March 30, 2009, Luwaran.net, MILF calls on Abu Sayyaf to free ICRC workers,

March 30, 2009, Luwaran.net, MILF calls on Abu Sayyaf to free ICRC workers,

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has called on the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to free the three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), saying they are innocent to the repression undertaken by the Philippine government against the Moros in Mindanao.

“They are here in Mindanao on humanitarian mission to help the needy, the wounded and for the protection of human rights especially the non-combatants. They are not siding with any group; the issue of religious divide is not in their agenda.”

This was the statement of Muhammad Ameen, chairperson of the MILF Secretariat, in relation to the continued ordeal of the three ICRC workers in the hands of the ASG, who threatened to kill them if the military does not agree to total withdrawal to Jolo and Indanan town.

Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni, and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, all workers of the ICRC were seized last January 15 after inspecting a water project at Sulu provincial jail in the town of Patikul.

However, www.luwaran.net did not know how the message was sent to the ASG, but it is common knowledge that some relatives of the ASG are also relatives of MILF members in the province of Sulu. The MILF has both political and military structures in the island province, which used to be the sole turf of the MNLF.

Both the MILF and ASG acknowledged Islam as their guiding ideological principles but they differ on tactics and strategy; the MILF pursues the guidelines set forth in the Quran and Traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) and followed by the Caliphs of Islam like Abubakar, Omar, Othman, and Ali, while the ASG resorts to the Quran and Traditions “discriminately”.

The rules of war in Islam are clear: 1) Never kill, injure, harm or target non-combatants especially children, women, the aged, and men of religion like priests, monks, etc.; 2) Do not destroy orchards or plantations or houses; 3) Do not mutilate the fallen enemy; 4) Treat prisoners of war humanly and feed them; etc.

The Islamic rules of war have been in existence for more than 1400 years already while the Geneva Conventions were only adopted in the 40s or 50s to regulate war in modern times.

The MILF had once tactical tie-up with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF), which is communist-led, but never with the ASG.

The irony, however, is that some MILF members are also relatives of ASG members or leaders especially in Sulu and Basilan. LINK: