Category: Events
Armed conflicts, developed overtime, have egregiously impacted human lives, largely from sophisticated weaponry and use of human shields anchored by psychedelic and blinded beliefs. Efforts and mechanisms laid down by communal, sometime universal actuations, to disparage and delimit humanitarian crisis are put in motion. The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) served as mechanism to counter armed conflicts is composed of set of rules aimed at halting untoward effects of post-war conflicts, including insurgencies, political anomies, and armed conflicts. It is befitting that the partnership between the UP Institute of Islamic Studies (UP-IIS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is once again come into fruition by organizing an international conference that tackled the relevant collation of Islamic Law and IHL. The event was held at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center on December 10, 2017.
Asst. Prof. Macrina A. Morados, the Dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, reiterated the significant role of the Institute in disseminating the importance of IHL to Muslim communities. While Mr. Boris Kelevic, ICRC Deputy Head of Delegation-Manila, presented an overview of ICRC activities in the Philippines and in Muslim majority countries. After a short film presentation, Mr. Andrew Bartles-Smith, ICRC Regional Advisor for Humanitarian Affairs, discussed the regional perspective of ICRC mandate. To continue the discussion on ICRC mandate, Atty. Monaliza Barro, ICRC Legal Officer, shared existing Philippine laws, e.g. RA 9851, etc., that were specifically enacted to support IHL. Prior to lunch break and afternoon prayer, Dr. Ziaullah Rahmani, Head of ICRC based in Islamabad, Pakistan, delivered a lecture on the roles of IHL and Islamic Law to armed conflict. Immediately after Dr. Rahmani’s lecture, Sheikh Loderson Gustaham, ICRC Global Affairs Consultant, discussed the Marawi crisis.
The afternoon sessions had two panels, one on the specificities of IHL and Islamic Law towards armed conflict which is moderated by Dr. Jamel Cayamodin, and the other is on the role and place of women and children in times of armed conflict, moderated by Dean Morados. The first panel includes Prof. Julkipli Wadi who talked about conventionalizing Islamic law internationally, Dr. Nassef Manabilang Adiong who discussed the ontology of security and siyar (or International Relations), and some additional thoughts of Sheikh Gustaham and Mr. Novrianti Kaharudin on the importance of Islamic Law and IHL. The second panel discusses the problems and conditions of women and children as the most unfortunate and vulnerable victims of armed conflict. The discussion also included suggested solutions to increase the security of women and children. Dr. Carmen Abubakar, Hon. Aisha Malayang-Flores of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, and Dean Morados participated in this panel. Mr. Zehabudin Guro and Mr. Andrew Bartles-Smith concluded the conference by stating continued efforts and engagements between UP-IIS and ICRC.
In the post-conference event, UP-IIS presented a newly designed course on Islamic Law and IHL to ICRC. It was well received, and professional comments and critiques were provided to further enhance the course. The UP-IIS and ICRC will continue their fruitful partnership to serve better the ummah.
A two-day conference on 600th Anniversary Commemoration of the Sultan of Sulu’s Voyage to China: Historical Ties and Enduring Connections of Philippines-China Relations was organized by the Confucius Institute in Ateneo de Manila University where the Institute of Islamic Studies UP Diliman along with Kaisa Heritage Center, Philippine Association for Chinese Studies, Department of History of Ateneo de Manila, and Dezhou University in China were co-organizers. The conference which was held last November 24-25 at the Confucius Conference hall and Pan Pacific Residence in Makati was attended by academic experts on Philippine-China relation both from Philippines and China.
On a related event, Officials of Dezhou University had a meeting with Dean Macrina Morados and Mr. Darwin Absari on November 26 at the UP University Hotel. Dezhou University representatives include the following officials: Ma Yingxin (Director, Office of International Exchange and Cooperation), Kong Yan (Director, Editorial Office of University Journal), Liang Guoying (Director, College of History and Social Management), Wang Shoudong (Professor, College of History and Social Management), Li Guiting (Vice-Director, College of Literature and Journalism). During the meeting, UP-IIS and Dezhou University agreed to finalize the signing of MOA which envisions future academic and research collaborations. This meeting and discussion of the MOA was the result of Absari’s previous visit to Dezhou University being part of the documentary film project of the Sulu-China relations last November 03, 2016.
Moreover, Prof. Ma Yingxin introduced their university to Dean Morados. Dean Morados also discussed the history and programs of the UP IIS. Dezhou delegates presented their plan of holding a conference in their university where history experts from the UP Institute will be invited. The singing of the MOA will also be done as the Highlight of the conference. Students’ exchange program was also discussed. Dezhou University will also accommodate UP IIS students who wish to do research or MA thesis on Philippine-China study. Selected Faculties in their university will guide the IIS students and during the thesis presentation, the Chinese Faculty mentor will come to UP IIS to attend. Prof. Wang Shoudong, a history expert who wrote two books on Sulu Sultan who died and was buried in Dezhou in 1417, expressed his desire to do research here in Philippines.
After the meeting, Darwin Absari brought them around the campus before they went back to their hotel in Makati.
On Saturday afternoon, students of Islamic Political Thought of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies had an intellectual session with Professor Dr. Muqtedar Khan, a public intellectual who founded the Islamic Studies program at the University of Delaware, USA. Details about Prof. Khan’s prominent scholarship can be found in his website, Ijtihad.
Prof. Khan and the students lamented about the narrow interpretation (predominantly legalistic and jurisprudential hermeneutics mostly imported from the Middle East) of Islam that constricts Filipino Muslims in their view and beauty of the message of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful. “This constricted legalistic view of Islam may lead to the epistemology of indifference and possibly of violence,” they opined. In order to counter indifference, lack of sympathy and compassion, Filipino Muslims must inculcate to themselves the importance of education, i.e. learning Islam (not only to memorize but to understand and internalize Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, may peace be upon him), including Islamic and Western philosophies, all human sciences, and all traditions of faiths, e.g. the Hindu way, the Buddha way, Judaism, Christianity, etc. In this way, the soul, mind and heart are enriched.
Prof. Khan expressed that “it is very significant that we go beyond the framing and thinking of ‘Muslims and Others’, but to think for the ‘Humanity’ as the words and message of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful, is not exclusively only for Muslims but for the entire humanity whether you are white, black, Asian, American, European, Chinese, Indonesian, Turk, Moro, Lesbian or Gay.” It is, indeed, for everyone and for the whole cosmos of the universe. The difference lies on how you receive and act upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The session ended up by bringing forth the significance of muraqaba, a Sufi tradition of self-meditation and self-criticism, that takes care of one’s spiritual heart or soul and acquire knowledge as humans worship Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful.
In 2015 visit of Prof. Khan to the Philippines, he has written a short article entitled “Muslims of Philippines: Struggling for Dignity, Freedom and Equality” published at Huffington Post. Click here to access it.
Categories
Countering Violent Extremism
The Institute of Islamic Studies organized the Round Table Discussion “Countering Violent Extremism”at Balay Kalinaw, UP-Diliman on October 4, 2017. The RTD was in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs, US Embassy – Manila and attended by representatives of government and non-government organizations, community leaders, the interfaith community and students from the University.
The discussion on how to work together as a community to address issues of violent extremism was the main theme of the program. Resource speaker, Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi argued, “These are issues that law enforcement and government cannot handle alone.” Rather they need to be addressed by “collaborative efforts.” He adds, “We see youth in our communities recruited by terrorist groups to go and figh; we see elements of radicalization in our community.”
Dr. Elsanousi serves as the Director of the Secretariat of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, an organization that connects grassroots peacemakers with global leaders to strengthen their work for sustainable peace. Recently he served as Director of Community Outreach and Interfaith Relations for 12 years for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) where he focused on mobilizing American Muslim leaders to take more creative roles in their communities. While at ISNA, he worked with the U.S. government in efforts to prevent radicalization and violent extremism. One of these programs is known as The Safe Space Initiatives.
The Safe Space Initiatives creates spaces for communication about issues of violence or extremism. The program has three elements: Prevention, Intervention and Ejection. Prevention aims to form action-oriented civic and political programs like interfaith dialogue and media literacy to counter radicalization efforts; Intervention actively interferes when there is the presence of radicalization, religious and violent extremism in the community; and Ejection, as a last recourse, is focused towards the eviction or isolation of a “radical” element from the community.
RTD reactor, Atty. Mehol K. Sadain claimed that interfaith dialogue already existed in the Philippines, pointing out the greater necessity of intra-faith dialogue among Muslims.
Second reactor, Prof. Carmen A. Abubakar shared that Muslims in the Philippines have strong kinship ties and that the safe space first began within the family. She pointed out that prevention, intervention and ejection were unfamiliar to Muslims arguing “we cannot eject a member of the family because he acts violently.” This, she claims is the reason why Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members are not easily flushed out because they belonged to clans that somehow protected them.
During the open forum, Prof. Julkipli Wadi voiced out that the Safe Space Initiatives may work in a stable democratic country but not in one with an authoritarian government. On the issue of radicalization, he pointed out that misunderstanding was entrenched in human nature, that there was no problem with being radical so long as the method of expression was not through violence. Prof. Wadi furthered that the only problem was that radicalized elements were able to access firearms from what he called the “Big Powers”. He asserted that the only way to stop violent extremism was to reduce the exportation of firearms prevent hegemony in Muslim countries
As parting words, Dr. Elsanousi greatly emphasized the significance of interfaith dialogue, bridging trust, good relationships and religious freedom among Muslim and non-Muslim communities. He ended with the statement, “an attack of one religion is an attack on all.”
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