SHOULD Christians and Muslims continue to worship God or Allah as the case may be and not feel intimidated by the recent blasts that claimed lives?
Catholicism and belief in Islam are rooted in faith. Underpinning the peace process, the violence in Jolo and Zamboanga should not deter the faithful to fulfill their religious obligation as members of the community of believers. If we succumb to terror threats and allow fear to dictate our lives, these rebel groups or terrorists will claim victory. We should send them a scriptural message that, for centuries, has given us an assurance: “If God is with us, who can be against us?”
Decades of terrorism has not stopped the spread of Christianity anywhere in the world. History has taught us that violence and evil will not prevail forever. In God’s time, they will be defeated, as in the cases of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Co-existence is the keyword. Christians and Muslims can make a better world hand in hand instead of annihilating each other. Aside from being true with each other, it is of utmost importance to be true to oneself. What do you really want to achieve? Is it in your agenda to gain power and control? Is your idea of success inclusive of getting hold of the riches that the natural resources of Mindanao can offer? Bounties of the Earth were meant for everyone to benefit and enjoy. Greed and selfishness have been proven to be self-destructive.
We have to identify these people, whose main agenda is to create havoc in Southern Philippines. One way to achieve peace is for civilians to be vigilant and to cooperate with the government and report any suspicious people or activity.
On the other hand, peace-keeping forces have to work hard to gain the trust and confidence of the citizens they vowed to serve. In the aftermath of the twin bombings, there were conflicting reports as to who had perpetuated the carnage. We cannot achieve trust if the dissemination of information cannot be relied upon.
Survival of these armed groups is centered on holding on to their threshold and arms. On the other side of the spectrum, our government should provide economic and social needs for those who pledge allegiance to our flag and country, and at the same time disarm fanatics. We can only pray that the Bangsamoro Organic Law will be strictly imposed to benefit all citizens... Christians or Muslims—we are all Filipinos. In God’s time, this elusive peace is still achievable.