New commission to replace OMA

CEBU, Philippines - A new commission for Muslims has been formed to answer the fast-changing Islamic demands of the world. The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos is set to replace the now-defunct Office of Muslim Affairs. 

The NCMF assures that they will uphold the mandate of their commission to promote the well-being and implementation of economic, educational, cultural, and infrastructural programs for Muslim Filipino communities.

As their pioneering step, the NCMF chose Cebu City for their 1st Ulama Consultative Conference with the theme: “The Ulama as Unifying Force and Agents for Social Change.”

NCMF-NCR Regional Director Kim Edres said that this will be equivalent to a national gathering of bishops for the Catholics.

Ulamas are like Catholic bishops who are considered to be the authorities of Islamic moral and social practices, they are also considered to be the authorities over other issues including as politics as in Islam there is no separation of religion and state.

There has been no actual effort to unite all Ulamas from different tribes in the country to have a united consensus on issues which affects Muslim Filipinos.

The NCMF gathered around 32 selected Ulamas representing different Muslim tribes to discuss and to finally have a unified position or recommendations for the national Muslim community.  

Some of the topics to be discussed within the conference will include health, clarification of their conduct during the month of Ramadhan and the continual peace process in the south.

As for the strong demand for Filipino Halal products exports, the NCMF also promotes standardizing the Philippine Halal Schemes, probable enhancement of the Philippine Madrasa or the traditional Muslim education and to finally re-establish the Zakata or Muslim tax to alleviate poverty among Muslims.

The NCMF hopes to consolidate all of the suggestions and proposals of the Ulamas of the Filipino Muslim community in order to adhere with the explicit order of the president of requiring all sectors of the society to be involved in national decision masking.

NCMF-Maranao representative, Commissioner Solaiman Mutia said that the NCMF is composed of nine full-time members coming from the women, the youth, and from various sectors of the Filipino Muslim community, adding that all must be highly regarded in their respective tribes and sectors. (FREEMAN)