ARMM holds anti-terrorism, extremism summit

Cotabato City – Dozens of Ulama or Muslim scholars gathered in Zamboanga City for a two-day summit against violent extremism and terrorism organized by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the regional Darul Ifta and Majlish-Shura.

The summit opened on Friday for ulama in Zambaonga City and from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BASULTA) to come up with protocols in countering threats from militants espousing terrorism-bound religious extremism, the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information (BPI) said.

“Our aim here is to spread the true teachings of Islam. We are mobilizing the ulama to counter the threat of violent extremism,” ARMM regional governor Mujiv Hataman said.

The two-day summit also gathered Islamic scholars in Zamboanga City and the BASULTA corridor “for an exhaustive consultation on the pressing issue of violent extremism and terrorism” with hope to “reach a consensus on protecting the Muslim community, and determine the ulama’s role in curbing violent extremism,” the BPI said.

Part of the two-day summit was for ulama-participants to set guidelines and norms that will prevent misinterpretation of Islamic teachings by young militant Muslims to make people believe in their manner of enforcing religious tenets.

Summit participants were also asked to “craft plans and approaches on how to deal with violent extremism issues, develop ‘Risalatul Wasatan’ or call on moderation in teaching about Islam, and clear misconception on the negative labeling of Muslims in general,” the BPI said.

Hataman had invited top national officials, including Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and local government leaders, in the summit to help discuss the issue of violent extremism in a collective manner, the BPI said.

Event organizers said a similar summit is being contemplated for the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur as well as the cities of Marawi and Cotabato.