Maradeka is a pro-democracy Islamic political organization which espouses non-violent political action,Mahatma Gandhi, International Day of Non-Violence, Oct. 2, 2011 Nonviolence and is based in the Philippines. The organization has been active against a backdrop of over 40 years of armed Muslim insurgency, mounted by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Fronttitle= Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in their quest for self-rule. These groups emerged following popular dissent with the Philippine government, and their treatment of the Muslim minority as second class citizens, which caused extensive suffering. These years of social, economic, and political inequities are known as the 'Mindanao problem'.
The term Maradeka is rooted in the Malay word merdeka,Malay word, "merdeka"Merdeka used widely in South East Asia meaning freedom or liberation, and was adopted as the name of the umbrella freedom alliance of 72 Bangsamoro civil and political organizations. These include Task Force Mindanao, Alternative Muslim Mindanao Entrepreneurial Dev't, Inc (AMMENDI), Basilan Solidarity, Organization of Maguindanaon and Iranon, Bangsamoro Consultative Assembly, Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulama (BSCU), Maradeka Youth, Bangsa Iranun Muslim Advocates for Peace, Inc., Ittihadun As-Shabab Al-Muslimeen, Karitan Foundation Inc., Mindanao Peace Observers, Manila Peace Zone Community Association (MAPZCA), and Mindanao War Victims.
Maradeka derives its strength from grassroot communities, citizens action and consensus building through regional people's assemblies (RPA) held in various regions in the Philippines, such as Mindanao and Sulu, Central Luzon and Calabarzon. In addition, the group articulates voices of the marginalized Moro people, democratic dialogues, participatory community consultations (shura), social and political advocacy campaigns, and launches mass actions to organise protests, appeals, and demands on various legal issues and policies affecting Muslim people in the Philippines.
Moro War for Secession from the Philippines Muslims in the Southern Philippines, known as Moro or Bangsamoro, claim to have preceded the Philippine Commonwealth when the United States Government granted self-rule in 1935. This followed demands for independence by Filipino politicians, led by Manuel L. Quezon.
The Bangsamoro people have established, independent Sultanates, such as the Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Maguindanao and the Pat A Pangampong of Ranaw (Federal States of Ranaw). These Moro Sultanates mounted a colonial resistance known as the Spanish–Moro WarsMoro Wars by Dr. Cesar Adib Majul in his book 'History of the Muslims in the Philippines'. This was carried out as a resistance to the incursion of Spanish Colonial power in 1571 and the annexation of the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan islands by the United States in the Moro–American War (1899–1913). This followed the Spanish–American War (1899–1902), and the Moros' resistance to Japanese invasion in World War II.
The last four decades of Philippine–Bangsamoro conflict are the most recent, but not the final stage of Moro Wars. The modern Muslim revolt can be seen in an unorganized uprising in early 1950 (the Kamlon revolt) and during 1968 in the organized secessionist Mindanao Independence Movement of Udtog Matalam, which jolted the Philippine government.
Historical roots of the Maradeka organization The infamous Jabidah Massacre, on March 18, 1968, which saw Moro army recruits allegedly massacred, was the catalyst for the broader Moro Insurgency in the Philippines. Around this time, the Sabah-trained "Black Shirts" emerged who fought the Philippine militias called "Ilaga," they came to be known later as the Moro National Liberation Front seeking to establish what it called the independent Bangsamoro Republik.
Approximately one month after Ferdinand Marcos' declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, Moro rebels stormed Philippine Constabulary camps and government installations in Marawi City in the historic Marawi revolt. In addition, they overran the state university calling for Muslim secession. Following this the Moro revolution rapidly became widespread all over Mindanao.
A Philippine Army general, Fortunato Abat,Gen. Fortunato Abat The CEMCOM story: The Day We Nearly Lost Mindanao, Published 2003 has described how the Philippines almost lost Mindanao.
The freedom-loving Moro people lived up to the Malay tradition of enjoying a collective lifestyle, free from alien subjugation, control, or dominance. The indigenous human rights to life and self-determination were strongly defended by early Moro leaders, chieftains, datus, Sultans, and Moro freedom fighters since this point in time.
The American soldiers attested to the ferociousness of the Moro warriors in the battlefield. In continuing the struggle, Maradeka emerged as non-violent political organization as an alternative to armed struggle mounted by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) during their secessionist campaign beginning in 1968 and sustained by its breakaway groups, namely: MNLF Reformist GroupThe Philippines after Marcos, by Ronald James May & Francisco Nemenzo , Published 1985, p.119–125 led by Kumander Dimas Pundato and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) led by late Ustadz Salamat Hashim in war for self-rule in Mindanao, the largest southern islands of the Philippines.
The restlessness in the recurrent Mindanao conflict brought Moro political activists and bonded Islamists and pro-democratic political groups of youth and students, academe, professionals, clerics, workers and employees, businessmen, traders, urban poor, overseas contract workers, and women in the push for broader people participation toward peace and democracy in the Philippines.
Origin of Rising Moro Organization Convenors of Maradeka evolved from the middle of the 1980s during the height of Muslim student activism in Mindanao as new option for peaceful and democratic people participation against the backdrop of Bangsamoro people armed resistance against the repressive and chauvinistic Philippine government of strongman Pres. Marcos. Now, Maradeka as it was formally organized during its Convenor' Assembly in University of the Philippines as mass organization in July 2000, stepped up the broadening and heightening of mass struggle in the attainment of its lofty aspiration for freedom, justice, human rights, and the assertion of Bangsamoro people's right to self-determination.Maradeka in Action: The Primer
Maradeka had been active in advancing Moro civil and political rights and the advocacy of peace cognizant of the United Nations International covenants on ECOSOC and Civil and Political Rights.United Nations international covenants on ECOSOC and Civil and Political Rights The unabated political repression, oppression, and discrimination resulting to serious violations of human rights, civil liberties, and deprivations of economic, cultural and social rights by the government authorities perpetrated against the Muslims in Mindanao, more popularly known as the Bangsamoro people have caused more public resistance and banded cause-oriented groups to redress collectively these pressing problems confronting them.
Maradeka became active in embarking on direct socio-political action to address the complexities of issues affecting the Muslim communities. The recurrent wars for decades brought thousands in mass poverty and displacement in Mindanao. It believed the war of attrition must come to its end. As Peace Observer, in the peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, it sought a "win-win" solution to the Mindanao armed conflict, fought against spoilers of peace and saboteursPeace advocates hopeful about Aquino counter-proposal to MILF substate, Phil. Daily Inquirer and avert impasse of peace talks brokered by Malaysia. If the option for a sub-state formula cannot be met by the Philippine peace panel, the federal option will be viable, or it will seek a "determination vote' to the United Nations as the last option.
Ideology Maradeka espoused the Islamic Ideology and Islamic democracy. It believed in the core values of freedom and equality as the foundation of human dignity and social justice. Like every Muslim organization, Maradeka asserts in the rhetoric of their leaders of Bangsamoro nationhood and the adherence to the political principles of Islam based on its precepts, namely: Tawhid (Monotheism), Khilafah (Trusteeship), Hakimiyyah (Sovereignty), Risalah (Message), Hukuwat (Brotherhood), and Jihad (Mass Struggle). It looked forward to the resilience of the freedom-loving Bangsamoro people holding to their ancestors tradition that had found strength in the intrinsic value inherent in the social and political life of the Malay people to live free continually resistant"The Advent and Growth of Islam in the Philippines," Authored by Dr. Carmen Abubakar Islam in Southeast Asia: political, social and strategic challenges for the 21st Century, edited by K. S. Nathan, Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies to the influences and dominance of colonial powers- Spanish and American.
Its founders in carrying out its part in the Islamic movement propounded that while the universal Muslim Ummah is in the dire state of Darul Harb and the Muslim world is fragmented into nation-states, viewed the Khilafat, the world Islamic government as a utopia. Thus, the Muslim organization find their advocacy of temporal socio-political ideology, Islamic democracy as a transition to absolute realization of comprehensive Islamic way of life and egalitarian state of Darul Islam. The adoption of Islamic democracy and the building of Sharia-based Islamic democratic government found the model in the Islamic political construct from Islamic Republics in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Iran. In advancing the Islamic democratic ideology, it found inspiration from many Muslim political thinkers notably the political works and treatises of Syed Abu Ala Maududi of Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, Abhoud Syed Lingga of Institute of Bangsamoro Studies in the Philippines. It seeks to build a Sharia-based Muslim government and state in Mindanao and Philippines.
The fast Islamic resurgence sweeping the entire Muslim world gradually evolved Maradeka to become another brand of political Islam in the Philippines as it adhered to the Islamic fundamentalist creedIslamic Fundamentalism of Tauhid: Laa ilaha illaallah, Muhammad Ar-Rasulullah (There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Final Prophet) whereby in the mainstream of the universal Islamic movement its mode of political action embarks on the Islamic democratic struggle to attain its goals. Though the Muslims in the Philippines appeared to be in the minority with Muslim population consisting of about 14 million, it found fraternal relations with the Muslim world, a total population of 1.4 billion. Maradeka joins the Muslim world and the Pan-Islamic movement and toward realization of the Darul Salam, it envisioned the reconstruction of the universal Muslim Ummah.
Organization and Operation