Religious freedom in RP secure, US says

WASHINGTON — Most Muslims in the Philippines do not favor the establishment of a separate state, and the overwhelming majority rejects terrorism as a means of achieving autonomy, the US State Department said.

In its 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom released here on Thursday, the State Department said socio-economic disparity between the Christian majority and the Muslim minority, not religious intolerance, is the source of conflict in certain provinces in the southern Philippines.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who released the report, said millions of people in scores of countries do not enjoy religious freedom, but not in the Philippines.

In the chapter referring to the Philippines, the report said adherents of all faiths are free to exercise their religious beliefs in all parts of the country without government interference or restriction.

But there is some ethnic, religious, and cultural discrimination against Muslims by Christians, which has led some Muslims to seek a degree of political autonomy in the southwestern part of the predominantly Roman Catholic country, the report said.

The US charged bitter foes North Korea and Myanmar, allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and China with serious curtailment of religious freedom.

The report also detected rising anti-Semitism in Europe but said efforts are underway to promote greater tolerance.

"We are going to watch this carefully and this is certainly an important concern at this time," John Handord, US ambassador at-large for international religious freedom, said.

"A fundamental principle of religious freedom ... is that all persons should be able to practice their religion and their beliefs peacefully, without government interference as long as they are doing so without provocation and intimidation of others in society," the report added.

Meanwhile, referring to the Philippines’ 2000 census, the report also mentioned that some Muslim scholars allege that census takers who fear for their safety did not conduct accurate counts outside urban areas in western Mindanao, where Muslims are a majority.

"The 2000 census placed the number of Muslims at 3.9 million, or approximately five percent of the population, while some Muslim groups claim that Muslims comprise anywhere from eight to 12 percent of the population," the report said.

The Philippine population is estimated at between 80 and 82 million now.

The State Department report on religious freedom coincided with French President Jacques Chirac’s call for a law that would ban Muslim head scarves and all other overt religious symbols from public schools in France.

Like the Philippines, France is a predominantly Roman Catholic country. Its Muslim population is estimated to be between five and seven million out of a total population of about 60 million.

"Secularism is not negotiable. The schools will remain secular," Chirac said.

In contrast, Philippine public schools by law must ensure that the religious rights of students are protected.

The State Department report said Muslim students in the Philippines are allowed to wear their head coverings (hijab), and Muslim girls are not required to wear shorts during physical education classes. — With AFP