An overwhelming crowd of at least 15,000 people, composed of Muslims and Christians, jampacked the provincial gymnasium of Sultan Kudarat province to attend the biggest interfaith conference to be conducted in the Soccsksargen region held on Jan. 14 in the capital town of Isulan.
The Sultan Kudarat provincial government has initiated the event as a crucial step to free every resident from religious hatred and to build peace in the province.
Gov. Datu Pax Ali S. Mangudadatu described the event as unprecedented as it brought his constituents from different faiths to converge in a momentous gathering to listen to international speakers such as the highly-distinguished Zimbabwean national Mufti Menk, a global Islamic scholar and motivational speaker, US-based Dr. Muhammad Salah, and Alexandrian-born Sheik Wael Ibrahim.
Mangudadatu said that he saw the importance of dialogue as vital for building inclusive and peaceful societies, prompting the province to organize an interface activity tagged “The Common Terms” to strengthen “unity in diversity,” especially since Sultan Kudarat is a diverse province.
“Napakarami pong [There are lots of] Ilocano, Ilonggo, Maguindanaon, and indigenous peoples (IP), and we wanted to ensure that the message of peace and unity is delivered across to everyone, and that will come from a Muslim perspective as well,” the official said.
He also admitted that Muslims are the minority sector in the province. “Kasi gusto namin, kami mga Muslim, kami ‘yong minority dito [We the Muslims are the minority here in the province], we also wanted to share our thoughts about a peaceful coexistence with one another, and that’s the main gist of what we had today, ‘yong pagsusulong natin ng mas matibay na [advancing a much stronger] unity in diversity at ‘yong pagpapalakas pa ng relasyon [and strengthening the relationship] among Muslims, Christians, and Lumads.”
“It’s all about universalism, peaceful coexistence, reconciliation, at iba pa [others]. We are doing this for us to develop ourselves,” he explained.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority 2000 Census on Population revealed that about 46.92 percent of the household population in Sultan Kudarat classified themselves as Hiligaynon/Ilonggo. Others are Ilocano (17.17 percent); Cebuano (9.21 percent); Manobo/Ata Manobo (5.37 percent); and the rest belonged to Muslims and other ethnic groups (8.41 percent).
Mangudadatu said he was elated to host for the first time speakers coming from different parts of the world to share their stories, messages, and lessons about diplomacy, unity amidst diversity, how to become better communities for one another, charity, and others.
“Napakaganda po ng kanilang katuturuan [They have excellent teachings], and this is very applicable here in Sultan Kudarat,” he said.
Mangudadatu also urged every Sultan Kudarateño not to be scared and skeptical, as the said event was opened to Christians, Muslims, and Lumads, for them to hear Islamic teachings that forbid terrorism, war, and coercion but instead reconcile each other's differences with tolerance and acceptance of one another.
Menk’s message also focused on building a nation through communication and mutual respect, saying that “no nation can be built when there is war, when there is abuse and insult to one another.”
“I will not compromise my faith, and I don’t want you to compromise your faith either, but we will respect each other, we will discuss the differences, we will propagate, and we will convey what we have, Alhamdullillah, in a good way; we will discuss it in a beautiful way,” he told the crowd.
Meanwhile, some 40 individuals received free packages for umrah and hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, as pledged by officials of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur provinces, in response to the organizer's call for love and the sharing of one's blessings with their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
In Islamic belief, “Umrah,” which means “to clean the soul of past sins,” is a brief pilgrimage that any Islamic believer can do at any given time. Whereas “Hajj” is an obligatory activity being one of the five Pillars of Islam, which involves more rituals and can only be performed at a specific time of the year, taking the journey longer than the former. Anyhow, both are important spiritual journeys that bring a believer closer to Allah.
Other speakers also included Sheik Nasser Datumanong and Ustadz Eisa Javier. (ACA – PIA Sultan Kudarat)
Related Article: https://pia.gov.ph/features/2024/01/21/bishops-ulama-conference-underscores-religions-role-in-peacebuilding
