Inter-faith movements promote peace in the Philippines
For decades, a southern island in the Philippine archipelago has been mired in a bloody civil conflict that has killed many thousands of innocent people and displaced millions. But thanks to the efforts of two inter-faith peace organizations, there is hope for peace.
Christians, Muslims and other social groups on the impoverished island of Mindanao have banded together to talk peace, promote religious tolerance and establish an ongoing dialogue to diffuse religious tensions and hate.
In the Philippines, the only Christian-majority country in Asia, the vast majority of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics. Less than five per cent of the people are Muslims, most of whom live on Mindanao and two other southern islands.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Philippine's largest Muslim insurgent group, seeks to use violence to establish an autonomous Islamic state on Mindanao.
The MILF first took up arms in the 1960s and have been waging an ongoing guerrilla war against the Philippine government as well as the island's Christian community. Decades of violence has exacted a terrible toll on the population of Mindanao, killing more than 120,000 people and displacing two million.
The Silsilah Dialogue Movement and the Mindanao Peaceweavers are two of the most important peace groups on the war-torn island.
“The Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), currently representing the broadest network of peace advocates in Mindanao, serves as a platform for civil society organizations, grassroots communities engaging in the peace process," says Ruby Lora, manager of the conflict prevention program with Initiatives for International Dialogue, an international peace and human rights organization to which the Mindanao Peaceweavers belong.
“MPW promotes peace in various ways," Lora says. The group's activities include inter-faith dialogue, peace education and the promotion of a culture of peace.
The Mindanao Peaceweavers was established in May 2003 at a gathering of seven peace groups at Davao city. The organization's network includes Christian and Muslim groups, grassroots community organizations, human rights defenders and others.
The Mindanao Peaceweavers have attempted to build a consensus for peace by engaging in talks with both the government of the Philippines and the leadership of the MILF, Lora says.
In addition to building popular support for peace, the group seeks to ensure that civil society has a role in the peace process while establishing a common peace agenda.
To that end, last year the Mindanao Peaceweavers unveiled the Mindanao Peoples Peace Agenda, a 15-point program for key stakeholders in the protracted conflict.
The peace agenda arose from more than a year of consultations among the MPW's members and constituencies. And the document “now serves as the network's road map for its continuing lobby and advocacy work to contribute to finding a just and durable solution to the Mindanao problem," Lora says.
The Silsilah Dialogue Movement is another important peace-building network on Mindanao. It advocates for peace and promotes dialogue, explains Norbert Solina, the organization's media coordinator.
Sebestiano D'Ambra founded the Silsilah Dialogue in 1984. He sought to end religious conflict on Mindanao by bringing Christians and Muslims together.
Besides teaching people about the value of discussion, Solina says the movement's mission is to help people “appreciate differences of culture and religion."
He points out that the Silsilah Dialogue Movement has “a few thousand alumni, a majority of them are Muslims and Christians from Mindanao." They are said to be involved in various dialogue and peace initiatives, working with government, non-governmental organizations, schools and religious communities and parishes.
“We believe in peace through a spiritual approach," Solina says. “Peace starts from God, because peace is a gift of God."
The Silsilah Dialogue Movement also assists victims of violence and poverty. The network's social arm “tries to link government and non-governmental agencies and people needing assistance," Solina explains.
Over the years, the peace process on Mindanao has proven to be extremely brittle. Since the late 1990s, numerous cease-fire agreements have shattered, resulting in renewed attacks by Muslim militants on Christian communities and devastating counter-offensives by government forces.
That cycle of violence is what the inter-faith peace activists on Mindanao are trying to break.
It remains to be seen whether current peace talks between the government and insurgents will lead to a lasting peace on Mindanao. But it is clear that the island's future depends on Christians and Muslims getting along.
For Solina, promoting peace is holy work.
“The work for peace is a work entrusted by God to all humankind, whatever race, culture, religion or level of education," he says.
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