By Alex Tan

July 17, 2012: The morning of July 14, about a thousand of Muslim Moro educators from Maguindanao Division 2 made a pledge (bay’-ah) with Amir of the Mujihideen Al Murad Ebrahim in Darapanan, Sultan.

Bay'ah in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Bay'ah is sometimes taken under a written pact given on behalf of the subjects by leading members of the tribe with the understanding that as long as the leader abides by certain requirements towards his people, they are to maintain their allegiance to him. Bay'ah is still practiced in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

The gatherings was actually a Islamic symposium for all Muslim Teachers in Maguindanao division II, and the guest speaker is the Amir (leader) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but after his more than one hour message the bay’ah follows.

Murad stressed that unity of the Bangsamoro is in dire need to achieve our self determination, and every Bangsamoro sector must support the cause of the MILF.

The fight of the MILF is for the liberation of Bangsamoro from the bondage of colonialism and not only for the front but all the sectors of the Bangsamoro.

Murad said the MILF will never sign an agreement that will not resolve the root cause of the problem which is political.

“We have spent our life in the quest for finding and mustering the solution to the root cause of the problem. We have not spent the best times of lives only to get high positions with the government,” he said.

The Committee on Daawah and Masajid facilitated the symposium.