Filipino imams condemn Sunday Mass bombing in Marawi

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines – Filipino imams condemned the bombing of a gymnasium at Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi during a Catholic Mass on Sunday, December 3, describing the incident as contrary to “all human and Islamic norms.”

“In Islam, the only wars that are permitted are between armies, and they should engage on battlefields and engage nobly. The Prophet Muhammad said, ‘Do not kill women or children or noncombatants and do not kill old people or religious people,’ and he mentioned priests, nuns, and rabbis,” the United Imams of the Philippines said in a statement.

“Terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood constitute a form of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts,” the Filipino imams added.

Citing several verses in the Qur’an and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, the imams said that “any attack on innocent people is unlawful” and against Shari’a or Islamic law. “Muslims must safeguard the lives, honor, and property of civilians and non-combatants,” the imams wrote.

The imams also called for the “swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators.” 

Muslims in Marawi have also denounced Sunday’s attack and expressed messages of solidarity with Christians. They recalled how Christians have helped and stood by during the Marawi siege in 2017.

Investigators have yet to determine the motive behind the attack, which had killed at least four and injured at least 45. But the Council for Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) had already reported an early increase in hate speech following the bombing.

“It is too early to draw conclusions or to point fingers towards any individual or group. Instead let us act together to ease the sorrow of the victims’ families and the pain of the wounded and traumatized,” the group said.

“We also call for calm and reflection amidst attempts to polarize the situation and sow the seeds of a Muslim-Christian conflict,” the CCAA’s statement said. – Rappler.com