‘WE’VE MOVED UP TO ANOTHER LEVEL’ Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, delivering his Eid al-Adha message on Sunday, calls on officials and employees of the regional government to make sacrifices to achieve moral governance. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao, Philippines — Just as the Prophet Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail to prove his loyalty to God, leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) must also be ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their people, Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim said during Eid al-Adha celebration on Sunday.
Murad called on Bangsamoro leaders to strive for moral governance to fight corruption in the regional government and to stand fast for peace.
Desire for peace
“We have moved up to another level,” Murad said, referring to the signing of a peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government that led to the establishment of the BARMM.
“Our enemies are no longer the Armed Forces of the Philippines; in fact, we are already laying down our arms. We have shifted our struggle from an arm[ed one] to governance, moral governance,” Murad said in his Eid al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice) message during the congregational prayer presided over by the Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Abu Hurairah Udasan at the BARMM compound.
Murad called on employees and officials of the regional government to make personal sacrifices for moral governance.
He said President Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to correct historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro people showed his desire for peace.
About 3,000 Muslim faithful joined the congregational prayer, during which the grand mufti rallied the Bangsamoro to follow in the Prophet Mohammad’s footsteps in their daily life.
Murad also called on the Bangsamoro to pray for Muslims in difficult situations in different parts of the world.
“Let us not forget our brothers and sisters all over the world who are facing challenges in their lives and are in need of help,” he said.
“May the purity of our intentions in the struggle [for] attaining genuine peace and development [be] sustained,” he added.
Although Eid al-Adha was celebrated on Sunday, President Duterte declared Monday a holiday nationwide, giving workers in both the government and the public sectors a long weekend.
In the cities of Marawi and Iligan in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte, Care Foundation of Turkey slaughtered 2,500 calves and fed poor Muslims.
Thousands joined the congregational prayer, which started at 7 a.m. on Sunday in various mosques in the two provinces.
Care Foundation also fed poor Muslims in other parts of Mindanao.
“It is significant for us to celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice and remember the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim,” Mehmet Riza Derindag, the foundation president, said.
“The significance of Eid al-Adha is the story in the Quran and in the Bible that we sacrifice animals instead of killing one another,” he said.
Besides Marawi and Iligan, he said food was also distributed in Zamboanga, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City and Cotabato City.
“We wish and pray to Almighty God that we bring eternal peace in the Philippines and in the whole world,” Derindag said.
“Jesus says, ‘I will give you a new commandment, that you shall love one another.’ Prophet Mohammad says, ‘You cannot enter paradise without complete faith, you cannot have complete faith without loving one another.’ With this, we just pray that this will bring love, peace, understanding, harmony among Muslims and Christians in the world,” he said.