MANILA, August 13, 2009-Even a Catholic bishop cried foul over President Arroyo's order to demolish the "Grand Mosque" in Pasay City.
Archbishop Oscar Cruz, former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, describe the move as a ticking-bomb ready to explode right in front of Malacañang.
Cruz said destroying the mosque and replacing it with commercial establishments and casinos only proves the government's greed for money and power.
"Destroying a religious symbol in place of a symbol of vice and greed is the height of arrogance and brazenness. It is a violation of Christian and Muslim religious tradition and beliefs," he said.
He said demolishing the mosque could also entail serious repercussions on the planned resumption of peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
"The demolition of the mosque is a ticking time bomb because it will cascade into a mishmash of complicated and sensitive religious, cultural and social issues," said Archbishop Cruz.
Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a non-government organization, said a May 26 memorandum to Philippine Reclamation Authority from Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita showed Arroyo's order to relocate the mosque to a proposed relocation site near Coastal Road.
The memorandum allegedly stated that the reclaimed land, where the Mosque is located, must be cleared to give way to Southwest Public Transport Intermodal Center (Metrotrans).
Residents near the mosque, however, claimed that they were told that the area is set to be used for commerce, luxury housing and casinos.
Based on Islamic laws, it is forbidden to destroy houses of worships, including Christian churches.
"Evictions are a common problem between government and urban poor people. However, in this particular case, the issue has become complicated as it is in direct conflict with the Muslim community's religious and cultural beliefs," said UPA deputy coordinator Ted Añana.
He noted that Islam's Holy Month is just more than a week away and that it would be very insensitive for the government to pursue this demolition activity.
"The least that the government can do is to spare this mosque from forced eviction. The government should be reasonable, judicious, and considerate in resolving the problem since this issue or the kind of action to be taken is very sensitive in view of its religious, social, cultural, legal and political ramifications that will certainly have long lasting national and international consequences," Añana added.
Muslims in the area have already warned the authorities from pursuing the Malacañang order saying there could be bloodshed waiting in the wings.
"If we die during Ramadan for defending our holy mosque, it means we will be rewarded twice by Allah. This gives us more courage to fight for our place of worship even it means our death. Unless the government heeds our call, blood may possibly flow on this disputed land," said Imam Abdul Fatah Sarip.
"Considering the anger and disgust of many Filipino Christians towards the ruling administration, the last thing it needs is the ire and hatred of Filipino Muslims," Archbishop Cruz chided. (Roy Lagarde)