What is being presented before us now is a path that can lead to a permanent change in the status quo in Muslim Mindanao. But as with all change, its success depends on our continuous vigilance. We must admit that there are those who will champion the status quo to preserve themselves in positions of power and wealth. Maintaining this requires holding back the majority, for any sign of individual or collective advancement is a threat. Maintaining fear and insecurity allows them to prey on the entrepreneur whose success is rewarded by kidnapping; the farmer who improved the rough land only to have it grabbed; the student whose very promising future is cut short by a bomb; the pensioner who, seeking security, falls prey to the unscrupulous pyramid scammer; or those mired in desperate times and desperate situations who fall victim to false prophets from either side. These people ask, and have been asking, the legitimate question: What did we do to deserve this? The simple answer is: You don’t; no one does. My father taught me: If you tolerate the abuse of the rights of one, it sets the stage for the abuse of your own rights. The only correct action then is to stand up for your brother whose rights have been abused; otherwise, we will only be condemning ourselves to suffer the same fate.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 14:48:53 +0000
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