Stop the bashing of Muslims! TWO MUSLIM SAF COMMANDOS DIED IN MAMASAPANO CARNAGE

By Manny Piñol

The Mamasapano slaughter of 44 (now the official figure) members of the elite Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP) brought to surface again the deep-seated biases by the majority Christian Filipinos against the minority Muslims of Mindanao.

As a Christian born and raised in a community in North Cotabato where Christians and Muslims lived peacefully for almost a century now, it pains me to read cruel comments directed against all Muslims in this country.

I grew up with Muslim friends and I certainly know how they feel about the Mamasapano incident and how pained they are that a dastardly act committed by a group of Muslims would be considered a crime believers in Islam in the country are also guilty of.

Every one of us, Muslims, Christians and the Tribes suffers from the tragic incidents that befall on this country.

The bombs which explode in our town centers kill and maim both Christians and Muslims.

In the Mamasapano massacre, for example, at least two Muslim members of the Special Action Force Commando unit also sacrificed their lives for this country.

PO3 Jedz-in Asjali and PO2 Ammam M. Esmula, both from Zamboanga, were among the 44 SAF Commandos who perished in Mamasapano.

Indeed, while 42 of the 44 fatalities were Christians, the death of the two Muslim police officers show that the whole nation suffers from the endless violence which has gripped this country for so long now.

Castigating innocent Muslims for the act of a few misguided individuals, would only widen the gap between two groups of Filipinos who are only divided by faith but bound by a common aspiration to live in peace.

Let’s stop the Muslim bashing. They too suffer like we do.