ICC Note:

It is has been 7 weeks since an Islamic State group, the Maute group, invaded the Philippines in late May. It was reported that the Maute group came in targeting Christians, however, the Philippine bishops stressed that this war is not a religious war. The bishops went on to state, “We all cry from our hearts: War in Marawi, never again! War in Marawi, no more!” The people of Marawi long for peace and normalcy in their city again. The death toll of this conflict is up to 400 people and over 200,000 residents, which is a majority of the city, have fled from their homes.

07/11/2017 The Philippines (CNA) – As violent conflict unleashed by Islamic militants in the Filipino city of Marawi continues to rage, the nation’s bishops have stressed that the problem is not a religious one, and have urged all faiths to work together for peace.

“We all cry from our hearts: War in Marawi, never again! War in Marawi, no more!” the Philippine bishops said in a July 10 statement.

They called for a return to peace and normalcy in Marawi as soon as possible, and questioned whether “the continued state of Martial Law, much more its extension, will bring this about.”

Furthermore, the bishops stressed their belief that the conflict, which has been raging since May, “is not religious.”

Despite the fact that Islamist militants incited the violence, the bishops pointed to “truly stunning stories of how Muslims have protected and helped Christians to escape from almost certain death.”

“Even now Christians are assisting thousands of Muslims who have fled from Marawi for safety. These are indisputable signs that there is no religious war,” they said, and condemned the militants “in the strongest terms possible, as did Islamic religious scholars in Mindanao.”

Militants of the Maute group stormed the city of Marawi, on the island of Mindanao, May 23. The group, formed in 2012, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015.

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