Islamophobia, Marawi and the Bangsa Moro

Remember, remember
Ramadhan 1438
2017 May to November
Such Islamophobic hate
with False Flag Terror
of Treachery and Plot
We know of no reason for
Marawi’s rape to ever be forgot!

Because of the Gaza Genocide, most of the world now understand what Islamophobia means, if they still haven’t understood it despite decades of the West’s “War on Terror” (read War on Islam).

According to Wikipedia, “Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.”

For the Moros (or Muslims in the Philippines), we have known Islamophobia for a very long time — 350 years with the Spaniards and Indios (Christianized natives of the Philippine Islands); plus almost 50 years with the Americans and Filipinos (formerly called Indios); in addition to almost 75 years with non-Muslim Filipinos (or the Christian dominant majority) since the Republic after World War II.

The Spaniards’ propaganda was extensive, exemplified by the theatrical play moro-moro which featured Christian Spaniards as heroes and the Muslim Moros as the villains. As late as the 1890s, the Spaniards called for a CRUSADE against the Moros. The American propaganda was just as hideous, usually calling Moros as Outlaws and Uncivilized. The phrase “a good Moro is a dead Moro” was popularized by a US-based newspaper. The Christian-dominated Republic continued to paint Moros as bandits and outlaws in children’s school textbooks, movies, and mass media. **

When I was in grade school in the mid 1960s to 1970, some Filipinos refused to believe that I was a Moro from Mindanao because I was not dark-skinned, was quite harmless-looking, and could speak Tagalog well. They have this notion that Moros are dark, scary-looking, always ready to kill, and speak with a funny accent. When I was in high school, when asked what Moros usually do, I used to answer that we like cutting people’s heads off. And the non-Muslim Filipinos believed me!!

GENOCIDE and MASSACRES

In late 1960s and early 1970s, the military conducted series of massacres of Moros, as well as aiding and abetting the Christian settlers in Mindanao to kill and massacre Moros, much like what Zionist settlers do in the West Bank in Palestine today, but on a bigger scale. Fortunately, the Moro political leaders formed their own militias and fought back.

Sometime in 1972, my brother Macapanton Abbas, Jnr., who was Secretary-General of the National Coordinating Council for Islamic Affairs (NACCIA), Union of Islamic Forces Organization (UIFO), and Islamic Directorate of the Philippines (IDP) and President of the Moro Youth National Assembly (MYNA), among others, presented to the Organization of Islamic Conference, now renamed Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC the situation of the the Moros. My brother’s presentation accused the Philippine military and government of Genocide. The OIC, after investigation, acknowledged the Moro situation; and Libya’s Qadaffi agreed to fund the Moro revolution. And so the modern-day Moro revolution occurred.

PEACE AGREEMENTS

In 1976, President Marcos sued for peace. Thus, the Tripoli Agreement and Ceasefire was signed between the Philippine government and MNLF. But the implementation was a joke.

In the 1990s, the Jakarta Accord or The Final Peace Agreement was signed and the supposedly autonomous region was again established. It turned out to be a failure. The Supreme Court gave the judicial opinion that the so-called Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was NOT autonomous at all. It may be the Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) but not with the other Moros.

With the MNLF being cozy with the government, the rival Moro group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF was steadily gaining members and weapons. So, in the year 2000, then President Joseph Ejercito ordered an “all-out war” against the MILF. The military captured the rebel group’s main camp as well as its satellite camps.

But MILF did not disappear. On the contrary, it became stronger by being dispersed into smaller units. It became more suited to guerilla warfare. It was President Ejercito who disappeared — he was kicked out of Malacanang and imprisoned for graft and corruption charges.

MILF kept on getting stronger such that the Philippine government had to sign peace agreements with it. In 2008, President Arroyo was set to sign the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the MILF and the Philippine government. The two groups already initialed the agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the presence of foreign dignitaries. Instead of the ARMM, an expanded area would be given to be called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

But the ugly head of Islamophobia rose into full force. The Christian majority raised a hue and cry over the agreement, and a media blitz was launched against it. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional.

When President Noynoy Aquino ran for the presidency, so many Moros supported him. They were all gung-ho in finally getting the much coveted real autonomy. A Framework Agreement was signed with the MILF and a new law, the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was to be enacted. The President was still enjoying his popularity so the Muslim-haters could not make their move.

But then came the Mamapasano incident where a group of Philippine military and police entered MILF territory without letting the MILF know in advance, as per their agreement. The troops were supposed to arrest a Malaysian terrorist wanted by the USA. The MILF cadres naturally defended themselves, which resulted into the deaths of 44  Special Action Force (SAF) soldiers, 18 MILF cadres, 5 Moro civilians and the Malaysian wanted by the US government.

This event was what the Islamophobes were waiting for. They raised another hue and cry from the Christian majority which stalled the passing of the BBL.


Pres. Aquino naively asked the public to demand to their congressmen/women to pass the BBL. Islamophobia was not just in Congress, it was in the whole country!

Another populist candidate was swept into the Presidency in 2016. Many Moros, esp. those allied with the Left, supported the new president. But in May 23, 2017, the most unexpected thing happened.

RAPE OF MARAWI

A group of armed men belonging to a Moro clan with a feud with the military went around Marawi City carrying ISIS flags and announcing through a megaphone that they were ISIS members.  The Manila-based radio and TV networks immediately interviewed the military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla and other military officers. They all said that there were no ISIS members in Mindanao or in the Philippines. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año himself assured everyone that Marawi was “under control” and that the Maute group numbered around 50 only.

And just a few hours after the announcements of the generals, Duterte, who was in Russia, suddenly declared that ISIS was in the Philippines and he declared Martial Law all over Mindanao. None of the intelligence agencies provided him with any reports of ISIS presence. In fact, the military officers who were with him in Russia told him there was no ISIS in the country. Maybe he got the idea from Mr. Putin or Mr. Medvedev.

With Martial Law declared, the Moros knew that the military would soon bomb the place, as they are wont to do when there are threats. In fact, just some months before, the Philippine Air Force bombed Butig in their fight with the very same Maute clan. And so, the whole population of Marawi City evacuated to other provinces.

And a 5-month or so siege of Marawi City was imposed, with 50 or so armed men trapped inside the city. The Philippine government bombed the city to kingdom come, totally destroying homes, buildings, the business center, mosques, infrastructure, etc.. The magic word ‘ISIS’ gave the government the license to kill and destroy a city. And when the military declared victory and entered the city, they looted the buildings, shops, and homes. And for some months more, the residents of the district that suffered most, called Ground Zero, were not allowed to return to what was left of their homes and, shops and offices.

Islamophobia was again at its highest during those 5 months or so of bombing. Even the good ole USA was there helping with advisers and drones. Duterte, who was very critical of the US government expressed surprise when the newspapers published photos of American jets and soldiers in Lanao. He was probably told that the US help would be kept secret.

CHANGING NARRATIVES

At the start of the crisis on May 23, 2017, the generals interviewed on national TV said there were only about fifty (50) Maute people together with some Abu Sayyaf men. They said that the AFP initiated the encounter with that group; but everything was under control.

But of course, bombings could not continue for months if the enemy just numbered 50 or so. Pretty soon, the numbers ballooned to hundreds. And then there were reports of foreigners fighting alongside the Mautes.

But the strangest of all was President Duterte claiming, in the middle of the siege, that one of his cousins died with the Mautes. And that he saw a truckload of his relatives going to Marawi to get the body of his cousin.

In a dinner party at Malacanang celebrating the Feast after Ramadhan or Eid al-Fitr with Moro guests, Duterte said: “I am also bleeding like you. That is why I don’t what to talk about (the fighting) even in the Cabinet, because I feel pain. I have cousins there in the Maute,” Mr. Duterte said.

The President himself, saw a truckload of people going to Marawi in the middle of a siege, and he told the military to let them in because they were his relatives! “They went there … one truck,” he said. The President said he had had urged his cousins, some of whom went there for “for the sake of adventure,” not to join the fight.”

Hahaha! He had cousins fighting among so-called terrorists; yet he ordered his military to bomb them for 5 months or so!!! There was absolutely no attempt at negotiations. He declared Martial Law on Day 1. And worse, he even allowed a truckload of his relatives to enter the siege and join the alleged terrorists! And everyone — the people, the media, and even the military and the world — thought that Duterte having cousins fighting with the Mautes is a normal thing. And allowing a truckload of people to enter the city in the middle of a siege is a normal thing!? In effect, they were reinforcements! And sent by no less than the President whose army was laying siege on the enemy!

FAKE NARRATIVE

In today’s Age of Information Revolution, Misinformation and/or Disinformation is the name of the game. Nowadays, it is more commonly known as Fake News. The mis-/disinformation starts with a narrative derived from a meta narrative and proceeds with misleading or outright false details,

Since the West’s War on Terror, the meta narrative is that Muslims all over the world are prone to terrorism, whether they are legitimate revolutionary movements or newly formed groups or even misguided individuals.

The West’s biggest bogeymen was the Al-Qaeda. All Muslim revolutionary groups were immediately tagged as affiliated with Al-Qaeda. For quite some, Philippine media had been tagging MILF and the Abu Sayyaf Group as affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

With the demise of Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda’s popularity as the West’s bogeyman declined. It was replaced by ISIS or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria also known as ISIL or Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Although Mindanao is nowhere near Iraq, Syria or the Levant, the Philippine government and military insist that Moro insurgents are affiliated with Al-Qaeda before, and later, with ISIS.

To justify attacking with excessive force one Moro clan, the Mautes are alleged to be allied with ISIS. And the former leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, allegedly affiliated with al-Qaeda, Isnilon Hapilon, suddenly became the leader of ISIS and was supposed to be an ISIS Emir (leader or Prince) of Southeast Asia). The patriarch of the Mautes, an engineer, was considered harmless but his wife was alleged to be the financier of the group and their two sons were the actual commanders. The two sons went to a religious university in Egypt and were former members of the MILF and whose first cousin was the widow of the late MILF vice chair Abdul Aziz Mimbantas.

The Mautes’ hometown is Butig, 49 kilometers away from Marawi. It was also the site of MILF’s second largest camp, Camp Bushra. As mentioned earlier, the military bombed the town to flush out the Maute clan just a few months prior.

And so the meta narrative is that Muslim groups considered “jihadist” (whatever that means) are terrorists. And local groups like the Mautes or Abu Sayyaf are necessarily terrorists. The detailed misinformation is that the Mautes had formed an alliance with Abu Sayyaf leader Hapilon, who became, from out of the blue, an Emir (leader or Prince) of the ISIS Islamic Caliphate.

The narrative is that Armed Forces of the Philippines needed to defend itself against world-class terrorists. And they needed to destroy the terrorists immediately before the Moro people will join them. This is much like the two mantras of Netanyahu — to destroy the enemy (Hamas) completely and (the right) to defend itself. And the Philippine and Western media lapped it up.

Not a pipsqueak of protest was heard from international organizations or the U.N. The ASEAN heads of state even met in the Philippines, but the bombing of Marawi was not part of the discussion. Nobody talked of indiscriminate bombing, or the use of excessive force. On the contrary, US sent weapons, spy planes, drones and even advisers to the Philippine military.

Some countries gave millions of dollars worth of aid for the displaced populace. But to whom would they give them? There were no huge evacuation centers. The people of Marawi went to other provinces and lived with their relatives there. The government did not provide for them at all. It is not publicly known where all those money went.

Incidentally, after the bombings, when the people were allowed to go back to Marawi, some food donations were distributed. There were lots of reports of the i-Maraween or Marawi people selling the canned goods they received to Christians in surrounding provinces at bargain prices. Apparently, the i-Maraween did not like the relief goods. Most probably, they were not halal,

At any rate, any critical thinker would realize that the great majority of the Moros would not join Al-Qaeda or ISIS or whatever new group because for decades now, the Moros have at least two Moro fronts – the MNLF and MILF – fighting for their rights. And the Moros had learned that fighting the government entails a lot of funding. which no new group could afford. The MNLF was then well-funded by Libya’s Col. Qaddafi. MILF had huge donors, too, through the years.

Unfortunately, the supposed protectors of the Bangsa Moro people — its armed liberation fronts, the MNLF and MILF — became mute. All of a sudden, they became quiet, and submissive as lambs. Both had been promised by Duterte to lead or govern the new Moro autonomous region. These two groups did not want to jeopardize the deal. They sold out Marawi.
It was not difficult for them to do so as no civilians would be killed since the city had been evacuated. Secondly, most of the top leaders of both groups come from different ethnic groups than the people of Marawi and Lanao.

True to his promise to the Moro liberation fronts, President Duterte railroaded a new Bangsamoro Basic Law in Congress in 2018. This time, the Islamophobe leaders couldn’t find the right reason to stop the law’s enactment. Many of them were hanging on to the coattails of Duterte, so they couldn’t make any protests lest they would lose their lucrative jobs.

So, in 2019, President Duterte gave the Moros a new chance at autonomy with the creation of the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. This time, the region would be under the MILF, with the MNLF in a subordinate role. The region is officially acknowledged as a sub-state. It remains to be seen if this time, it will succeed.

Since 9/11 and the War On Terror, most Moros are deemed terrorist until proven otherwise, esp. by the media.

For a very long time (since 1571), the Moros have been confronted with Islamophobia, an all so real existential threat to their lives, properties, territories and identity.

After World War II, the Americans were seriously considering letting the European Jews settle in Mindanao. Good thing for the Moros, the Zionists and the Europeans (leaders of England and France) preferred to have Palestine as the home of the Jews instead of Mindanao.

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** See America and the Bangsa Moro Through The Years

also see Media Coverage of the Rape of Marawi