Religious Tensions in the Philippines

Religious Tensions in the Philippines

Introduction

Just like other third world countries, the Philippines is facing a lot of internal issues relating to religious and ethnic groups. The main reason for these issues are arising is that the country is a multi-cultural state. Out of all the groups, the Bangsamoro (Muslim Filipinos) have been struggling for their rights. Being a minority, they do not have sufficient rights of self0-determination and are therefore making every effort to gain their rights. These struggles include armed struggles as well as parliamentary with a demand for a separate Islamic State or regional political autonomy (MacKenna, 1998).

Cause of the Issue

This issue has its roots back in the colonial era when they began to demand their rights in a country where they were being suppressed and targeted in the society. This fight for their rights led to the use of arms and eventually they were labeled as a threat to the country. They put up a condition for the state to give them their rights in order to put an end to the violence they have been creating; however, the state is not doing much to fulfill their demands as a result of which they still pose a threat.

Initially, this issue was not an armed battle. However, in 1968, the government massacred 28 Muslim volunteers In order to silence the supporters of the movement. This action of the government led to bitter battles between the Bangsamoro's and the government. Mindano was the center point of the movement which was led by Nur Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) (Wessendorf, 2009).

Response of the Local Government

Armed clashes erupted between the MNLF and the government forces in the early 70's. This led to the government deploying a major portion of its armed forces around the Muslim regions of ...