Marawi City (CNN Philippines, June 24) — The Muslim world commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan or Eid’l Fitr this weekend.
The country’s so-called Islamic city, ironically, will not be celebrating Islam’s most joyous occassion.
Instead of festive gatherings, residents of Marawi will spend the weekend away from home – for many, at evacuation camps and temporary shelters.
There will be no overflowing food, fun, music and dancing, or sharing of gifts.
Only mourning and suffering with no end in sight.
According to Abdulhamid Amerbitor, a Lanao del Sur board member, “ito ang pinakamalungkot na Eid na maidadaraos namin. So kahit na malungkot, ang importante, makapanalangin kami sa dyan na talagang, mawakasan na itong paghihirap ng mga Marawians.”
[Translation: This will be the saddest Eid we will celebrate. But even if it’s sad, what’s important is we pray for the end of the hardships Marawians are going through.]
Eid’l Fitr comes a month after Marawi came under siege by radical Islamic militants.
It remains unclear when the fighting will stop, but the military says it has made significant gains.
For one, it foiled the so-called grand plan: militants setting up an Islamic caliphate and ruling over Marawi.
According to Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesman of Joint Task Force Marawi, “Hindi sila nagtagumpay…barangays are already cleared, ok? May semblance na ng governance, tumatayo na ang ating mga ibang ahensya, sa kanilang mga humanitarian activities.”
[Translation: They will not succeed… local villages are already cleared, ok? There is a semblance of governance, some of our agencies are running their humanitarian activities.]
While the Muslim world celebrates Eid’l Fitr, Marawi will be in deep reflection.
Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesman of the Crisis Management Committee said, “We’re not only dealing with the Maute group and the Aabu Sayyaf, we’re also fighting the war against extremism.”
Even when the crisis ends, Marawi will have to come to terms with the why it happened in the first place.
Did the city, unwittingly, allow violent radicalism to come in?
Should Marawi take all the blame?
Local officials say the militants exploited the deep-seated grievances of Moros over historical injustices against them.
But they failed to get full support of the people, because officials insist, Maranaos know better.
Amerbitor said, “Ngayon ba ay kinukuha sa amin ang aming mga religion, kinukuha sa amin ang aming lupain, kinukuha sa amin, ginagahasa ba mga babae sa amin? Hindi naman e.”
[Translation: Now is our religion being taken away from us? Is our land being taken away? Are our women being taken, being raped? It’s not happening.]
Adiong said, “Tied with fighting with increased extremism, we also need to address the issue of the Moro problem, the Moro question.”
President Rodrigo Duterte is set to sign the draft bill of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) next weekend.
Proponents have long warned, failure to pass the BBL could fuel extremism in Mindanao.
It remains to be seen now, if the new BBL can prevent another Marawi – or if it’s a deal that’s too little, too late.
