Ethnic and Religious Tensions in Southern Philippines
The ethnic and religious tensions in the Southern Philippines specifically in the Mindanao region have been a long standing issue. These resulted to a number of lives taken and the dislocation of civilian people. Different presidents and social groups have tried unifying the region but all were failures. Until today, efforts are made by the government to resolve the issues in the aim of giving the residents especially the children a normal life – a life free from war and other conflicts but the situation has not improved. Success has been occasional ceasefires to be broken by either the rebels, militant groups or the government troops.
The tensions in the area are mainly brought about by the cultural differences however, political and economic factors also play some part. The region is a multi-cultural community thus, making it hard for the government to unite and forge cooperation among them. Ethnic groups, most of which are Muslims struggle for self determination. They are fighting for a separate independent Islamic state for the region or a separate political structure from the mainland. These Islamic minorities are aiming to have a Bangsa Moro or the Moro Nation. Members sometimes refuse to call themselves as Filipinos but rather Muslims.
Leaders of the group have showed a united front and fought both in parliament and through arm struggle for this Bangsa Moro. However, the fights have taken the lives of many of their leaders and civilians. Residents, both Muslims and Christians seem to be oblivious in the clash happening around them but their day to day lives are deeply affected. They cannot put up permanent residence because from time to time, they have to move to a more peaceful and safer place to live. Children can’t attend school regularly because if they are not displaced due to the raging war, their classrooms are used as an evacuation center for families affected by the conflict.
The misunderstanding between the Christians and Muslims, which has been cause mostly of the cultural and economic differences between the two started from the colonial years. The root cause of which is the Muslims regarding themselves as separate people and the Christians also regarding themselves as a separate people. It started during the Spanish colonialism when the higher social organizations of the Muslim communities in Mindanao were “disturbed” by the Spanish and upon the arrival their arrival, their Muslim influence on the Visayas and Luzon region was cut. Aside from cutting the Islamic influence on other parts of the country, the Spaniards initiated war between the two groups, the Muslims and the other ethnic groups colonized by the Spaniards. From then on, the two groups had seen each other as enemies instead of uniting as one nation. Although colonizers were not able to succeed in taking over the Muslim communities, their political stability was affected. Colonizers were able to isolate them from conducting trade with the rest of the country. Many researchers who analyzed the current situation in the region attributed colonial policies of both the Spaniards and the Americans as the root causes of the conflicts between the Muslims and Christians in the Mindanao. The cultural difference was reawaken since the 9/11 attack in the United States. Muslims communities, not only in the region but throughout the world experience discrimination for other groups, countries or media.
The continuing conflict between the two raging groups sees innocent civilians as the most affected victims. People in the area cannot establish their permanent homes because every now and then they are evacuated. Their economic and social conditions are affected. Many terrorist attacks in the country, not only in the Mindanao region but also in Manila where the seat of the Philippine government is situated has been staged, most of which are attributed to Muslim extremist groups. These have cause deaths and injuries to innocent people. Researchers say that Muslim children learn to operate ammunition first before they are able to read. The Muslims have close family ties, which made them to avenge for every death the government or Christians inflicted in them, instead of taking education as a priority in the area.
The current Philippine Government rules the cease-fire agreement to initiate a peace process in the area instead of making an all-out war against the Muslim extremist. According to President Aquino, making revenge for the deaths that have been brought about the existing conflict in the area will not result to anything; instead it will just reinforce it. For the cries of the communities for recognition and economic reforms, the government has vowed to prioritize giving social and economic reforms in the area. The government has also passed several laws recognizing the Muslim culture.
Although, there have been Americans who have been victims of the conflict in the Mindanao area, the Unites States government supports the stand of the Philippine government to stick with its current pursuits of a peace process.
