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Muslims condemned the abduction of the 79-year-old missionary. (Reuters) |
CAIRO – Muslims, either in Ireland or the Philippines, are appealing for the release of a Catholic priest kidnapped in southern Philippines, amid reports that his abductors might be Muslims.
"We join our Christian brethren in strongly condemning this act," Ummah Fi Salam, an Irish local Muslim group, said in a statement cited by the Irish Times on Tuesday, October 13.
"We also pray for his safety and immediate release.”
Father Michael Sinnott, an Irish priest, was kidnapped Sunday from his home at the Missionary Society of St. Columban compound in the southern city of Pagadian.
Six heavily armed men barged into the Columban House and dragged him into a van before the eyes of his horrified aides.
“Mick is not in the best of health and badly needs his daily dosage of medicine," Emmanuel Cabajar, the Bishop of Pagadian, appealed in a statement to the kidnappers.
No group has claimed responsibility but fingers of accusations have been pointed at either Al-Qaeda-linked Abou Sayaf group or Muslims fighting for a Muslim homeland in the south.
But the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denied any link to the abduction.
"We are not involved in this, and we see no reason why our men should be involved in this," spokesman Eid Kabalu told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Muslim group offered to help in securing the release of the 79-year-old missionary.
"We don't know who is behind this, but what is important is that we are willing to cooperate and assist the government look for him for humanitarian reasons."
The MILF has been struggling for an independent state in the mineral-rich southern region of Mindanao for some three decades now.
More than 120,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in the late 1960s.
Mindanao, the birthplace of Islam in the Philippines, is home to more than 5 million Muslims.
Un-Islamic
Irish Muslims said the abduction, if proven to be the work of some Muslims, has nothing to do with their faith.
“This act is against the morality of Islam,” Ummah Fi Salam said in its statement.
The regional council of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, a network of Moro Muslim civil society organizations in Mindanao, also joined the appeal.
"In solidarity with our Christian brethren we are strongly condemning this act," it said after an emergency meeting in Pagadian.
Ustadz Faried Solaiman Adas, chief of the Madaris Education Bureau in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), denounced the crime as a violation of Islamic teachings.
“Islam abhors kidnappings,” he stressed.
The bureau has more than 600 Muslim preachers handling peace education classes in remote towns in the autonomous region.
“Islam has strong teachings on respect for religious leaders, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.
“For genuine Muslims who fear Allah, kidnapping is a diabolic act.”
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