“Disrupting ISIS Recruitment”

I recently visited the Island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, the scene of the siege of Marawi, where the ISIS affiliated ‘Maute group’ briefly took over the city and inevitably met their end. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to stir people from passivity and complacency; face a situation head on and contend with it. 

I met with the staff of Duyog Marawi a group initiated by the Redemptorist order with support from the wider Catholic Church in the Philippines. Their staff and volunteers are Muslims and Catholics, mostly young people who are committed to peace and the restoration of the lives of those affected by the troubles in Marawi. Duyog means to ‘accompany’ and the group intends to ‘journey with’ the Meranaw people as they move through the various stages of recovery and development.

Before the insurrection in Marawi, ISIS recruited children as young as 9 years old as fighters, the younger they are the easier to brainwash, coerce and manipulate. The Maute family ran a residential school where many were recruited and whilst their families noticed how their joy left them to be replaced by aggression and hatred, they did not anticipate the outcome. Now however, through Duyog Marawi, the Muslim community have taken ownership of the problem. 

Duyog Marawi is now involved in countering the ideology and recruitment tactics of ISIS through a mobile Madrasah (Islamic school) for the children and a similar system to reach older youth to warn them ahead of time and teach them proper values. They are seriously disrupting ISIS recruitment through their efforts. The Muslim communities are forearmed now and can better protect their youth from those who would merely seek to profit from their children’s deaths.

As I listened to the three courageous young Meranaw Duyog Marawi staff, Juji, Jam and Hudaifa, it occurred to me that every young person seeks to know and find his part in the larger story, a noble or worthy cause to champion. Along with their Christian colleagues they had chosen the way of peace. They are the beacons of hope for a shared, common future.

As Christian and Muslim youth unite under a common banner of peace and understanding to protect their communities and nation from those who come only to ‘kill, steal and destroy’ (John 10:10), they become an impenetrable phalanx (interlocked shields) that will break the waves of fanciful infantile ideologies that crash against them, with unshakeable resolve and manly courage.

Perhaps communities in other nations can learn from this excellent project and apply a similar model to prevent radicalization of the young.

The Road From Damascus.. a story from Syria

Ziad was born and raised in Damascus, finishing his schooling in this historic capital of Syria. Most of his life, Ziad had been a practicing Muslim like everyone else in his devout family.

He would often accompany his father, his three brothers, and some neighbours to the mosque for Friday noon prayers and frequently for prayer on other days. The rest of the five daily prayer times he would observe at home or at work. Not once had he failed to observe the month of fasting since his boyhood.

After graduating from the state University, Ziad moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he worked for several years as a civil engineer. While he was in Saudi Arabia, he continued to participate in all the Muslim religious duties, as well as to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. At times he wondered about the Injil and the Tawrat, but he would brush these thoughts aside for he believed that through his traditional religious training, he knew all he needed to know about the Holy Bible and about Jesus Christ. Yet, according to his testimony, "what I had heard from my Christian friends in Damascus and had seen in their lives, continued unanswered for many years."

In 1979, Ziad, along with his wife and young daughter, Ghada, went to Germany for one year of specialized training as provided by his employer. During the family's stay in Germany, Ghada became very ill and was admitted to a hospital. After receiving medical care for 4 days with no improvement, the doctors seemed resigned to her imminent death.

Feeling overwhelmed by the scene of his daughter's paling face, Ziad left her room with a heavy heart, and returned to the waiting room. There he sat motionless, yet agonizing, for a few moments, until he noticed a table in the middle of the room which contained books and magazines. He saw two recognizable books -- an English version of the Holy Bible and a German version of it. He got up and walked over to the table and picked up one.

As he returned to his seat, he held the book closed while his memory took him back to some sayings of Jesus Christ which he had heard from his former Christian friends in Damascus. Recalling one saying, he eagerly opened the Book that was in his hand and directed by the Holy Spirit, began searching for the passage. When he found it, he began reading it silently:

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:13,14).

Seeing the willingness of the Son as expressed in these verses gave Ziad an abundant hope. He lifted a warm prayer to the Almighty God in the name of Jesus. His only request -- that his "dying" daughter would be healed.

"Immediately I felt a profound tranquillity and assurance," said Ziad. "I left the waiting room filled with unprecedented joy, seeing light surrounding me. As soon as I came into Ghada's room, I rushed to her bed and hugged her gently, saying, "Ghada my sweetheart, God will heal you."

The certainly with which Ziad made this statement even astonished him, but he knew deep in his heart that God had answered his prayer.

The tears which had dropped from his own eyes onto Ghada's cheek as he embraced here, Ziad wiped off. With tears of joy still clinging to his eyes, he turned to his wife and said, "I have asked God in the name of Jesus to heal Ghada. Never before have I prayed so fervently, nor so simply in such a special way. Somehow I am assured that God has answered this prayer."

Indeed, Ghada was healed. Two days later, the doctors released her from the hospital. They could find no reason to detain her.

Since this amazing answer to Ziad's prayer, both Ziad and his wife have experienced the transforming work of God in their lives. They know the truth about Jesus Christ and proclaim their faith in Him. Later, Ghada followed them on this path; she too now believes that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Miracle Escapes from the Tsunami

Eighty percent of the town of Meulaboh in Aceh, Indonesia, was destroyed by the Tsunami waves and a similar percentage of the people died. This was one of the towns hit hardest but most of the Christian minority survived.

There were only about 400 Christians in Meulaboh. Naturally they wanted to celebrate Christmas, but they were not allowed to do so by the muslims of Meulaboh. In order to celebrate Christmas, they had to leave the town and went up into the hills inland.

Having moved away from their homes, they made it a day long celebration and stayed overnight on the hill. They were still there the next morning when the Tsunami struck killing thousands in the town below. The 400 Christians on the hill were all spared from the destruction that befell their muslim neighbours.

Had the Christians insisted on their rights to celebrate Christmas in the town they would have all died too.But because instead of being confrontational and going up into the hills to celebrate in peace, they were saved and can now testify to God’s marvellous protection. Their humility was key to them being saved.

A parish in Sri Lanka had a very similar escape. Instead of having Mass in their 3 parish churches that morning, they had an outdoor Mass at a grotto up on a hillside. But even then they should have been back down when the Tsunami struck, but that day the Priest went ‘on and on’ in his sermon. As a result only those who left before the end of Mass were caught up in the Tsunami. The 3 churches below in the town were completely destroyed.