Mindanao - THE World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP), an umbrella organization of world religions, offered its help to ensure the forging of a peace agreement in Mindanao.
In a report posted at www.luwaran.com, around 17 members of WCRP reportedly held a dialogue with leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 29 at the MILF camp in Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat in Shariff Kabunsuan province.
Early on, the WCRP submitted a three-point agenda that it wanted taken up with the MILF, namely 1) Asian Summit of Religious Youth Leaders in Mindanao on October 2008; 2) To listen and explore possibilities as to how WCRP/ACRP can help in the peace process; 3) To discuss conflict transformation, peace-building and sustainable development.
During the dialogue, the MILF declared: "technically the talk is on track."
They said it is the government that is causing the delay by assembling another group of lawyers who will study the draft memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain, which the MILF and government negotiators have already discussed thoroughly.
MILF chair Al Haj Murad also explained that the conflict in Mindanao is not religious in essence but political and requires a political solution.
Davao City Archbishop Fernando Capalla also reportedly told the group that he thinks there are groups that do not want the problem in Mindanao solved.
WCRP is an umbrella organization where all world religions are represented, especially Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, Buddhism, Zoroastrian, Jain, Hinduisim, Shintoism, Sikh, and several others from more than 16 countries in Asia and the Pacific.
It is an affiliate of the United Nations and had taken active role in the resolution of world conflict situations from Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and many more.
Its first act of concern for the conflict in Mindanao started as early as 1977 during Martial Law when the group made a detailed report that was circulated globally.
Among the more prominent Muslim personalities involved in the WCRP are Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Shariff of Libya; Dr. Omar Naseef, former Secretary General of the World Muslim League in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; Prince Rashid Bin El Hassan of Jordan, chairman of Jordanian Hashemoite Charity; and Ayatollah Seyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad of Iran.
The religious leader-visitors are listed as follows: Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Assistant Secretary General, Religions for Peace based in New York, USA; Rev. Tea Sung Kim, Assistant Secretary General, Religions for Peace Asia/ACRP in South Korea; Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, Special Advisor to the Secretary General for Youth Affairs; Madame Lourdez V. Mastura, President, Religions for Peace Philippines; Archbishop Fernando Capalla, Convener, Bishop-Ulama Conference; Bishop Hilario Gomez, Convener, Bishop-Ulama Conference; Dr. Estrella Babano, Regional Director of the Department of Education, Region 10; Prof. Pablito Baybado, Religions for Peace in the Philippines; Mr. Lesley Capus, Youth Coordinator, Religions for Peace Interfaith Youth Network; Mr. Yoshinori Shinohara, member of the Asian Inter-religious Youth Network; and four Bishop-Ulama Conference staff.
The MILF host was led by no less than Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the MILF central committee. Also in attendance were Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, Mufti Sheikh Omar Pasigan, lawyer Michael Mastura, lawyer Lanang Ali, both members of the MILF peace panel, Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, and one senior MILF officer, who was not identified in the report.
Source: www.sunstar.com (1 April 2008)