important. It behooves us to uphold our mandate towards the future of the Bangsamoro. We wish to safeguard these youth by training them to benefit their own communities, and to gain strength from their own culture and traditions. Empowering the youth needs more than just reaching out -- they need a space to gather and to belong.
This is what we aim to achieve with our Bitiala center. It will serve as a safe space for the people of the Bangsamoro. There will be opportunities for dialogue, leadership trainings and capacity-building programs, and a school of living traditions -- Panditas -- for strengthening indigenous identities. With our partnership, we can contribute to a better and more inclusive society.
It is here where we wish to address these 6 thematic programs to peacebuilding. We must conduct research, especially more baseline surveys and studies in marginalized communities and minorities.
We must bolster our Madrasah education – our Madaris Volunteer Program can also help with this – as well as community engagement towards our constituents.
For those who have been victims of violence, psychosocial intervention is needed in order to mitigate extremist thoughts brought about by these events.
Apart from that, we must bolster our social media as this has been an avenue for extremists to recruit and amplify their messaging.
Lastly, our engagement with Muslim Student Organizations needs to be strengthened, to ensure that our youth are on the right path.
These are only main themes, and with the strength of our partnership, we will be able to create safer spaces for all our constituents. It is through the compromise with our partners and stakeholders, and with hard work and determination, that we can work towards a more inclusive peace.