Reflections on the Bangsa Moro

In my post The Bangsa Moro is an International Concern, a reader, DATUAN SOLAIMAN PANOLIMBA (datuan.panolimba@yahoo.com) wrote a rather long "comment". Because of its length, I am instead publishing it in this post.

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ARMED STRUGGLE OF THE BANGSAMORO MUSLIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES:

Written by: DATUAN SOLAIMAN PANOLIMBA-
North Cotabato, Philippines

Bismillaher Rahmaner Raheem. Asalamo Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuho.

The Bangsamoro Muslims of Mindanao and its islands have fought the longest and bloodiest struggle in the entire history of mankind in the world which extends to about four hundred eighty seven (487) years already up to this writing. First, the Bangsamoro people fought, without let up, against the Spanish colonial power for 377 years from 1521 to 1898. Second, they fought a bloody war against the American imperialist from 1898 up to 1946.And third, they are still fighting against the Philippine neo-colonial power from 1946 up to the present.

In fact the present JIHAD FIY SABILILLAH waged by the Bangsamoro people is a continuation of the struggle which had been fought by their ancestors and forebears demanding for freedom and independence. The 487-year war which has been fought by the Bangsamoro is replete with historical facts.

“But what is surprising is despite of the long period of war being fought for; the Bangsamoro people are still engaged in a war for freedom and independence. The struggle which has been fought by the Bangsamoro in four hundred eighty seven years (487) had extensively covered by the Muslim historians and authors in their books such as Dr. Cesar Adib Majul in his “Muslims in the Philippines, 1973, Manila, Philippines, ” Dr. Alunan C. Glang in “Muslim Secession or Integration, 1969, Quezon City, Philippines, ” and Salah Jubair in “Bangsamoro: A Nation Under Endless Tyranny, 1997, Lahore, Pakistan.”

THE FIRST MORO WAR:

After securing the friendship with Rajah Humabon of Cebu, Ferdinand Magellan, who led the Spanish colonial adventure in the Far East, invaded the small kingdom of Mactan in 1521. The island was then ruled by Rajah Lapu-Lapu who did not want to be a friend of foreign colonizer.

It can be noted, therefore, that Visayas before was believed under the influence if not one of the principalities controlled by the Moro Sultanate of Sulu or Maguindanao at that early period of time. See Map of Moro Sultanate, principalities and areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao at the time of the arrival of Spaniards in 1521. (Source: London Library and Museum). Unfortunately, Magellan died in action on April 27, 1521 that drove the Spaniards back to the West and by such incident, they had narrated their fiasco under the hands of the native inhabitants.

Thus, Lapu_Lapu stood as the first native chieftain who fought against foreign attempt to colonize the Moro homeland.
The Spanish dream had yet started so that in 1522, with Captain Sebastian Del Cano at the head of the Spanish survivors, Spain became the first circumnavigator of the globe as declared.

SPAIN’S AGGRESSION:

Crown Prince Felipe, known as King Philip II of Spain, directed Captain Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the viceroy of Mexico, to go to the Philippine island and to make it a permanent Spanish colony. He landed at Cebu where he had established the first Spanish settlement in 1565. In 1569, he proceeded to Panay where a second Spanish settlement was created.

After quelling some minor resistances staged by the native inhabitants, he sent Captain Martin de Goiti to Luzon, particularly in Manila where a well-fortified Moro principality was located. It was ruled by Rajah Solaiman and assisted by Rajah Matanda. Tondo then was ruled by Rajah Lakandula. Records has showed that these Manila chieftains where of Bornean origin. In fact, their relationship with the Sultan of Borneo was categorized as very closed to each other.

Rajah Solaiman who led the fight for freedom and independence, declared to the foreign aggressors the following words: ” WE WISH TO BE THEN FRIENDS OF ALL NATIONS. BUT THEY MUST UNDERSTAND THAT WE CANNOT TOLERATE ANY ABUSE. ON THE CONTRARY, WE WILL REPAY WITH DEATH THE LEAST THING THAT TOUCHES OUR HONOR.”Unfortunately, on June 3, 1571, Rajah Solaiman perished at the historic Battle of Bangkusay, a place off the coast of Tondo, but he left with a patriotic landmark in his defense of freedom and independence of the country. The next to fall, despite of a fierce defense by the native inhabitants, was the Muslim principality of Mindoro in 1574.

Then came the short-lived Magat Salamat Uprising in 1587. Emerging victorious over the pockets of resistance were the Spanish conquistadors. So that within a span of 11years, they were able to overlord the territory of Luzon and Visayas. Legaspi, who was appointed as the first Governor-General, had made Manila as the seat of Spanish colony in Luzon and Visayas, which was collectively called as “Filipinas” or “Philippine Islands” eventually.

“Salah Jubair succinctly wrote “it is necessary to clarify, contrary to popular perception, two important points in history: Firstly, the first group of people whom the Spaniards in 1570 called “Moros” were those in Manila and environs and not the Islamized natives in Mindanao and Sulu and secondly, the first Moro-Spanish War was not fought in Mindanao and Sulu but right in what is Metropolitan Manila.

“THE MORO-SPANISH WAR:

The 377 year of Moro-Spanish War represents an uninterrupted bloody war which had been fought by the Moros against the Spaniard’s attempt to subjugate them as a people. At first, the Spaniards thought that Borneo was more of a threat to the Manila colony than the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulu. So they invaded Borneo in 1578. However, after their Bornean expedition, the Spaniards had turned their eyes on the Moros in the South, particularly, Sulu which they were suspecting of having an alliance with the Borneans.

The Spanish colony towards the Moros was basically spelled out in the instructions of Governor-General Francisco de Sande to Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa in May of 1578. Figueroa was officially commissioned to subdue the Moro Sultanate of Mindanao and Sulu.

It was clear then from the instructions given to him, Spain sought to achieve two things with respect to the Moros of Mindanao namely: 1. Get them to acknowledge Spanish sovereignty over their territory. 2. Promote trade with them, limiting their trade to the Philippine islands and exploring natural resources of Moro land with a view to their commercial exploitations. 3. Bring an end to Moro “piracy” against Spanish shipping, and an end to Moro raids on the Christianized settlements of the Visayas and Southern Luzon. 4. Hispanize and Christianize the Moros, along the same lines followed with respect to other lowland Filipino (Indio) groups.

According to Dr Peter G. Gowing, the last line Spanish policy was the reason if not the root of the Moro’s fierce resistance to the Spaniards and their Christianized Filipino allies. Capt. Figueroa was instructed to order the Moro chief not to admit any more “preachers of the doctrine of Mahomet since it is evil and false, and that of the Christianity alone is good.” Ad-dressing himself to the “Lord of Mindanao, ” the instruction includes: “You shall tell him that our object is that he be converted to Christianity and that he must allow us freely to preach the law of the Christians, and the natives must be allowed to go and hear the preaching and to be converted, without receiving any harm from the chiefs.

“Furthermore, Figueroa was instructed to ascertain who the preachers of Islam were so that they can be arrested and brought them before the Governor-general. He was also commanded to destroy any Masjeed he founded “where that accursed doctrine has been preached and you shall order that it be not be rebuilt. “As he was instructed to meet force with force and to punish the Moros as he deemed best “taking special care not to trust them…..,” the Moros responded to such designs with violence and warfare. In 1596, during the initial Spanish campaign in Buhayan (Buayan) in the heart of Mindanao, Figueroa met his disastrous defeat.

The erstwhile Spanish conquistador suffered death at the hands of the Moro warriors led by Datu Ubal (Mangubal in Moro tradition). The initial Spanish campaign in Mindanao had ignited and caused the series of bloody encounters between the Moros and the Spaniards, in which,it was carried up to the coming of the Americans in 1899.

MORO WARS:

In retaliation to the Spanish cruelty, the Moros had carried out the war to the Spanish settlements in Luzon and Visayas. In 1599 led by Datu Sirongan and Datu Salikula of Mindanao, the Moros raided the northern islands and return home with rich war booty including several captives. The Moro actions had created fear and anxiety among the Spanish and Filipino settlements in Luzon and Visayas.

In succeeding years, the Moro buccaneers harassed Spanish shipping, and so were dubbed “pirates”. But to the Moros they believed they were fighting a war in defense of freedom and independence. Thus, Sultan Kudarat I, after his ascension to power to the Sultanate of Mindanao in 1619, declared a Jihad against Spain whom he had emboldened more than ever the Moros to fight for home, country and Islam. Their expeditions carried Jihad to the coasts of Visayas and Luzon.

From then on, the Moro war vessels periodically raided, killed and plunders Spanish settlements. Thus, it was dubbed really a bloody war. The Spaniards counter move was seen in their series of punitive expeditions against the Moros. The expeditions were made up of Spanish-led Christian Filipino forces. Which eventually, the Spaniards had succeeded to establish forts in Moro homeland, however, their colonies were only confined inside their fortified garrisons. They failed to subdue the Moros who were periodically attacking their forts.

From the 18th up to the 19th centuries of Spanish successive engagement in the “Moro Wars”, it was never followed by effective and permanent occupation of the Bangsamoro ancestral homeland. The American historian Dr. Najeeb Saleeby rightly observed that “the Moros fought for home and country, for freedom to pursue their religion and way of life, and for liberty to rove the seas whichever they would.” For over 300years, they had made a shamble of Spain’s Moro policy.

Even with the importation of Spanish war vessels in the middle of the 19th century did not stop the Moro raids of Spanish and Filipino settlements of Visayas and Luzon. Despite of being guerilla fighters, the Moro exacted a heavy toll of casualties, however, when entrenched in their ‘cota’ (fort) they simply could not be rooted out.

When situation demanded they would have readily killed their wounded and gave no quarter to the Spanish and Christian Filipino enemy. They fought ferociously, and their usual tactic was to wear down the attackers, obliging them eventually to withdraw. At the close of the 19th century, the Spanish colonial power in Luzon and Visayas was threatened by the Filipino Revolution of 1896 and the coming of the American colonial power in 1898.

Subsequently, the Treaty of Paris was concluded on December 10, 1898 between the United States of America and Spain wherein the latter had ceded to the Americans her former colony in Mexico, Honolulu and the Philippine Islands with the amount of $20 million. With this treaty, the Spaniards abandoned their colony in the north by virtue of the Treaty of Paris. So that the Moros of the south remained a free and independent people. Thus, they were not subjugated by their conquistadors.

AMERICAN AGGRESSION:

The Bangsamoro people of Mindanao were already enjoying freedom and independence when the Filipinos declared a revolution against Spain in 1896. When the Americans arrived in the Philippine islands in 1898, the Philippine Revolution was already in progress in Luzon and Visayas. The so called “Spanish-American war” was also nearing its end.

For instance, Commodore George Dewey, commanding the American naval flotilla, defeated the Spanish Pacific Squadron during “Battle of Manila Bay” on May 1, 1898. Subsequently, the United States of America assumed the authority in the Philippine Islands by virtue of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. But the Filipinos, who declared the independence of the First Philippine Republic on June 1, 1898, had to fight a new imperialist power.

Maverick as it was, the Americans sought the forging of the Bates-Kiram Agreement on August 20, 1899 with a view to neutralizing the Moros of the south while they were still engaging the forces of President Emilio Aguinaldo in the north.

After three years of Filipino-American war, the Americans were able to crush the Philippine revolution and declared a general amnesty in 1902. The Americans, after having a unilateral abrogation of the Bates-Kiram Agreement, had now turn their eyes to the Moros of Mindanao.

In May 1899, the first US Army contingent landed in Jolo, Sulu. The US troops had also occupied Zamboanga on November 16 and followed the Cotabato areas in December. This began the American occupation of Mindanao which ended in May 1920 when the Department of Mindanao and Sulu was abolished as a government unit.

MORO-AMERICAN WAR:

For all practical reasons, the American occupation of the Moro land was a direct affront to the freedom and independence of the Moros. The lesson from the Spanish policy of subjugation was still fresh in the minds and hearts of the Moros. With the Americans, the Moros have had similar views, as a threat, and a change of colonial master which had the same intention with that of their predecessor, that is, to subjugate them as a people.

Thus trouble had erupted as early as May 1899. But this time, the next generation of Moros took the cudgel. Soon various confrontations flared up in Mindanao and Sulu. This led J. Ralston Hayden, an American writer, to note that “never during the entire continental expansion of the United States had armed encounters been as frequent and serious as that between the Moros and American troops.”

The Moros’ determination to defend their religion and country had prompted the American colonizers to comment that “THE ONLY GOOD MORO IS A DEAD MORO.” Record has showed that there were at least 20,000 Moros who were killed in action from 1899 to 1916. From 1904 to 1906 alone, the Moros suffered about 3,000 killed as against 70 Americans.

Large-scale engagements were recorded between the American troops and the Moro warriors in several parts of Mindanao and Sulu from 1902 to 1935. The most serious were those staged by Panglima Hassan, Datu Ali, Datu Ampuan
Agaus and Jikiri.

Shortly after the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth Government on November 15, 1935 with Manuel L. Quezon as the first President, the Moros had viewed it as the transfer of colonial government to a new master. It could be noted, therefore, that Mindanao and Sulu were forcefully annexed to the Commonwealth government. Again, the Moros rose in arms in defense of their freedom and independence.

The most serious armed rebellion that took place in Mindanao was happened in June 1936. It was spearheaded by Hadji Abdulhamid Bungabong of Unayan, Lanao del Sur and lasted for several years. The Moros fought gallantry and heroically in a series of wars called “COTA WARS”. The grievances were contained in a petition letter sent to the President of the United States of America. The issues presented were:

1. Moros had become second class citizens.

2. The Moro Province be segregated once independence is given to the Filipinos.

3. Acquisition of lands in the Moro Province be reserved for the Moros.

4. Islam must not be curtailed in any manner.

    

The uprising lasted until the dawning of the Japanese interregnums in 1941. The Moros were once again caught in the crossfire between two colonial masters. But now between the Americans and the Japanese which saw its peak from 1942 to 1945.

PARLIAMENTARY STRUGGLE:

In 1946 it saw the final annexation of the Moro land to the new Philippine Republic. Historians, in the likes of Salah Jubair, have succinctly observed that “The U.S. colonial government and the succeeding Filipino neo - colonial power have utterly failed to stamp out Moro resistance. But they have succeeded in rendering the Moro traditional power structure effete and almost obsolete.”

“The main casualties were the sultans and datus, whose authority had been squelched to the extent, that they had become mere symbols of the past and mute relics of history,” he pointed out. “The sultan-people direct dealing, ” he continued “has been almost severed and , to get rid of the evils of dual rule, meaning sultan and government ruling simultaneously, the Commonwealth government directed all state-installed officials in 1936 to take over the roles so far exercised by the sultans and datus.”

Elaborating that the disintegration of the traditional socio-political order and the ever-tightening imposition of the secular-materialistic concept of life bequeathed by the Americans, Salah Jubair said that it has created an extensively difficult situation for the Moros. Consequently, those who were won over to the American side, freely or under duress, were the ones who with their pens, slogans and orations adopted and pursued the parliamentary or unarmed way of struggle.

These crops of Moro intellectuals asked the United States government to separate the Moro Province, either as colony or as independent state. Singly or in chorus, they unanimously refused to join the Filipinos in their demand for independence. It was true that they did not succeed, neither did they achieve anything of consequence in terms of the real liberation of the Moros-that obviously, was already fore doomed from the start.

But there is no gain slaying the fact that they did their best in their own way. Yet, on the other hand, by following the unarmed way of struggle, they were deeply entangled into the Americans cobweb and continued to become subservient to the whims and caprices of the new colonial masters.

Failing to achieve their aspiration to be free and independent during the American colonial days, the Moro parliamentary struggle dragged to the post-war Philippine administrations. Couple with some isolated disturbances, armed clashes between Moro warriors and government troops were reported in various parts of Mindanao.

The off-and-on armed skirmishes continued to plague the countryside in open defiance of government authorities. Whatever it may said about the post-war pocket uprisings in Mindanao and Sulu, it could be attributed to the fact that the Moros have never abandoned their desire to be free and independent from the clutches of neo-colonialism in their sacred and ancestral homeland. Nurtured by socio-cultural discrimination, the most known of these uprisings were those led by Kamlon Hajji, Abdulmajid Panondiongan, Tawantawan and Hadjal Uh. It took billions of pesos from the national coffers in quelling these insurrections.

Such that amid cries of national neglect and apathy, Congressman Ombra Amilbangsa of Sulu Province had gone to extent of sponsoring a bill in Philippine Congress in 1961 which sought to declare the independence of the Province of Sulu from the Philippine Republic. The Moro solon was disgusted by the chronic ills and inequities prevalent in the Philippine society where the Moros were the direct victims. His bill did not merit the attention of his colleagues in Congress and his move was simply dismissed as a “drama” or “attention-calling.”

MORO STRUGGLE CONTINUED:

In 1968, the then Governor Datu Udtog Matalam of the empire Cotabato Province created the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM) seeking the separation of Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawitawi and Palawan from the Republic of the Philippines and to establish an Islamic State in the sacred and ancestral homeland of the Bangsamoro people. But the dream and aspiration of the grand old man of Cotabato failed.

Finally in 1972, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and its military wings, the Bangsamoro Army led by Prof. Nur Misuari went public declaring armed struggle as its principal instrument in the formation of a Bangsamoro Republik encompassing Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawitawi and Palawan. It sought to liberate Moro people and homeland from Philippine colonialism.

The reverberating sounds of the firearms and mortars of the Bangsamoro Revolution
led by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) pressured the Philippine government under the then dictator President Ferdinand Marcos to entered into an agreement with the MNLF leadership in December 23, 1976. The agreement was known as “Tripoli Agreement of 1976.” It sought to establish an autonomous government for Muslims in South of the Philippines under its sovereignty and territorial integrity. But Pres. Marcos grossly violated the letter and spirit of the entire agreement.

When President Corazon (Cory) Aquino catapulted to the Philippine presidency in 1986 because of the Peoples Power Revolution against Pres. Marcos, she created the Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but still failed to finally solved the Bangsamoro problem in Mindanao and its islands.

Until in 1992, when President Fidel V. Ramos became president of the Philippines after President Cory Aquino, his government negotiated with the MNLF leadership which resulted to the creation of Southern Philippine Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) on September 2, 1996. But still the Bangsamoro dream of freedom and independence became more obscure. It was because of the fact that all agreements entered by and between the MNLF and GRP are only a showpiece of the Philippine government in order to smokescreen the oppression, colonization, exploitation and extermination of the Bangsamoro people. This regional set-up of government is nothing but an adjunct of the Filipino colonial government. It is being used by the Philippine government to further fortify the Filipino colonialism over the Bangsamoro people and their ancestral homeland.

So that when the MNLF leadership compromised the liberty and independence of the Bangsamoro people in December 1976, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), chaired by the late Ameril Mujahideen Ustadz Salamat Hashim went public assuming and leading the JIHAD FEY SABILILLAH of the Bangsamoro people for final liberation, freedom and independence, nsALLAH SUBHANAHO WA’TAALA.

Late Ustadz Salamat Hashim, then Ameril Mujahideen and Chairman, Central Committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said and we quote, “Any solution less than full independence of the Bangsamoro people will not work. Past experiences since the be-
ginning of the annexation of the Bangsamoro homeland to the Philippines in 1935, have proven that the Bangsamoro Muslims could not live a normal life under a corrupt and secular government and that the two nations, the Bangsamoros and the Filipinos, could not get along with each other because of their distinct religions, customs and traditions. It will be for the best interests of the Bangsamoros and the Filipinos if both are free” and quote.

Wasalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuho.

The US-Israel aggression in Gaza is a war crime. It is a systematic genocidal campaign against the Palestinians. More than six hundred are now killed, mostly women and children, thousands are wounded and one and a half million Palestinians in Gaza are living their worst nightmares.

The freedom-loving peoples of the world must clamor for a stop to this holocaust.

VENEZUELA EXPELS ISRAELI  AMBASSADOR

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, expelled the Israeli Ambassador and his staff from Caracas and called on the UN Security Council to "apply urgent and necessary measures to stop this invasion." Chavez was quoted saying. "How far will this barbarism go?…The president of Israel should be taken before an international court together with the president of the United States, if the world had any conscience."(See Venezuela expels Israeli ambassador over Gaza)

If only the Arab leaders have the balls of Hugo Chavez!

ISRAEL, MERE U.S. EXTENSION

Israel is not a truly independent sovereign state. It is a mere extension of the United States. Its military hardware is 100% supplied by the US. Its intelligence information is also supplied by the US and its diplomatic moves are orchestrated and approved in Washington, D.C.

According to the respected scholar Noam Chomsky, the Israeli air force is more modern and sophisticated than any NATO country. And, according to Dr. Chomsky, that is because Israel is the Middle East extension or military base of the US.

MESSIANIC COMPLEX

Echoing George Bush, Jr.’s  Messianic vision for Iraq — invading Iraq was done to save the Iraqis for democracy and deliver them from Saddam Hussein–, the Israeli leaders shamelessly proclaim that they attacked Gaza to save the Palestinians in Gaza and deliver them from Hamas.

Bush, Cheney, Olmert, Livni and Shimon Peres are really in dire need of psychiatric treatment.

 LAST TRICK (HULING HIRIT)

The clique who controls the Bush-Cheney administration are obviously playing their last trick before the start of the Obama administration. Theywant to achieve as much political mileage as they can (like destroying the Hamas party) and at the same time intimidating the incoming US President with the worst scenario they could think of.

WHERE ARE THE ARABS?

About 300 million Arabs in more than 20 countries could do NOTHING to help stop the massacre of their fellow Arabs. This is a crying shame! What is the Arab League doing?  My Arab forebears must be turining in their graves right now.

And how about the non-Arab Muslim countries? They should at the very least follow President Chavez’s example and kick out the Israeli embassies from their countries. What is the OIC doing?

SOME HARD FACTS

The following is an article from allvoices.com

ISRAEL INVASION OF GAZA: SOME HARD FACTS

So far what we have seen and heard about the current crisis in Middle East, it is quite evident that Israeli government is at fault and are now being considered as the worst terrorists in the Middle East region.

Here are some hard facts:

Israeli claim that Hamas initiated the rocket attack is frivolous to say the least. These attacks are a direct consequence and retaliation to Israeli governments terror tactics of indiscriminately bombing targets within Palestine over the course of many months prior to this conflict. Those bombs have been responsible for countless deaths of civilians including women and children.

So far, only four Israelis have lost their lives since the conflict began. However, over 600 innocent civilians have been murdered and another 3,000 maimed by indiscriminate Israeli bombardment in Gaza. What is frightening is the fact that more than 50% of the victims are women and children. As the conflict continues the death toll among civilians will rise further. The hospitals are already over stretched to help the thousands of injured residents of Gaza as they stream in. They are running out of medicines and live saving drugs. It is truly a gigantic humanitarian crisis.

Gaza is a tightly packed area. In fact, one of the most dense areas in the world with over 100,000 people compressed into one square kilometer. Gaza is totally surrounded and enclosed by Israel. Which means nothing can go in or out without Israel’s permission. Gaza citizens are virtually imprisoned by Israel for the most part of this decade. Since 2007, Israel has not even let Palestinian Authority have any control over the area by their strict blockade. In short, Israel has not only caused a human rights violation but has provoked Hamas to take matters in their own hands. Imprisonment of free people and a nation by Israel in Gaza is analogous to a Nazi concentration camp. How can we let such a heinous crime go on for so long?

Israel has broken away and stalled from more peace talks than any other nation in the Middle East. They have failed to recognize Palestine and given them the right to live peacefully according to Oslo agreement of 1993 recognized by all parties including Israel itself. They have also not given back any territory to Palestine or accepted their right to live in their homeland. Today, Israel is using all its powers to stall United Nations from taking any positive action in implementing a ceasefire. It is once again proving without doubt that Israel is not interested in peace but only in a complete carnage and annihilation of Palestinian people.

Did you know that Israel has failed to acknowledge or live up to 90% of all United Nations resolutions in the Middle East. They have actually worked with their allies like US to block or veto them if they would ever reach the security council. Israel, does not want peace. They are seeking a war and war in which they would annihilate every living soul within Middle East.

Israel has let only 80 trucks with food, fuel and medicines into Gaza since the conflict began. Let me repeat, only 80 trucks for a population of over one million. So how long does Israel expect each human to live and eat? One bread per person for a whole week! No fuel, no medicines to treat thousands of sick, maimed and injured Palestinians. And of course, as no one can go to work due to the imposed war, how do the citizens earn a living? Truly, it is a sad state of affairs and a humongous humanitarian crisis.

There is no electricity, no water, no basic amenities for the citizens of Gaza since the conflict began in the last week of December. For the past two weeks the people have been starved, battered and pushed to the limit. The peaceful citizens have no place to run. They are imprisoned from all sides and are being targeted by the Israeli war machinery whose only aim is a genocide.

For every one Israeli dead, there are over 150 Palestinian dead. These numbers will only rise as Israel continues its illegal invasion of Gaza. They have even surpassed all terrorists in killing the highest number of civilians in a shortest possible time using government machinery. They are definitely the worst terrorists in Middle East. And the only nation not serious about peace in the whole region.

Those who continue to support this war and Israeli policies are but analogous to being termed as Nazis. Israeli government is bordering on becoming the modern Hitler to the people of Palestine. It is ironic that they are resorting to such Gestapo tactics of Nazi regime as they were the original victims.

Such irresponsible wars will not bring peace to the region. It will create yet more disgruntled and angry youth, who will take up arms and resort to violence to overcome the tyranny of Israel.

The world is standing by and doing nothing. Bush administration, as has been their policy of promoting death and destruction in the Middle East, has no intention to help the Palestinians but what about the rest of the world? Their intention to veto in United Nations Security Council gives us a clear indication that they would rather see death and destruction than peace in Middle East. Russians, Europeans and Arab leadership has done nothing except lip service. Even Chinese government has been quiet. The world is watching in horror as this holocaust is allowed to continue unabated.

One wrong does not make another right. If Hamas is being termed as the aggressor, the past two weeks have shown Israel is no different. Rather they are worse than Hamas as they murder and injure thousands of civilians. They deserve the same treatment as any terrorist organization.

Prime Minister of Israel should be charged with war crimes and be tried in the international court of justice. Every single general in the Israeli war machinery be tried in the same manner as were the Nazi military leadership after World War 2. Anything less will not be acceptable.

 

 

For the fourth consecutive day, Israel attacked Gaza with missiles from its fighter jets killing hundreds of Palestinians and wounding thousands.

Israel claims that they are doing so in retaliation for the World War II – vintage rockets fired by the Palestinians into Israel proper. From the hundreds of rockets fired, less than 5 were killed in Israel.

The Israelis, in their infamous double talk, claims they are not fighting the Palestinians but merely the Hamas party. But the Palestinians voted the Hamas into power in a clean, democratic election.

WHERE ARE THE ARABS?

How can the rich Arabs, especially the Gulf Arabs, sleep in their huge soft beds and downy pillows knowing fully well that their brothers in Gaza are being slaughtered by the Israelis.

The people in Gaza are prisoners in their own land. They could not cross the borders. And worse, for almost two years now, they could hardly get any food and basic necessities because of the Israeli blockade. They have been under siege for so long. The international humanitarian organizations have been calling the world’s attention to the plight of the people in Gaza to no avail.

Hamas is justified in sending their antiquated rockets to Israel, if only to attract the world’s attention.

ISRAEL’S ENEMY IS NOT HAMAS

When Egypt’s Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel’s Menahem Begin, it was a great betrayal of the Arab people. After Egypt, Israel made peace with Jordan and other Arab states. The poor Palestinian Arabs were left to fend for themselves.

But the Palestine problem is not just a Palestinian problem. It is an Arab problem. There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation or Jordanian nation or Kuwaiti or Saudi nation. These are just socio-demographic constructions of the West. There is only the Arab nation, which is a part of the Muslim Nation or Ummah.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait and the Americans were calling for Iraqis to return to the border, former British Prime Minister Edward Heath asked, ‘Which border?’. He explained that he was one of those who created those ‘borders’.

The Divide-and-Conquer strategy has been used very wisely by the Israelis. They make peace with some Arabs while making war with others (Lebanon, Palestine). In their usual duplicitous way, Israel attacked Gaza while pretending to negotiate a peace pact with Syria. As the Foreign Minister of Turkey Ali Babacan said, “"To make war on the Israeli-Palestinian track and at the same time make peace on the Israeli-Syrian track — these two cannot go together." (Israel bombs Gaza in ‘all-out war’ on Hamas)

TIME FOR ARABS TO ACT

With America and Europe in the midst of recession, the Arabs, especially the oil-rich ones, are in a very powerful position. In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War (the 4^th Arab-Israeli war), the Arabs used their oil as weapons. They announced that they were not selling oil to any country supporting Israel (like the US and the Philippines).

Today, they can still use the same weapon plus one more. They have the money – trillions of dollars in reserves. They can remove their massive investments in the West. They can stop trading with countries supporting Israel. They can even stop employing people from countries supporting Israel.

The rich Arab leaders must act soon before their citizens will throw them out of their mansions. These Muslim leaders must be reminded of what Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam said in his inaugural speech. The Caliph declared:

“Behold me charged with the cares of government. I am not the best among you; I need all of your advice and all of your help. If I do well, support me; if I err, counsel me. To speak the truth to one who is commissioned to rule is allegiance, to conceal it is treason.

In my sight, the powerful and the weak are alike, and to both I wish to render justice.

As I obey Allah and His Prophet, obey me. If I neglect the Laws of God and of the Prophet, I have no more right to your obedience.”

It is high time for the Muslim peoples of the world to tell their leaders to stop playing footsies with the leaders of the West and help their own people, especially the weak and the oppressed like the poor Palestinians who have been suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune since the birth of the nation-state called Israel.

According to news reports, Saudi King Abdullah declared in a speech in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the Eid al-Adha: “ Today we are in need of dialogue within the Muslim Ummah itself…sedition, ignorance, and fanaticism constitute obstacles that are threatening the hopes of Muslims.”

According to As-sharq Al-awsat, “King Abdulaziz, stressed that terrorism, which is threatening the entire world, and which is being attributed to Muslims alone, ‘is caused by extremists who represent no one but themselves even if they put on an Islamic character. Islam is innocent of their acts.’”

ISLAM IS INNOCENT BUT THE ARAB KINGS AND SHEIKHS ARE NOT

Of course Islam is innocent. But the Saudi King and his royal cohorts in Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf are not. They are GUILTY of bowing down to the whims and caprices of George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Gordon, Merkel and Olmert and the other leaders of the Western world. They are guilty of not protesting, and even supporting the killing of millions of Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, including in Mindanao, in the name of “the War on Terror”.

If indeed  the "extremists who represent no one but themselves", then why do millions of Muslims in the world have to suffer? For a handful of Saudi Arabs who ALLEGEDLY "attacked" America in 9/11, why do whole populations in Afghanistan and Iraq have to suffer? Why should Muslims all over the world be held suspect and their human rights trampled upon in the name of "Security"?

These nouveau riche Arabs who now call themselves kings and princes simply amass wealth for their personal gains, give no assistance to hundreds of millions of Muslims in the world who are steeped in poverty or are living under an oppressive majority or are under constant suspicion of being “terrorists”.

These Arab rulers continue to shore up the flagging economy of the West by massive investments in the US and Europe. They hardly invest in fellow Muslim countries like Pakistan and Indonesia or even in fellow Arab but poor countries like Egypt and Tunisia.

WAR ON TERROR IS WAR ON ISLAM

There is no mistaking about it; the War on Terror is a War on Islam. George W. Bush called it a CRUSADE. But the Saudi King and his clan, including his relatives the Bin Ladens (they are related by affinity) and the ruling clans in the Gulf countries already chose which side they belong. They chose the side of George W. Bush and his sidekick, Tony Blair. The Saudi King, therefore, has no business in calling for a “Dialogue within the Ummah”.

Because of their huge money reserves, these Gulf Arab rulers are very powerful. In today’s financial crisis, they could make or break Western economies. But instead of using their power to promote Muslim interests and the human rights of Muslims all over the world, they keep quiet and let the West’s financial brokers do what they want with their (Arab oil) money.

Perhaps it would be more proper for the Saudi King to first call a Dialogue within his extended clan, which would include Osama Bin Laden himself. After that, he could call a Dialogue with other Arab Gulf countries’ rulers and preferably do some soul-searching.

They should ask themselves, are they still part of the Ummah?

Yesterday, Carmen Pedrosa in her opinion column in the Philippine Star daily newspaper wrote:

Combined search for peace and identity
FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa
Sunday, October 19, 2008

Of the many things said about the unfortunate Supreme Court decision on the MOA-AD, my favorites come from two sources: one from a Muslim, Jamal Ashley Yahya Abbas and the other from Lourdes Mastura, a Christian, married to Muslim Mike Mastura who was part of the panel in the KL meetings.

I like what both of them said and would like them to know that I have followed their suggestions. From Jamal Abbas I have embarked on a reading program on Filipino identity. My bedtime reading is the Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino by William Henry Scott and Filipino Prehistory by E. [sic] Landa Jocano. I confess that my convent education did not include this search. It is his thesis that our search for identity and peace settlement with the Bangsamoro can only be achieved if both Christians and Muslims discover their commonality when they fought colonialism.

Lourdes, I know personally, and take her cue that the Mindanao problem should be more widely known and understood. And may I add especially among media.

One reader of my column in the Internet reminded me that when Apolinario Mabini wrote those words of wisdom (placing more importance to principles than to constitutions) circumstances then were different. Oh? I will argue against that but it will take a book. The primacy of fundamental principles over a constitution especially a flawed one was true then as it is true now and it has nothing to do with 2010.

Another asked why we need to change the Constitution to accommodate a peace settlement. He ought to read up on the history of the peace process and answer his own question.

By the way, I have also taken up the seven volume The Philippine Insurrection against the United States by John R. M. Taylor to complement my search for Filipino identity. It may interest you to know that the documents compiled in the book give a good portrayal of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and his role in the history of our nation building.

 

 I am indeed very glad that Ms. Pedrosa, an influential member of Philippine society, has taken to heart my suggestion that there is a need to revisit history in search of the Indio-Filipino and Moro-Filipino identities in order to have lasting peace in the country. In my 7-part post, Quest for Peace and Identity, I wrote:

This paper will attempt to show that the Filipinos’ quests for Identity and Peace should be pursued together for only a clear and comprehensive understanding of the Christian Filipinos’ quest for Identity and the Moros’ desire to reclaim their sovereign Identity separate from the rest of the Filipinos can there be true peace in the land. And only a thorough understanding of history by all parties can bring about the needed change.

 

To achieve peace in Mindanao, there must be a clamor by the population. For that to happen, the average Filipino must understand the real circumstances surrounding the issue. They must understand the motivations behind every group. And to understand the real issues, one must go back to history.

 

 However, I also wrote:

 Philippine historiography is not exactly in a good state. Skeptics have categorized historians as those who lie, those who are mistaken and those who do not know. (Gilderhus1996) It is quite unfortunate that much of Philippine history was written by those in the first two categories. With regards to the Moros, Spanish historians (writing about Moro history) belonged to the first category; American historians belonged to the first and second; and Filipino historians belonged to all categories.

I suggested a new approach in historiography called microhistory. But for the non-historians, I suggest that they go book-hunting in libraries here and abroad. They must also try to analyze who the author is / was, his prejudices and biases, the circumstances surrounding the publication and most importantly, verify his facts.

I think it was Napoleon who said that "history is  fiction, with varying degrees of accuracy."

If I may suggest, I believe the starting point should be Antonio Pigafetta’s eyewitness account of Magellan’s "discovery" of the Islands and the "official" start of Filipino history. There are English translations and microfiche copies at the National Library. It is imperative that every Filipino should know that the Philippine natives did not just bow down to the conquistadors. They fought and massacred them.

Lapu-Lapu started the fight and killed Magellan. And then, what is not told to Filipinos for the last 500 years was that Rajah Humabon invited the conquistadors for a farewell meal and then massacred them. Only the handful who were left at the ship managed to escape. Pigafetta himself was lucky because he was wounded at the Battle of Mactan and therefore remained on the ship.The Spaniards did not come back until 50 years later.

Thus, from the very beginning, the Philippine indigenous peoples fought for freedom and homeland. They did not meekly bow down and accepted the foreigners’ beliefs. 

And 50 years later, the Islands’ natives again fought for Freedom led by the young Rajah Suleiman of Manila.

A re-reading of history might show that all the Philippine revolts written in history books as mere side stories or footnotes might actually represent the actual state of things then, especially in the eyes of the masses.

Any Indio-Filipino who would write a history of Mindanao since the Republic’s independence (1945) might show only the peaceful side with the Moro revolution as mere side story. Yet a Moro historian would probably show the Moro rebellion as the major thread in the Mindanao account.

Let me list down some of the other books that I recommend for those interested:

Majul, Cesar Adib (1973) Muslims in the Philippines Quezon City: UP Press

Laarhoven, Ruurdje (1989) The Triumph of Moro Diplomacy : The Maguindanao Sultanate in the 17th Century Quezon City: New Day Publishers

Che Man, W.K. (1990)  Muslim Separatism: The Moros of Southern Philippines and the Malays of Southern Thailand, Quezon City: AdM U Press

Dery, Luis Camara(1997) The Kris in Philippine History: A Study of the Impact of Moro Anti-Colonial Resistance 1571-1896 (self-published?)

Ileto, Reynaldo C.(1979) Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines 1840-1910, Ateneo de Manila University Press: QC

Rouvier, Gaston (1899) The War in the Philippines (1896-1898) in The War in the Philippines: As Reported by Two French Journalists translated by E. Aguilar Cruz (1994), Manila:National Historical Institute

Tan, Samuel (1973), The Muslim Armed Struggle in the Philippines, 1900-1941(PhD dissertation, Graduate School of Syracuse Univ, NY)

Here are excerpts from an article in Mindanews titled SC rules 8-7 vs MOA-AD; MILF panel says "SC ruling does not stop armed confllict":

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 October) – The Supreme Court has ruled as unconstitutional by a vote of 8-7, the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), abs-cbnnews.com reported.

“The minority’s position was to declare the anti-MOA petitions as moot since the Palace has already decided not to pursue the signing of the agreement following a public backlash. This would have given the Palace a graceful exit, if not, defeat,” abs-cbnnews.com said…

 Calling the SC decision “a triumph of the people,” North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol, who first filed the petition for a TRO hailed the SC ruling, referring to today as “an extra-ordinary day in our lives in savoring what for us is a manifestation of a long cherished belief that power truly resides in the people.”…

…“There is no problem (for the MILF). We are not part of the case. The Supreme Court is not a party to the MOA-AD. But GRP remains a party and is bound by it.” he said.

“The ruling is an indication that this country can’t put its act together. MILF is right to never negotiate on the basis of the Constitution.  It is not a level playing field,” Iqbal said.

Lawyer Datu Michael Mastura, told MindaNews he doesn’t have a copy of the Supreme Court ruling and has not seen a copy of the ruling  but “either way, the bottomline is that the SC decision does not resolve the armed conflict.”…

…“We really need an international guarantee, protocol. Whatever is negotiated should be implemented,” Mastura said. 

Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus, said, “I guess that’s it. That’s the end of the peace process as far as this government is concerned. The Supreme Court has just foreclosed all possible peaceful means of resolving the armed conflict in Mindanao.”

Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, said the Supreme Court ruling “puts to an end efforts of the Bangsamoro people to seek domestic remedies to the historical and moral injustices committed against them.”

“Staying with the Republic of the Philippines now becomes untenable, and separation appears as the only viable option left to the Bangsamoro people,” Lingga said.

The SC ruling, he added, is setting a “bad precedent in the use of negotiations in conflict resolutions. It is disincentive to those who fight governments to negotiate if what are agreed upon are thrown to the trash can.”

 From (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)

 *****************************************

I suppose it is now pretty clear that the Indio-Filipino people as represented by its three branches of government — the Executive, Legislative (especially the Senate) and Judiciary — do not want peace in Mindanao if it entails giving the Bangsa Moro any semblance of dignity as a people distinct from the Indio-Filipinos or any square kilometer of additional territory or autonomy greater than the existing sham autonomy "enjoyed" by the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

So now, where do we go from here?

As I have known all along, the MILF – GRP peace negotiations would amount to nothing. For the past three years, the very term “peace process” came to mean the MILF- GRP peace talks. Peace talks with other groups like the MNLF or the NPA-NDF were not included in this quite exclusive “peace process.” Finally, this “peace process” has been revealed to be nothing but a sham.

Like the Tripoli Agreement or the Jakarta Accord, the Philippine government has absolutely no plans whatsoever of implementing any agreements with the Moros. Even if the MILF – GRP Memorandum Of Agreement on Ancestral Domain were signed in Malaysia, it would never have passed muster at the Congress or at the Supreme Court. No way.

FEAR AND HATRED OF MOROS

Three hundred and fifty years of Spanish indoctrination, fifty years of American propaganda and 50 more years of Filipino misinformation have inculcated in the minds of the Indios-Filipinos that the Moros are “heathens and infidels”, that “a good Moro is a dead Moro,” that “a terrorist is a Muslim unless proven otherwise,” etc.

In 1991, Mr. Alfonso Felix, Jr. was the President of the Historical Conservation Society. The members of the Society at that time included Alejandro Melchor, Jesus Lazatin, Antonio Araneta, Jr., Enrique Syquia, Ernesto Aboitiz, Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., Antonio Concepcion, Francisco Elizalde, O.D. Corpuz, etc. – a veritable Who’s Who among the Filipino elite. Mr. Felix obtained copies of certain historical documents from the Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid and proudly reported it to the Society.

In his Report and Acknowledgement speech of Aug. 28, 1991 in Manila, he let it all hang out. His prejudices and biases against the Moros and Muslims, in general, knew no bounds.

About Islam, he said: “…there seems to be in Islam something that pushes its adherents to a delight in the pain of others. The names of Genghis Khan and Tamerlaine are too well-known to need further comment.”

His hatred for Muslims is evident. He said: “Let us take the case of Salman Rushdie whom the Holy Ayatollah condemned to death and who is now living in hiding. Unfortunately, the British have gone soft. If they had made it clear to the Iranians that the death of Salman Rushdie would result in the destruction of Teheran, the Iranians would think twice before inflicting their religion on civilized countries.”

He called Moros names like “devils in human form” or citizens “of the Republic of Mad Dogs” or “reptiles”.  He obviously believed that the Moro Wars is not yet over.  And his recommendation: “I do not think Christian Filipinos are afraid of Moros. A modern army equipped with the weapons of today and above all with the will to use them will soon cause the Moros to reconsider. When the Italians used poison gas in Ethiopia in 1935 many Ethiopians were exterminated and the liberals of the world found themselves in tears. I do not find poison gas used against Ethiopians deplorable.”

In his speech, he counseled the then President Aquino thus: “I invite our President, Her Excellency Da. Corazon Cojuangco vda. de Aquino to reflect on my words for I feel I am expressing with these words the opinion of the majority of  Filipino peasants and Filipino soldiers.”

(See Episodes of the Moro Wars, General History of the Philippine, Part III, Volume II, Manila: Historical Conservation Society, Folio LIV, 1991 )

Ever since the Philippine government’s undeclared all-out war against the MILF and the resurrection of the notorious ILAGA (Ilonggo Land Grabbers Association), the ilaga supporters have been sending comments (to my other blogs, not to this blog, so far) and hate emails, like the one below:

From: Elmer Manejero <elmermanejero@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Subject: DEATH TO ALL ISLAM AND SHAME ON MOHAMMED OF MEDINA

1) I WAS BORN AND RAISE UP IN TUPI, SOUTH COATABATO.

2) I AM CONVERSANT IN COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE WHICH AS FOLLOWS:
a) ARABIC
b) TAUSOG
c)  MARANAW

3)  I AM AN ILONGO AND MEMBER OF ILAGA IN 1970′S AND I KILLED A LOT
OF MOROS IN COTABATO, LANAO DEL SUR AND LANAO DEL NORTE AND INFACT
I USUALLY EAT THIER EARS.

4)  YOU CANNOT ACCEPT THAT ISLAM IS IRRELEVANT TODAY BECAUSE
MOHAMMED OF MEDINA, SAUDI ARABIA DECEIVE YOU, HE PRETEND TO BE
A PROPHET BUT INFACT HE IS A HOLIGAN, THIEF AND PROPET OF TERROR
HE SPREAD YOUR NON-SENSE RELIGION BY SWORD AND FIRE NOT BY LOVE.

NOW I CHALLENGE YOU ALL MOROS AND I AM READY TO FACE YOU ANYTIME
AND I WANT TO SHOUT TO THE WHOLE WORLD THAT ISLAM IS HYPORCITE, PRETENDING TO BE RELIGIOUS, PRAYING 5 TIMES A DAY BUT DEEP IN YOUR INNER CORE YOU ARE ALL DEVILS LIKE YOUR MOHAMED OF MEDINA, YOU ARE ALL KILLERS,
DUBIOUS.

IF YOU ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE IN FIGHTING, GUN DUEL, KRIS/TABAK FIGHTING
YOU CAN COME TO MY PLACE, AS I SAID I AM READY.

ELMER MANEJERO (FULL BLOODED ILONGO ” ILAGA”) READY TO ANHILATE
ALL MUSLIM IN THE MINDANAO, LUZON, VISAYAS AND METROMANILA.

 

ELMER MANEJERO
N0.5 VIOLET STREET, PILAR VILLAGE, ALMANZA, LAS PINAS CITY,
METROMANILA
TEL NO. 801 4611

 

And so, from the scum to the cream of Indio-Filipino society, the hatred for Muslims and Moros is evident.

HOPEFUL MILF

Since hope springs eternal, the MILF was naively hopeful that the Philippine government would actually implement whatever is negotiated with them in the peace talks.

It is a blessing in disguise that the opposition politicians got wind of the MOA before it was formally signed in Malaysia. The sound and fury unleashed by the Filipino politicians, the ILAGAS and their supporters have shown to all and sundry – including the foreign Muslims – how the majority of the Filipinos really feel about the Moros. The foreign Muslims, especially the Arabs, should take note of the real feelings of Filipinos with regards to Muslims in general.

END OF PEACE PROCESS

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, bowing down to popular demand, has scrapped the government peace panel, junked the MOA, and practically declared the end of the peace process – especially with particular armed groups like the MILF.

Moreover, the President has announced her new approach to the peace process – DDR before anything else. Disarmament – Demobilization – Rehabilitation is the new slogan of the government. This is a euphemism for TOTAL SURRENDER.

As Atty. Malang noted in a TV interview, no self-respecting liberation army will agree to those conditions before any peace agreements.

So what and where does that leave the MILF; and for that matter, the MNLF, whose own peace agreement (the Jakarta Accord) still needs to be implemented in its second and third phases?

And more importantly, where do we, of the Bangsa Moro, go from here? Quo vadis, Bangsa Moro?