BUF convenors (L-R) Mahid Mutilan, Bishop Hilario Gomez and Archbishop Fernando Capalla (courtesy BUF website)

Rexcel Sorza, IOL Correspondent

ILOILO CITY, Philippines, December 7 (IslamOnline.net) – The Week of Peace – an annual gala held with the aim of promoting the culture of peace on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, was "another proof that the people of Mindanao, whether Muslim or Christian, are united," a prominent Muslim scholar said Sunday, December 7.

"I’d like to believe that is was successful. We have realized the event’s goal of sending message of peace very loudly," Mahid Mutilan, leader of the Muslims’ Ulama League of the Philippines and a co-founder of the Bishops-Ulama Forum, told IslamOnline.net.

Peace advocates championed by the Bishops-Ulama Forum – an organization of Muslim and Christian religious leaders – were supposed to wrap up the annual Mindanao Week of Peace on Tuesday, December 3, but several groups extended it in their areas until Wednesday, December 10.

"They think it is necessary to hold their activities to promote peace through dialogues, information and education campaigns, walks, marches, prayer vigils and so on, for two weeks," Mutilan explained.

The gala - celebrated every year from the last Thursday of November to the first Wednesday of December - aims "to raise consciousness for a peace culture among the peoples of Mindanao… (by providing) a venue for expression of peace aspirations in various forms and for convergence of peace initiatives."

Through the Week of Peace, which is held "to remind everyone to work on for every Mindanao folk’s dream that is peace," Mutilan underlined, "we have shown the world that we are all a people of peace and we want peace and tranquility to reign on our island."

Mindanao has been battered by decades of fighting, particularly between government troops and independence-seeking Moro fighters.

Rich in natural resources, it lagged behind Visayas, the country’s third largest island, in economic development due to skirmishes between the Moro and the government military.

"We, the people of Mindanao, have long been dreaming of peace and tranquility in our beloved island of Mindanao. We hold this event in order to promote the culture of peace among ourselves," Mutilan said.

He asserted that Mindanao is "more peaceful now compared to previous years due to the initial peace agreement" thrashed out between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), fighting for an Islamic state in the Bangsamoro homeland that is Mindanao.

"We pray that the MILF and the government would end up forging a lasting peace accord," said the Muslim scholar.

In a massager to the Week of Peace – held this year under the theme of "Healing through Forgiveness: Key to Total Human Development" – President Gloria Arroyo said : "Our aspiration is to see a lasting peace and progress in the island."

She further acknowledged the need to pursue a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Mindanao to allow social and economic development programs in the area to move forward.

Peace talks are expected to resume after the Malaysian monitoring team evaluation of the ongoing cease-fire is done.

The Week of Peace is a breakthrough of peace-building efforts being pushed by the Bishops-Ulama Forum, which is a dialogue forum consisting of Muslim religious leaders, Roman Catholic bishops of Mindanao, and Protestant bishops who, in the spirit of inter-religious dialogue, affirm their common commitment to the peace process of resolving the Mindanao peace problem.

The Ulama and bishops have been holding dialogues since 1886 on a quarterly basis, on areas of common concern to promote a culture of peace.

The BUF partners, including religious leaders of the Indigenous Peoples (Lumad) - initiate and support regional dialogue forums in key cities and areas to address local issues of peace and order and inter-cultural solidarity.

BUF participants also join forces with peace centers, schools and NGOs in conducting community-based culture of peace workshops and introducing peace education in the school curriculum.

Earlier efforts of inter-religious dialogues date back to the 1970’s and 1980’s with the Muslim leaders and Protestant and Catholic counterparts talking peace.

In 1992-1993, the National Unification Commission, with religious leaders as conveners, provided a venue for identifying the root causes of conflict.