The reactions came after Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Nur Misuari faction has released a copy of the invitation letter from the OIC, requesting Misuari to participate in the upcoming OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Conakry in Guinea in West Africa on December 9 to 11.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu signed the letter on November 24.
Fredilyn Ramirez, 35, one of those taken captives by the followers of Misuari during the siege on September 9, said the time is ripe for the OIC to heed the real sentiments of the people on the ground that the struggle of the Bangsamoro does not only rely in a single person.
“I am not in favor that he will represent the Bangsamoro in the OIC after what his men did in Zamboanga. My father was killed while being hostage by the MNLF and until now his body has yet to be found,” he lamented.
Ramirez and his two sisters narrowly escaped at the height of firefight.
“Actually, we are traumatized every time we hear his name. His name is now associated with war,” he said.
“If there will be someone who will represent the Bangsamoro in the OIC, it should not be Nur Misuari. I believed that are many good Muslim leaders who can represent (the Moros) in the OIC and can unite the Christians and Muslims in Mindanao and work (together) to bring peace and order in Mindanao,” he added.
Followers of Misuari stormed at least seven coastal villages, shooting civilians and took more than 100 hostages to get attention in setting up their independent state.
The siege lasted for about three weeks with almost half of the 300 MNLF followers were killed, while others are now jailed. Misuari, along with other commanders and followers, has a standing warrant of arrest issued by the regional trial court following the attack.
Some of the MNLF commanders said Misuari duped them. The real intention, according to them, was to carry out a peace rally in the city, and be paid at least P10,000. But it never came.
At the daybreak of September 9, MNLF-Misuari followers instantly killed at least three civilians.
Prof. Ali T. Yacub, president of the Muslim group Golden Crescent of Peace Builders and Affiliates, said that the OIC should know the atrocities Misuari and his men have done in this city. The bulk of the victims are Bangsamoro themselves, whom Misuari is trying to represent.
“The OIC may not have the true and official of what the men of Misuari did to Zamboanga City. The OIC officials must to see for themselves the crime committed by [MNLF-Misuari commander Khabir] Malik and his men against our people. Unless this done, Misuari will continue to be regarded as representing that Bangsamoro which is wrong,” he said.
The same sentiments were also raised by Edmund Gumbahali, the president of the Panglima Hawani Foundation Inc., a nongovernmental organization based in Jolo the capital town of the island province of Sulu.
“Inviting Misuari to attend international sorties is creating more internal problems in the MNLF and even in the peace process. This will again create propaganda and misreading among ground commanders and forces to focus on armed struggle because MNLF- Nur Misuari is still supported by the OIC and Philippine laws have no effect to a revolutionary leader like Misuari,” he said.
For years, the pan-Islamic group recognized Misuari as the representative of the Bangsamoro. However, in recent years, the OIC is trying to facilitate unity even among leaders of the MNLF after splintering into several factions due to leadership issues.
The OIC has also created a so-called Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum to harmonize the positions of the MNLF and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front. However, the initiative has yet to make strides after Misuari himself has expressed his reservations on the unification efforts of the OIC.
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