QUEZON City, Feb. 4, 2015—Despite the shock which the Mamasapano killings has caused among Christian and Muslim Filipinos alike, a Muslim religious leader and police officer expresses hope that the mutual trust between the government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will remain as before with the path to lasting peace unimpeded.
Police Senior Superintendent Ebra Moxsir Al-Haj (Photo: Raymond A. Sebastián)
“As a Muslim and as a policeman, I feel devastated by the tragedy that claimed the lives of many of my colleagues,” shared Police Senior Superintendent Ebra Moxsir Al-Haj in a recent interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas.
While grief-stricken and frustrated like many of his countrymen over what took place on Jan. 25, Moxsir pointed out that the incident gives more reason why Christians and Muslims must work together in pushing for interfaith dialogue, which is the thrust of the ongoing “Third World Interfaith Harmony Week.”
Moxsir, who also chairs the Imam Council of the Philippines (ICP), has called on the public to await the findings of a board of inquiry, which is expected to investigate the incident, and to leave it to the government to decide on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) issue.
The Maranao imam-cop is one of only ten leaders of mostly non-Catholic religions who met Pope Francis shortly before the Encounter with the Youth held at the University of Santo Tomás on Jan. 18. (Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)
