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Philippines Own Cleric Father Mercado Casting confusion On Moro ‘Islamic State’ Talk
14 June 2009
A ranking official of the MILF committee on da’wah (Islamic call) has appealed to Father Jun Mercado to be cautious in dealing with the subject of Islamic state, saying this might not contribute to the need for unity and understanding in Mindanao. The official, who requested anonymity, told www.luwaran.com that Mercado may have all the best intentions in discussing the subject “The non-Muslims in an Islamic state” in his blog at the GMA News on June 5, but if not handled well and with caution will have adverse effects on the efforts to settle the conflict in Mindanao. Mercado, who briefly studied Islam in Cairo, Egypt, is a Catholic priest but is very close to the MILF. He served as parish priest of Datu Piang, Maguindanao, and also in the government-MILF Quick Response Team (QRT) and the GRP-MILF Fact Finding Committee that monitored the ceasefire between the two parties in 1997 to 2000. Mercado was nominated head of the GRP peace panel in 2007 when Secretary Silvestre Afable resigned over conflict with some Arroyo’s cabinet officials, but the MILF requested him not to accept, saying the MILF does not want him at the opposite end of the negotiating table. The MILF official said that what Mercado dealt in his discourse is something that had happened in the 7th century and in times of war. He stressed that Islam is a religion of all ages and times but the basic principles whereupon statecraft was founded upon or based since they come from the Almighty will remain constant or unchanged. He enumerated some of the features of the Islamic political system to wit: 1.Sovereignty belongs to Allah and man is His vicegerent or khalifah on earth, who will discharge his duties and functions pursuant to what Allah so prescribes. The Quran is the chief source of law; 2.The vicegerent once elected as khilafah (caliph) conducts the affairs of the community by consultation or shura. The khilafah, which is the proper title for the head of an Islamic state, is a binding contract which is done in a free and non-coercive manner; 3.The nomination of a suitable candidate for the office of khilafah is accomplished through shura. Upon election, the new caliph should consult with the leaders of the community; 4.Upon election, a ba’yah or pledge or the oath of obedience by the people, is required or else the election is not valid; 5.All Muslims are eligible to run for this post. There are no ruling families, dynasties, or classes in Islam or hereditary rulership. All these are foreign to Islam; 6.The head of state has a limited allowance from the national treasury; and 7.The collective nature of the Islamic state is a notable feature. The emphasis is on the whole of society and not on individuals; that is why concepts such as zakat, social justice, distributive justice, and ummah are so important in Islam. He noted that although sovereignty belongs to Allah, Islam did not and does not envision a theocratic state, saying there is no priesthood in Islam as compared to Christianity. As to the accusation by Western writers or orientalists (those who study Islam to destroy Islam) that a dhimmi (a protected people, who are Christians, Jews or Sabeans) or a non-Muslim is not eligible to become the caliph, he explained that such view is correct but requires explanation. He said Islam has no pretension and what is white is white and what is black and posed this question, as a way of explanation: “Can a Muslim or non-Catholic be elected pope to the Vatican?” He said it is natural that non-Muslim cannot rule in a polity where Islam is the religion, ideology, way of life and system of government. “This is common sense,” he remarked. In so-called democracies, everyone is eligible to seek the highest position of the land, but always the majority or the elites determine who will be elected. “Is that not hypocrisy?” he asked, adding that in Islam, only Muslims can become head of the caliphate but non-Muslims are guaranteed life, liberty especially on religion, property, and to be bound by their customs and tradition subject to some restrictions. For instance, non-Muslims can drink liquor, eat pork, etc. but those cannot be done everywhere. In the present negotiations between the MILF and the Philippine government, the former has never raised the issue of establishing an Islamic state nor an independent state, but a political arrangement that gives the Bangsamoro people enough powers to determine what is good and what is bad for them. The late MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim, when asked by an ABS-CBN news reporter in 1999 at Camp Abubakar As-Siddique about the system of governance for his people, said, “It all depends on the Bangsamoro people; if they want a Communist government, so be it; let them have it.” This shows how democratic the MILF and the importance of people’s will in the entire gamut of the MILF system.
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