In September, Zamboanga City in the Philippines was ravaged by an armed conflict between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the local government. The battle created tension between local Christians and Muslims, but when the fighting ended, members of both religious groups joined forces to pick up the pieces, the Inquirer Mindanao reports.
Among the damaged buildings was the Christ the King chapel, a Catholic church. Local Christians — who make up the majority of Zamboanga’s population, according to a news release from the Asia Foundation — were shocked when their Muslim neighbors came to help them rebuild the church’s walls.
“We thought they were just looking for damaged mosques to rebuild,” Jimmy Villaflores, the village head of Zamboanga’s Santa Catalina district, told the Inquirer. “We have not heard of any Muslim helping build a chapel before.”
A group of religious leaders called ESPERANZA (Environmental, Socio-Psychological, Economic, and Religious Advancement of Neo-Zamboangaenos’ Aspiration) was formed to help repair relations following the conflict. They called together the group of Muslim volunteers who helped with the construction efforts, the Pinoy Republic reports.
Within a month, the chapel was almost 90 percent reconstructed, and together, the group of interfaith builders was able to complete it in time for the feast of Christ the King on November 30.
“I did not want the general Christian community to look down on us as bad people because we were all victims,” retired senior police officer Julmunier Jubail told the Inquirer. “We do hope that in our own small ways of reaching out, something beautiful will come out.”
Categories: Asia, Philippines
Now perhaps they can all build a mosque together?
Assalamu alaykum warahmatullaah, brother Abdul Alim.
If you notice the picture here, clearly you can see a minaret. It is because this picture belongs to the Minaret of Masjid Salahuddin located in Santa Barbara District, Zamboanga City, Philippines. This minaret was used as a Snipers’ Nest by the Moro rebels who attacked even though it was already the month of Zul-Qaida, one of the four prohibited months. Because it was used as a Snipers’ Nest, it suffered in return many shots from Barret guns of government forces.
The Muslim group Zamboanga ESPERANZA immediately had it repaired in preparation for the Eid’l Adha prayer and celebration, before any work was done on the chapel. It was another Very Powerful Example of interfaith cooperation because when the minaret of Masjid Salahuddin was repainted, Catholic Priests, Protestant Pastors, and even Father Mike Ufana, a priest who was earlier taken hostage by the Moro rebels but later released, volunteered and joined some Asatidz (Ustadzes) in painting the Masjid.
By the way brother Abdul, before the chapel was rebuilt, Zamboanga ESPERANZA consulted several leading Ulama individually. The uniform answer was we could go ahead with the project considering what happened and with the purpose of improving the relationship between Muslims and Christians, which was severely affected by what the rebels did. Let me also state here that as always, we have been free to practice our Islam religion and build our Masjids…
Alaikum salam dear brother. Well acknowedleged. I hope this spirit of inter religious harmony prevails and may we, the Ahmadiyya Muslims in the Zamboanga also get the same treatment from Muslims Filipinos as the christians do. That would be real test of Filipino tolerance.