Mindanao, young Muslims and Christians together for peace
Zamboanga (AsiaNews) - More than 80 young Muslims have participated in the summer camp of Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ), a group composed of Catholic and Islamic religious that seeks to bring peace to the southern peninsula of Mindanao, in order "to learn the values of coexistence and interreligious respect". Together with young Catholics, they spent four days between seminars and sporting activities.
Claretian Fr Angel Calvo, president of PAZ, explains: "These young Muslims participated with conviction in these activities, and this attitude demonstrates the positive desire to bring peace into our region". The executive secretary of the group, Sister Emma Delgado, adds: "We planned the activities in order to make them compatible with the Muslim creed, so as not to offend anyone".
In addition to attending presentations, in fact, the young people participated together in hiking, ecological and sporting activities, dance, theatre. Jaafar Kimpa, the Muslim director of PAZ, explains: "We told them stories of the prophets, their lives and their sacrifice, in the context of promoting friendship, understanding and peace-building".
On last day of the camp, Fr Calvo exhorted the young people to "teach peace in the family and in society. You are our future, and only you can show that you want to end the conflict that is destroying Mindanao". In the region, in fact, a bloody guerrilla war has been underway for about 40 years between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at the national army, which has paralyzed social development and the local economy.
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