All Religious Groups to Benefit from Moro Autonomy: Huseyin Oruc

Istanbul, MINA – Deputy Head of the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH) and one of the International Team Members who monitored the peace process in the Philippines, Huseyin Oruc said, all religious groups benefit from Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

“All religious groups benefit, autonomy in the region will benefit all religious groups,” Oruc told reporters Anadolu Agency, quoted by MINA on Sunday (20/1).

“With Bangsamoro Organic Law, we are actually talking about a negotiation process that began in 1997, when Hashim Salamat, the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was still alive. From the beginning, Hashim Salamat pursued its efforts with the aim of upholding peace,” he said.

He also revealed, the church is the most friendly structure. Especially in Mindanao, the Mindanao Church and its head have a fairly positive attitude towards the entire agreement and are no exception to this Islamic law.

“I ask Cardinal Quevedo, the archbishop in charge of the church in this region,‘ How do you trust Muslims? Why do you support such an agreement? You will become a minority with this agreement?. The answer is something surprising that summarizes the peace process there. He said, ‘They (Muslims) didn’t even hurt me during the war, why did they do it in times of peace?,” He explained.

BOL is a product of government negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which will provide – collective rights for Bangsamoro Muslims in the Philippines, a long-awaited comprehensive autonomy.

A plebiscite is set to begin on January 21 in two cities, with the second round to be held on February 6 in other areas in the neighboring region, to legalize BOL. Once the bill is ratified , the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be created.(T/Ast/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)