Preachers urge support for peace process in Mindanao Eid sermons

COTABATO CITY — Thousands joined the traditional outdoor Eid’l Adha prayers on Friday, June 6, across various barangays in Cotabato City, the capital of the Bangsamoro region.

The outdoor worship rite marked Friday's commemoration by Muslims around the world of the annual Eid’l Adha, also known as the Islamic feast of sacrifice.

The Eid’l Adha and the Eid’l Fit’r, or culmination of the yearly Islamic Ramadan fasting season, are two important religious holidays in Islam. 

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua and Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao expressed gratitude Friday to police and military units for securing Eid’l Adha open-field prayers across Cotabato and nearby provinces.

Majority of the soldiers and policemen involved in the Eid’l Adha security missions in Cotabato City and nearby areas are Christians.

Macacua said he is thankful to the non-Muslim police and military personnel who guarded the Eid’l Adha prayer sites.

In their separate Eid’l Adha messages, the two officials called on constituents to continue supporting the government’s Mindanao peace process, which is partly focused on fostering peace and sustainable development in Southern Mindanao and on strengthening religious and cultural solidarity among the region’s culturally pluralistic communities.

“We in the city government will do our best to help push the Mindanao peace process forward while we focus on our domestic public service thrusts,” Matabalao, who was reelected to a second term during the May 12 elections, said.

Macacua said he also appreciates the support of local government units in ensuring peaceful Eid’l Adha worship activities in far-flung areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In their sermons during Friday morning’s religious activity, many clerics urged worshipers to support interfaith community peacebuilding initiatives.