Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Could this be the real reason why Dr. Bilal Philips was deported from the Philippines?



I wasn't at all surprised when a catholic news website was one of the first to report Dr. Bilal's Philips deportation from the Philippines. If you, dear reader, were to read until the end of my article you shall know the reason why I feel this way. Insha Allah. I might be in danger of being labelled as 'conspiracy theorist' after this piece but I will take my chances.

Dr. Bilal is one of the most successful callers to Islam today. He founded Islamic Online University, a tuition free that offers several Islamic sciences degrees to everyone in the planet. The online educational site boasts a hundred thousand students to date. He is one of the first English authors to write Islamic books now numbering more than fifty.

His success in calling non Muslims to Islam started in the early nineties.  In the first gulf war, he helped in guiding over 3000 American soldiers to Islam. In 1993, he was suspected but remained an unindicted co conspirator in the 1993 bombing of World Trade Center. The fact that until now, there is no formal charge made against him by the US authorities - hence unindicted - is a big proof that no evidence can be found against him (or can they just admit that he was innocent). Although the US government is now infamous for going to war even without evidence (weapons of mass destruction, anyone?) back then they didn't seem to bother to charge Dr. Bilal even without evidence. He's banned from entering the US after this and probably this  seems to be the starting point of banning of Dr. Bilal's travels to the rest of the world.

Reportedly, when he went to Germany, many Germans converted to Islam in one of his public gatherings. Contrary to the report from the catholic news website, Dr. Bilal wasn't banned from Germany because of Terrorism; it was because of his remark concerning Homosexuality - not when he was in Germany but taken from one of his previous works. He defended himself that his opinion concerning homosexuality is only applicable in countries where Islamic law is being applied and he didn't incite the people in western countries to persecute homosexuals. This website claims that Germany now reversed the ruling and allows him to enter again.

Of course, the Philippines doesn't want  to be left behind in this band wagon. Rumors are now circulating in social media that it was the Zamboanga mayor Bing Climaco who started to alert the authorities in the Philippines tagging Dr. Bilal as a danger to national security that even the normally Muslim-friendly Davao City mayor Duterte had to 'invite' him to the police station.

I remember few months back when Mufti Menk visited Davao City and few days after his visit, the terror alert was raised in the same city. The two events could be inconsequential but one couldn't resist but to connect the dots.

Thus, it seems as though that the end result of this banning and deportation is Muslims and Non Muslims alike are prevented from attending the lectures of the likes Dr. Bilal who are successful, charismatic and convincing in their call to Islam. I wouldn't be surprised if other prominent Islamic preachers in the future are going to be banned as well. Can Mufti Menk come back to the Philippines again? Or will he even want to come back knowing what happened to Dr. Bilal Philips?

Maybe it's hard for some people to believe what is being written here but here is an assignment for those who wants to delve more:

What are the religious affiliations of the Chiefs of Police, Mayors, Chiefs of Intelligence at the forefront of this deportation? Who are the priest to whom they make their confessions? Who are the preachers that influence their religious views? If there is really no evidence to indict Dr. Bilal in 1993 why continue to mimic US intelligence?

After all there are reasons why the Filipino religious leaders should be alarmed by the visits of Islamic preachers. In the Middle East, Filipinos are probably the biggest converters to Islam in terms of nationality (statistics should be available somewhere- calling on Muslim statistician). And with Dr. Bilal's deportation being reported in a catholic news website even before the mainstream news is something that should spark light bulbs in any curious minds.


So really I don't know what is happening with the Philippine Intelligence. This could be a new oxymoron in the list folks! Philippine - Intelligence: Where is the Intelligence?



Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Sun in the Philippine Flag fails to Illuminate Bangsamoro History


Philippine Flag proposed by President Fidel Ramos



If flags are symbolic of nationhood and identity that seeks to represents the history and future of a country, then the current Philippine Flag fails dismally in representing the Bangsamoro's seven hundred years of existence and contribution to the Philippine history.

According to Wikipedia:

Each ray represents one of the first eight provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who wrote the Philippine Declaration of Independence and who read it on the occasion of its proclamation on June 12, 1898, has listed the eight provinces as ManilaCaviteBulacanPampanga,Nueva EcijaTarlacLaguna, and Batangas
As you can see none of these listed provinces were in Mindanao which left me wondering 'wait a minute, didn't the moros fight Spain for over three hundred years?' I know there weren't twitter and facebook during Emilio Aguinaldo's time, but as the designer of the flag, it's too unreasonable to think that he didn't know the moros in the south fighting the spaniards. It is as though that the history of the Philippines only started in 1898 when these eight provinces revolted.

The reality is, Aguinaldo wasn't making a flag for a country that includes the Moros so we can excuse him for limiting the sun's rays to only eight. The Pilipinas of Aguinaldo is not the same of Philippines of today with its 'mula Apari hanggang Jolo' connotation.

But history has it that the Bangsamoros were illegally and immorally annexed to the Philippine islands by the Americans and you already know what happened.

The Philippine Flag has undergone evolution to accomodate symbolisms appropriate to its history but to this day I find it revolting that the Bangsamoro narrative is ever so absent in the very symbol of Philippine nationhood. We can excuse Aguinaldo but not the recent Philippine law makers and guardians of the Philippine narrative.

This can be explained by the policy of assimilation rather than accomodation where three centuries of untold sacrifices and heroism of moros to preserve their identity and religion are just ignored in several levels of Philippine scheme of things.

One can say that, yes, we have moved in history by signing of the Comprehensive Agreement for the Bangsamoro, but we have miles to go. In the meantime, don't expect me to raise the Philippine Flag soon in my balcony to celebrate Philippine Independence when I know that this very flag reminds me that I'm still not represented in it.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Beware of ‘thank goodness’




Indeed, all praises are for Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala. We praise Him, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and our evil actions. Whosoever Allah guides then none can misguide and whosoever Allah misguides then none can guide aright. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, having no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace be upon him) is His servant and  Messenger.

Perhaps every Muslim who has a grasp of both English and Arabic  languages knows that the English translation of the Arabic word ‘al-Hamdulillah’, is ‘Praise be to Allah or All praises and thanks are  to Allah alone’ or something similar to them. However, today, we find stickers on the cars and vehicles of people, used as decoration or perhaps as a sort of reminder, with the word ‘al-Hamdulillah’ written in
Arabic and immediately below or above it the words ‘thank goodness’ are placed. In this article, we shall endeavour to prove that the translation is not accurate both in its literal sense and in its meaning. And we shall also, Insha-Allah, try to unveil its contradiction with the principles of Islam.

Before we do that, it is important to note that the Qur’anic ‘translations’ we read in English are not the Qur’an. “Neither the translator nor his audience believe that the translation is the Qur’an.” This is because the Qur’an itself, in about 11 references, explained that it was revealed in the language of the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, which is in Arabic. With this in mind, whenever we say 
the English translation of ‘al-Hamdulillah’, we mean the translation of the meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’ translated as ‘thank goodness.’

Interestingly, in a span of two centuries of translation of the Qur’an, none of the translators rendered ‘al-Hamdulillah’ into English as ‘thank goodness’. In the 18th century, George Sale translated ‘al-Hamdulillahi-Rabbil-’alameen’ as “Praise be to God the Lord of all creatures”. Likewise, in the 19th century, J M Rodwell translated it as “Praise be to Lord, Lord of the Worlds”. Also, in first half of the 20th century, M Pickthall translated it as “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds”. In recent times, The Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English language by Al-Hilali et al translated ‘al-Hamdulillah’ as ‘All the Praises and Thanks be to Allah.”

The English translation of the Araword ‘al-Hamdulillah’, is ‘Praise be to Allah or All praises and thanks are to Allah alone’ or something similar to them. However, today, we find stickers on the cars and vehicles of people, used as decoration or perhaps as a sort of reminder, with the word ‘al-Hamdulillah’ written in Arabic and immediately below or above it the words ‘thank goodness’ are placed.

Also if one looks through Arabi-English dictionaries, the Arabic word ‘Hamd’ is translated as ‘praising’ or ‘thanking’ or something similar to them, and I have yet to find a dictionary that translate the word ‘Allah’ as ‘goodness.’

Due to this unusual translation, the intended meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’ has been severely corrupted.

To know the intended meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’, we quote some of the Tafseer (Explanation of the Qur’an) of the scholars.

Al-Haafidh Ibn Kathir, rahimahullah, in his Tafseer of the Qur’an, quoted at-Tabari (Tafseer of the Qur’an by at-Tabari 1:135) regarding the meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’ as follows:

The meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’ is “All thanks are due purely to Allah, alone, not any of the objects that are being worshipped instead of Him, nor any of His creation. These thanks are due to Allah’s innumerable favours and bounties that only He knows the amount of. Allah’s bounties include creating the tools that help the creation worship Him, the physical bodies with which they are able to implement His commands, the sustenance that He provided them in this life, and the comfortable life He has granted them, without anything or anyone compelling Him to do so. Allah also warned His creation and alerted them about the means and methods with which they can earn eternal dwelling in the residence of everlasting happiness. All thanks and praises to Allah for these favours from beginning to end.”

Shaykh Muhammad Ameen Shanqeetee, rahimahullah, explained in his Tafseer of the Qur’an, Adwaa’ul Bayaan, the meaning of ‘al-hamdulillah’ as follows:

“The saying of the Exalted, ‘all the praises and thanks are for Allah’: there is no mention here as to when this praise is said or where this praise comes from, but in Surah Ar-Rum there is mention that from amongst the ‘wheres’ are the heavens and the earth – in His saying, ‘ and His is all the praises and thanks in the heavens and the earth.’ 
(30:18).

And in Surah Qasas there is mention that from amongst the ‘whens’ are in this world and in the Hereafter – in His sayings, ‘And He is Allah, none has the right to be worshipped besides Him. To Him belongs all praise in the beginning (ie this world) and in the end (ie the Hereafter).’ (28:70).

And He said in the beginning of Surah Saba’a,

His is all the praise in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, All-Aware.’ (34:1).

The Alif (letter A) and Laam (letter L) (ie the definite article ‘the’) in al-Hamd is so as to include all the different manners of praise, and it is an extolling with which Allah has praised Himself and ordered His 
servants to praise Him with.”

It is clear, without any doubt from the above translations of the Qur’an (by Muslims and non-Muslims), and as well as from the Tafseer of the Mufassiroon, that translating ‘al-Hamdulillah’ as ‘thank goodness’ is not accurate both from the linguistic point of view or from the meaning of the Tahmid (al-Hamdulillah). It is absolutely clear that nothing deserves ‘al-Hamd’ except Allah alone.

In addition, regarding ‘al-Hamd, Dr Muhammad Khalil Harras in his commentary of Aqeedat-il-Waasitiyah by Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullah, says:

“Hamd means praising orally a grace regardless of being benefited by it, be it a favour or anything else, such as a sfavour or anything else, such as a statement that ‘I did hamd of a certain person in connection with the prize he had been awarded or for his feat of boldness.’ Shukr (thanking) is that praise which is done orally or emotionally or by any other organ of the body in lieu of some favour. This shows that the word hamd is commonly used in one situ.”

If ‘al-Hamdulillah’ means to praise and thank Allah for His bounties, therefore, the translation should mention Allah being thanked and praised or else we would be praising or thanking someone or something other than Allah. If Allah should be acknowledged first when being grateful for some fortune, then all the more so the translation should mention the word Allah or at least put the word ‘God’ for those who don’t know the word ‘Allah.’

In the translation, however, Allah is not mentioned, instead, ‘goodness’ is mentioned.

The danger in translating ‘al-Hamdulillah’ as ‘thank goodness’ has this implication: That the translation of the word ‘al-Hamd’ is ‘thanks’ and the English word for ‘Allah’ is ‘goodness.’ It is obvious that both 
words ‘al-Hamd’ and ‘Allah’ don’t mean ‘thanks’ and ‘goodness’ as the conscious translation of the meaning of ‘al-Hamdulillah’ in the English language is like saying thanks for the bounties we receive to some abstract idea like ‘goodness.’ This is because ‘Allah’ does not mean ‘goodness.’

Moreover, some might say that goodness could be one of Allah’s names. If this is the case then we say ‘produce your proof.’ We describe Allah the way He describes Himself and the way His Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) described Him.

Imaam Aboo ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman As-Saboonee in describing what the people of the Sunnah believe concerning the names and attributes of Allah, says:

They affirm what Allah, the Most Majestic, has affirmed for Himself in His Book or through the tongue of His Messenger, (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam).

Imaam Ibn Qudaamah says about the obligation of sticking to the Qur’an and authentic Hadith concerning the names and attributes of Allah:

We are obliged to believe in and to welcome with submission and acceptance everything that is mentioned in the Qur’an or that is correctly transmitted from the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) 
concerning the attributes of Allah. And we must not oppose it (which is done) by radd (rejection), ta’weel (distortive interpretation), tashbeeh (comparison) and tamtheel (representation).

Furthermore, Shaykh ‘Umar Sulaiman al-Ashqar says:

“It is not permitted to talk about the unseen except with a clear proof.”

And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Surely the hearing, the sight and heart, about each of these you will be questioned. (17:36)

In addition, Allah criticised those who claimed that the angels are female and He made what they said a testimony about which they are going to be asked when He brings them to stand in front of Him.

And they made the angels, who themselves are slaves to the Most Merciful, females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned? (43:19)

If such matter of speaking about the angels without knowledge is such, then consider the seriousness of speaking about Allah without knowledge. It is a sin, considered as one of the major sins according to the scales of Truth and His Law.

Say: What my Lord has forbidden you are all acts of indecency, whether committed openly or in secret, sin and wrongful oppression, that you associate with Allah that which has not been sanctioned by Him and that you say concerning Allah something about which you have no knowledge. (7:33)


THE reliable and safe way that will lead us to knowledge of Allah, the Most High, is through revelation, which brought this knowledge to light in the clearest possible manner. It is the clear and distinct method whose results are reliable and trustworthy because the source of it is the All-Knowing the All-Aware and His Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam).

There is no-one more knowledgeable about Allah than Allah Himself just as no-one in creation is more knowledgeable about Allah than His Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam).” 

The names of Allah are the matters of al-ghaib (unseen) and as such that they can’t be known except through revelation from Allah. Hence we require proof from the revelation – the Qur’an and authentic Hadith – that says that ‘goodness’ is one of the Names of Allah.

It must be emphasised, however, that in no way we mean that Allah is not “good”. No doubt that Allah is the Creator and the Source of all good. In fact, there is a hadith in which Allah is described as At-Tayyib, The Good. But ‘The Good’ is entirely different from ‘goodness’.

One of the Names of Allah is Ar-Rahman (The Merciful) but we don’t say that Allah is Rahmah (mercy). And Allah is Al-Hakeem (The All-Wise), but we don’t say that Allah is Hikmah (wisdom). Likewise, Allah is At-Tayyib(The Good) but we don’t say that He is ‘goodness’. Ar-Rahman, Al-Hakeem, At-Tayyib are Names of Allah, therefore we may say At-Tayyib is Allah. However ‘mercy’, ‘wisdom’, and ‘goodness’ are characteristics ascribed to Allah, but we don’t say ‘mercy’ is Allah. ‘wisdom’ is Allah, or ‘goodness’ is Allah. And besides the meaning of At-Tayyib is closer to mean “Pure’ than to the meaning of ‘goodness’. Hence, we can say ‘all praises and thanks to Ar-Rahman;’ but we can’t say ‘all praises and 
thanks to Rahmah’. Likewise, we can say ‘all praises and thanks to At-Tayyib’ but we can’t say ‘all praises and thanks to ‘goodness’.

Thus, the final analysis is, neither the word ‘Allah’ means ‘goodness’, nor can ‘goodness’ be established from any angle to mean ‘Allah’. Hence, saying ‘thank goodness’ instead of saying ‘thank Allah’ is close to committing Shirk (polytheism) because ‘goodness’ doesn’t deserve the thanks and praises of the creatures between the heavens and earth. Even though we may thank someone who’s done something good at the same time we must recognise or acknowledge that ultimately all good comes from Allah. Therefore, He is the One Who deserves to be praised.

It could tantamount to Shirk because ‘goodness’ replaced the word ‘Allah’ as if ‘goodness’ is the translation of the word ‘Allah’, or as if ‘goodness’ is Allah Himself! This, by necessity, gives a connotation that ‘goodness’ can avert or inflict harm or can grant good or wishes when undoubtedly this Ability is the prerogative of Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an, the English translation of its meaning is:

Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakil (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian, etc) over all things. (39:62)

The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), the one sent to explain the Qur’an in detail, says in a hadith reported by Ibn Abbas (radi-allahu-anhuma):

Know that if the whole nation united in an effort to benefit you with something, they would only be able to benefit you with something that Allah has destined for you. Likewise, if the whole nation united to harm you with something, they would only be able to do so if Allah had destined it to happen to you. 

If this could be Shirk, then, Muslims must be very far from this because Shirk is the greatest Zulm (Wrong). 17 Allah doesn’t forgive Shirk if one did not repent before death. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.” (4:48)

In addition, ‘al-Hamdulillah’ is a Speech of Allah, His Word, and should be considered with utmost care when translating and not taken lightly. Saying ‘al-Hamdulillah’ is the best form of supplication as was recorded in this hadith: “The most excellent dhikr (remembrance) is [the statement] laa ilaaha illallaah and the most excellent du’a (supplication) is [the statement] al-Hamdulillaah.” 

Therefore, we must translate it in the best possible manner.

The origin of the expression ‘thank goodness’

The origin of the expression ‘thank goodness’ is from Western societies in which the predominant life’s philosophy is secular in nature, and science is the ultimate yardstick in life (i.e. what can’t be proven by science is non-existent). Instead of saying the word ‘God’, they replaced it with the word ‘goodness’ or with other words, since ‘God’ according to science can’t be proven by physical experiment. They do this even though the whole of Creation points to the existence of God. And belief in God in these societies is not something that one can really be proud of, instead, religion is viewed as a shackle to one’s mind (the opium of the masses).

The danger in imitating the Kuffar (disbelievers)

The Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said: “Whoever imitates a people, then he is from them.”

This expression (thank goodness) is actually an imitation of the Kuffar because this is what some of them say when something good happened to them or some harm was removed from them. While in Islam, Allah is acknowledged first as the ultimate cause of everything. Meaning if something good happens then it is from Allah, and if some calamities happen, then they are tests from Allah. That is why there are words tosay in times of happiness (ie alhamdulillah) and in times of disaster (Qaddarallah, it is Allah’s decree).

Perhaps the one who translated this had in mind: That the reason for the translation is for the non-Muslims – who don’t believe in God – to understand the expression ‘al-Hamdulillah’ in a frame of mind they are familiar with. If he (the translator) is a Muslim he must understand that He is required to speak about Allah and His Greatness. If he is a non-Muslim, then he has blundered in his translation.

Conclusions

Trivial as it may be to non-Muslims, translating ‘al-Hamdulillah’ to ‘thank goodness’ has grave implications to Muslims because it strikes at the very foundation of Islam, which is Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism, Affirmation of the Uniqueness and Perfection of Allah). That is because the expression ‘thank goodness’ as the English for ‘al-Hamdulillah’ is not accurate, and because of that, and at the least, it is ascribing an inappropriate name to Allah, or carries some form of Shirk.

Lastly, this saying ‘thank goodness’ has deep psychosocial roots in Western societies that are permeated with, and anchored upon, atheism and upon the belief that religion is divorced from mundane life, and Muslims must be aware of this

Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Bangsamoros need to reach out to the Sultanates



This title may not make sense right now but let me explain.

With the recent signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB, many issues come to mind.

Tribal issue: call it whatever you want but at the end of the day it all boils down to the fact that most Maguindanaos and Maranaos support the MILF while MNLF's supporters were mostly Tausugs.

Trust issue: when the MNLF made peace with the government, a political entity that became a political machinery for corruption came into being, the ARMM. Honestly the average Filipino easily equates the ARMM with the Ampatuan Massacre. So with the CAB replacing the ARMM, I will not be surprised if a lot of people are skeptical.

The Trapos: what about the traditional politicians? Oh, they would hold on to their dear seats and do everything they can to preserve the status quo.

The MNLF: made the last stance last September 2013 that 'stoke the ember' of Tausug pride and gave last hope to the younger generation the idea of independence but also left dozens dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. In a desperate attempt to make themselves still relevant, they unknowingly fell into the traps of an undercover agent posing as UN representative with supposedly a directive from Ban Ki Moon himself to declare independence. At the end of the day, those who will stand to benefit from this incursion are the corporate land owners who will eventually erect shopping malls on the ashes of burnt Muslim homes and the government officials who will receive gifts from them. In the spirit of the Quranic injunction 'cooperation to that which is good' the MNLF must exercise humility and support the CAB.

THE SULTANATES: the Tausugs are running out of options. The MNLF is almost defunct and the only option that still consistent with the Tausug pride is the Sultanate option. Indeed this is a viable option but with the claimants to the throne increasing and no clear leadership and acceptable agenda in sight, this option could only be seen as a ploy to stop the Bangsamoro to succeed. The Bangsamoro includes the sultanates and even more. It includes ancestral homeland. This means even without the Sultans, the Tausug has still the right to their homeland and its resources. But I'm sure that the Tausug pride will dominate and this option will start to pickup some support. Hey, people are being promised independence not just autonomy plus of course add to that another territory, the Sabah.

Corporate Manila: Considering that the top ten corporations in the Philippines are mainly engaging in Haram trades (Riba, alcohol and gambling) many of them may not be happy as their market will not expand or may even contract.

Ultimately, the Bangsamoro advocates must reach out to the proponents of the Sultanates. Their scope must be inclusive of the Sultanate (without the Sabah Claim) and broad enough to make the ordinary people feel that they are part of it.

Despite of everything, I am hopeful of the Bangsamoro.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Can bangsamoro be the next Crimea?



Crimea


Buhangin Puti (White beach) aka Quezon Beach


Imagine that we the Bangsamoro people were given the chance to a referendum whether to remain with the Philippines or join Malaysia?

This maybe farfetched but bear with me please as I blog using my phone.

The Similarities

1. Majority of Crimean are of Russian ethnicity. The Bangsamoro are culturally the same with the Malaysians.
2. Close historical ties between Russis-Crimea and Bangsamoro-Malaysia.
3. Bangsamoro and Malaysians are natural allies.
4. Malaysia and Brunei are unique in south east Asia as oil producing countries. The Sulu sea is reportedly already producing oil.

We were indeed natural allies and Malaysia had helped us much in our struggle. We were as such until the Abu Sayyaf raided the Sipadan Island,and the Sulu sultan troops attacked Sabah.

The Philippine government knew this that is why they staged the operation Merdeka where the Tausug recruited were supposed to attack Malaysia. But it backfired ending with the Jabiddah massacre.

Malaysia sending troops to occupy Bangsamoro while we vote to our independence thru referendum might sound outrageous bordering on fantasy, it is a worthwhile thought that brings smile to my face.

If Malaysia were to annex us, the oil from our seas will add to the wealth of their Petronas towers.

Bangsamoro, between Philippines and Malaysia, what would you choose?

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Is ARMM similar to Palestine?



Are ARMM and Palestine similar in terms of geography politically?

Between Cotabato and Sulu is the Zamboanga Peninsula. How in  middle earth would you promote cooperation and unity between them?

In Palestine you have Hamas and PLO, while in ARMM-Philippines you have the MNLF and MILF. These groups are not only separated ideologically but also geographically.

Do you know that there is no direct flight from Sulu or even Zamboanga to Cotabato? Via airplane, somebody from Cotabato has to go to Davao or Manila just to come to Sulu!

To be fair, unlike the Palestinian case, one can freely travel from Sulu to Cotabato but with a great deal of hardship!

No roads to connect them both of course. Currently there is one Superferry passenger ship that travels between Zambaonga and Cotabato.

I think there is no significant trade between the Maguindanaos/ Maranaos and the Tausugs/Samals/Yakans.

Just my thoughts this morning. Hurriendly done blog entry. Apologies.