Ramadan observed with calls to free Palestine

“Because Israel is not deserving to be a state. It is a state committing genocide.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Moro people inside and outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) joined different solidarity actions during the observance of Ramadan, expressing their call for a free Palestine.

Hundreds of concerned individuals in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, joined a solidarity run organized by MeRunNow. Several of them ran barefoot, gathering at the Ground Zero—the epicenter of the Marawi Siege, the five-month-long battle between government forces and the ISIS-inspired Maute group.

Residents still endure the scars left by the 2017 war.

Around 800 attendees chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as they reached Rizal Park, waving the Palestinian flag and echoing the shared pain of residents of 32 villages in Marawi who suffered destruction and displacement.

Prof. Abdullah Tirmizy of Mindanao State University Marawi Main Campus urged participants to be mindful of what they partake as it might be manufactured by companies that support the oppression of Palestinian people.

He said that they will never support leaders who are normalizing their relation with Zionists and the Israeli government. “Because Israel is not deserving to be a state. It is a state committing genocide.”

Almost two weeks ago, Israel resumed its offensives in the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas, a Palestinian and an Islamist militant movement, several days after the first of three phases of a ceasefire ended. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, over 400 Palestinians, including children, were killed.

The three-phase truce agreed by both parties in January was supposed to help end the war.

Media reports stated that both Israel and the administration of US President Donald Trump blamed the resumption of hostilities on Hamas’ refusal to release more Israeli captives. But this demand by Israel is not part of the agreement. Hamas, on the other hand, said that the Israeli government wanted to extend the first phase to discuss phase two, a proposal rejected by the former.

The second phase includes discussions for a permanent ceasefire, the release of remaining hostages, and the complete withdrawal of Israel.

Meanwhile, a prayer and peace rally for Palestine was also held in Isabela City, Basilan, on March 25 led by Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman.

In a Facebook post, Turabin-Hataman said that she wondered if appealing for a free Palestine still made sense as it seems to keep falling on deaf ears despite various demonstrations. However, she still grasped the need for continuous action.

“(W)hether the world sees or hears our call or not, the important thing is that we don’t get tired or stop in our solidarity because it is commanded of us,” the local chief executive wrote.

Basilan is one of the BARMM provinces. However, the regional services of Isabela City remain in the Zamboanga Peninsula region. The city voted not to join the then proposed Bangsamoro region during a plebiscite in 2019.

Amirah Lidasan, senatorial candidate and co-chairperson of Moro and Indigenous Peoples rights group Sandugo, expressed support for the movement initiated by the Moro people.

“This is why we, the Bangsamoro, need to unite and accompany our brothers and sisters who become victims of abuse by the government in their call for solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Lidasan wrote in a Facebook post. (DAA)

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