Dialogue urged re giving of ‘Maranao Bible’ to Marawi evacuees
The same leaders are urging a dialogue to arrest any complication that may arise from the act.
The Bibles came with every hygiene pack distributed to home-based evacuees in Ceanuri Subdivision in Tubod village here. Each pack contains a bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush, making the Holy Book the most prominent stuff.
Relief packs distributed to Marawi evacuees in an evacuation center in Iligan City Thursday were later found to include Bibles and Bible story magazines in Maranao language. Peace advocates and Muslim religious leaders want a dialogue on this to avoid any complication that may arise. MindaNews photo by RYAN D. ROSAURO
Ustadz Abdul Karim Ambor, former president of the Iligan League of Imams, said the evacuees did not immediately discover the Bibles as these were part of the goods contained in plastic bags. They found out only when they opened the relief packs.
In lieu of Bibles, some packs contained magazines on the Bible story of the fisherman, also in Maranao language.
When told about the Bibles, Ambor, who lives and runs a madrasah in Ceanuri Subdivision, said he asked that these be given to him for safekeeping.
The Maranao translated Bible had the phrase “So Sindaw” (The Light) on its cover.[]
No one has come forward to say they distributed the Bibles. Some evacuees only remember the donors as a group led by a certain Pastor Solaiman.
Abelardo Moya of the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI) said the act “transgresses some cultural and religious sensibilities.”
He noted that various Christian denominations have been doing humanitarian relief work in the same area, “even earning the trust of Maranaos to prepare food for them but never had such thought entered their minds.”
“This must be dealt with soonest. Now that this has happened, it is best seen as an opportunity to dialogue,” Moya added.
“This is simply exploiting people in times of crisis,” the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said in a statement, noting that a similar act happened in the aftermath of the Zamboanga siege in 2013.
“What makes the reports this time very sensational and particular was that the Bible was not an ordinary one written in standard English; it is a translation of it in Maranao language, which means that there is a deliberate plan to convert non-Christians to Christianity,” the MILF said.[]
“It also means that it is a long-term missionary program. Thus, we expect more and more of this problem in the future,” the group added.
The MILF said the incident is “an opportunity not to sour Muslim-Christian relations” and “a great opportunity to better the same.”
“We are sure that legitimate or mainstream religious groups both on the Christian and Muslim sides would never agree to such a cheap way to spread the messages of religion,” the MILF added. (Ryan D. Rosauro / MindaNews)
