October 7, 2012 News: A senior member of the MILF Central Committee has urged its committee officials to serve the people with utmost sincerity and dedication and never to take advantage of their kindness and weaknesses.

The MILF has functioning committees in all provinces in Mindanao, which have substantial number of Moro residents.

The appeal was made by Muhammad Ameen, chair of the MILF Secretariat, during a monthly regular meeting of MILF provincial committee officials in an undisclosed location in Maguindanao province.

Ameen, who joined the MNLF-led struggle in 1972, was a student in Manila, but decided to come home to fulfill his commitment to fight for the liberation of his people.

However, when Salamat Hashim split from the MNLF in 1977, Ameen sided with the former and formed the New MNLF Leadership, which to become later as the “Moro Islamic Liberation Front”.

He also served as Secretary of the late Chairman Salamat Hashim when he was in Lahore, Pakistan from 1980 to 1987, when he decided in December that year to slip into the country.

He reminded the MILF officials that a successful movement requires the support of the people, whom he described as source of almost inexhaustible support.

He explained that all successful revolutionary struggles in the world from Algeria to Cuba, from China to Vietnam, and the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah are popularly supported.

He, however, clarified that serving the people is a slogan that is not exclusive to Maoist struggle, saying Islam is the religion of benevolence to the people, and cited the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Ameen recalled the Prophet’s saying thus: “Muslims who serve one another and help others because the one who helps his Muslim brothers, Allah will be in his support.”

Ameen also cited another saying, among others: "He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the world and in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother."

Some 100 MILF committee officials including those from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan, attended the orientation seminar.