Monsters in the making

Catholic Church leaders and Muslim clerics are praying together. The ailing Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin is leading a prayer and fasting crusade. It's safe to surmise that even soldiers and their relatives are praying for peace in Mindanao. There are people, however, who have a different approach to conflict. Not satisfied that the government is meeting force with force, some civilians in Mindanao are arming themselves and forming vigilante groups, with Muslims as targets.

The rise of Christian vigilantes in Mindanao is not new. When the Moro National Liberation Front was sowing terror in the 1970s, such vigilante groups were organized, with support from government forces. The targets of the vigilantes were not only Muslim secessionists but also any person of whatever faith who provided any form of assistance or support to the rebels.

Recent reports said anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise in Mindanao -- an area which, like the rest of the country, is predominantly Christian. This is not surprising, considering the depredations committed by the Abu Sayyaf. The Muslim extremists attack Christian targets, bomb churches and pillage towns. They tortured a captive priest before shooting him dead, hacked off the breast of a teacher and beheaded two hostages. A few years back, they massacred 15 Christian teachers. Even the Moro Islamic Liberation Front can't win much sympathy after bombing public places in Mindanao. Those attacks were not meant to scare; they were meant to kill. MILF members have been charged for the bombing of two buses on a ferry that left scores of people dead in Ozamis.

The Abu Sayyaf and the MILF, however, do not represent the majority of Muslims in this country. Christians and Muslims have co-existed peacefully for decades in many parts of Mindanao. In battling a ruthless enemy, it is tempting for the government to encourage the creation of equally ruthless vigilante groups. Such groups, however, are accountable to no one, and their activities can easily get out of hand. These vigilante movements must be nipped in the bud, before they turn into monsters that will further obstruct peace in Mindanao.