Philippino Giveaway meets resistance:
No Sharia State in Mindanao!
Female members of the Philippine’s largest Islamic rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attend the central committee hearing inside the guerrilla base on the southern island of Mindanao in this picture taken March 11, 2008. A ceasefire between the MILF and the Philippine government has held for almost five years, but there are rumblings within MILF ranks that peace talks are not headed anywhere. Picture taken March 11.
Catholics protest against Manila’s Muslim deal
Â
MANILA, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Catholic officials from two cities in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao are calling for protests next week against a government deal that increases the size of an autonomous region for Muslims.Â
The agreement between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has taken more than 10 years to negotiate, gives more land to minority Muslims in the largely Catholic state and also gives them broader political and economic powers.Â