Human rights for all
Human rights for all
Updated 01:05am (Mla time) Jan 15, 2005
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the January 15, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LIFE in the post-9/11 world has been difficult for many, particularly for migrants to Western countries but especially to the United States, for world travelers who must put up with seemingly endless security procedures and the constant threat of hijacking, and of course for the survivors, loved ones and friends of all who perished in the attacks, not just in New York, but in places like Bali and Madrid.
But none has been more adversely affected by the events at the World Trade Center than Muslims all over the world. Afghan and Iraqi civilians know firsthand what happens to "innocent bystanders" when they get caught between a world superpower and an implacable foe. But Muslims from the rest of the world, including Filipino Muslims, have also felt the brunt of the stigma, fear and loathing attached to all who profess belief in Allah. This even if, out of all the Muslims in the world, perhaps less than one percent were and are involved in terrorism or even support the terrorists.
That hasn't stopped Filipino authorities, caught up in anti-Muslim paranoia, from targeting Muslims, who also happen to be Filipino citizens, at the slightest bit of intelligence implicating them in alleged plots against national security. Since 9/11, there have been numerous raids on Muslim-dominated areas, including armed action, with little proof proffered on the validity of the charges and the guilt of those arrested.
* * *
THE LATEST incident involved the arrest of 16 Muslims at the Islamic Information Center (IIC) on Taft Avenue who were there for the Friday prayers. Law enforcement officials claimed they had intelligence that indicated there was a plan to sabotage the Feast of the Nazarene in Quiapo, which was to take place in two days. Those arrested, according to members of the Muslim community, included pilgrims going on Hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the center of Islam), and prominent Muslim leaders, including Afghani Alonto, head of the IIC.
Alonto is the youngest son of the late Sen. Domocao Alonto and he remains under detention in Camp Crame.
"The original target was the Islamic Center on the second floor of the Abaton Building in Quiapo. However, a lawyer was present who questioned the legality of the raid since the WPD raiding team could not produce a search/arrest warrant. The raiding party then proceeded to the next center where it succeeded in arresting the 16 Muslims, including three women," says a statement signed by prominent Filipino Muslims, and including a Catholic priest based in Mindanao.
The raid on the IIC and the warrantless arrest of Muslim Filipinos, "under the guise of a war against terror," they asserted, mark a "new crackdown" on the Muslim population in Manila.
"Since 9/11, thousands of Muslims have been arrested in similar illegal raids. While most have been released, hundreds are still languishing in jails. Many of those detained have no charges filed against them. Moreover, there are documented allegations of human rights violations of our brothers and sisters in jail, including torture and sexual abuse of the women," the statement adds.
The targeting of Muslim Filipinos is not taking place in isolation. As the statement points out, the US government, in a 2002 assessment of the human rights situation in the Philippines, has pointed out "serious problems" in some areas, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrest and detention, with particular attention paid to the PNP as "the worst abuser of human rights."
* * *
"WE are angered and alarmed that the Arroyo government, while it pursues peace negotiations with the MILF, allows blatant violations of the human rights of Muslims," the signatories stress.
"We demand the release of innocent Filipinos who have been detained on the pretext of being terrorists.
"We call on all peace and civil rights advocates to be on guard, be steadfast in the quest for genuine peace. Human rights must never be sacrificed in the war against terror. To do so undermines the very fabric of democracy and ensures the success of elements who threaten our society.
"We demand that all Muslim leaders in the government come forward to protect the rights and liberty of all Muslims and non-Muslim Filipinos."
Among the signatories are former Sen. Santanina Rasul, founding chair of the Muslim Women Peace Advocates Council, Amina Rasul of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID), other prominent Christian and Muslim leaders, Nena Undag, chair, and Mona Muktar, co-chair and other leaders of the Lumad-Moro Women Solidarity for Human Rights, and Fr. Eliseo Mercado, OMI.
* * *
AS the statement implies, at risk under the present scenario are the human rights not just of our Muslim brethren but of all Filipinos, if we remain silent and stand idly by while we allow the rights of a few to be trampled. Law enforcers may protest that as part of the "war on terror" they have been forced to take short cuts and cannot afford the niceties of legal procedures. But those procedures exist for a reason, and the protection of the individual against the powerful state is just one compelling reason.
Even more offensive is the religious and ethnic profiling employed in the course of going after alleged terrorists. Non-Muslim Filipinos may feel they have nothing to fear in a post-9/11 world, save maybe from faceless terrorists who may strike from out of nowhere. It may be the highest irony yet if the biggest threat stems not from the unseen terrorist, but from the all-powerful and ubiquitous agents of the state.
Updated 01:05am (Mla time) Jan 15, 2005
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the January 15, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LIFE in the post-9/11 world has been difficult for many, particularly for migrants to Western countries but especially to the United States, for world travelers who must put up with seemingly endless security procedures and the constant threat of hijacking, and of course for the survivors, loved ones and friends of all who perished in the attacks, not just in New York, but in places like Bali and Madrid.
But none has been more adversely affected by the events at the World Trade Center than Muslims all over the world. Afghan and Iraqi civilians know firsthand what happens to "innocent bystanders" when they get caught between a world superpower and an implacable foe. But Muslims from the rest of the world, including Filipino Muslims, have also felt the brunt of the stigma, fear and loathing attached to all who profess belief in Allah. This even if, out of all the Muslims in the world, perhaps less than one percent were and are involved in terrorism or even support the terrorists.
That hasn't stopped Filipino authorities, caught up in anti-Muslim paranoia, from targeting Muslims, who also happen to be Filipino citizens, at the slightest bit of intelligence implicating them in alleged plots against national security. Since 9/11, there have been numerous raids on Muslim-dominated areas, including armed action, with little proof proffered on the validity of the charges and the guilt of those arrested.
* * *
THE LATEST incident involved the arrest of 16 Muslims at the Islamic Information Center (IIC) on Taft Avenue who were there for the Friday prayers. Law enforcement officials claimed they had intelligence that indicated there was a plan to sabotage the Feast of the Nazarene in Quiapo, which was to take place in two days. Those arrested, according to members of the Muslim community, included pilgrims going on Hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the center of Islam), and prominent Muslim leaders, including Afghani Alonto, head of the IIC.
Alonto is the youngest son of the late Sen. Domocao Alonto and he remains under detention in Camp Crame.
"The original target was the Islamic Center on the second floor of the Abaton Building in Quiapo. However, a lawyer was present who questioned the legality of the raid since the WPD raiding team could not produce a search/arrest warrant. The raiding party then proceeded to the next center where it succeeded in arresting the 16 Muslims, including three women," says a statement signed by prominent Filipino Muslims, and including a Catholic priest based in Mindanao.
The raid on the IIC and the warrantless arrest of Muslim Filipinos, "under the guise of a war against terror," they asserted, mark a "new crackdown" on the Muslim population in Manila.
"Since 9/11, thousands of Muslims have been arrested in similar illegal raids. While most have been released, hundreds are still languishing in jails. Many of those detained have no charges filed against them. Moreover, there are documented allegations of human rights violations of our brothers and sisters in jail, including torture and sexual abuse of the women," the statement adds.
The targeting of Muslim Filipinos is not taking place in isolation. As the statement points out, the US government, in a 2002 assessment of the human rights situation in the Philippines, has pointed out "serious problems" in some areas, including extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrest and detention, with particular attention paid to the PNP as "the worst abuser of human rights."
* * *
"WE are angered and alarmed that the Arroyo government, while it pursues peace negotiations with the MILF, allows blatant violations of the human rights of Muslims," the signatories stress.
"We demand the release of innocent Filipinos who have been detained on the pretext of being terrorists.
"We call on all peace and civil rights advocates to be on guard, be steadfast in the quest for genuine peace. Human rights must never be sacrificed in the war against terror. To do so undermines the very fabric of democracy and ensures the success of elements who threaten our society.
"We demand that all Muslim leaders in the government come forward to protect the rights and liberty of all Muslims and non-Muslim Filipinos."
Among the signatories are former Sen. Santanina Rasul, founding chair of the Muslim Women Peace Advocates Council, Amina Rasul of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID), other prominent Christian and Muslim leaders, Nena Undag, chair, and Mona Muktar, co-chair and other leaders of the Lumad-Moro Women Solidarity for Human Rights, and Fr. Eliseo Mercado, OMI.
* * *
AS the statement implies, at risk under the present scenario are the human rights not just of our Muslim brethren but of all Filipinos, if we remain silent and stand idly by while we allow the rights of a few to be trampled. Law enforcers may protest that as part of the "war on terror" they have been forced to take short cuts and cannot afford the niceties of legal procedures. But those procedures exist for a reason, and the protection of the individual against the powerful state is just one compelling reason.
Even more offensive is the religious and ethnic profiling employed in the course of going after alleged terrorists. Non-Muslim Filipinos may feel they have nothing to fear in a post-9/11 world, save maybe from faceless terrorists who may strike from out of nowhere. It may be the highest irony yet if the biggest threat stems not from the unseen terrorist, but from the all-powerful and ubiquitous agents of the state.
posted by Dante at 2:04 PM
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