On 28th August, Barbara Mae Dacanay, a correspondent of Gulf News wrote a report that Moro Muslim children continue to suffer from military atrocities in the southern Philippines, despite the government granting an autonomous area and enhanced self-rule for Filipino-Muslims there. Karapatan, a human right group told Gulf News that one baby - a four-month-old- was wounded in his left thigh due to a shot by a Filipino soldier while asleep in his parents' house in Dapiawan village, Maguindanao province, on June 7. Karapatan also reported that Mohammad Abdul Karim and his son Mehad Mohammad, 14, were abducted after they were questioned by members of the 45th Infantry Battalion at a military checkpoint in Meta village, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao on July 3. Karapatan at the moment is preparing a report on the rising number of children being killed, abducted, and harassed by security forces in war-torn Mindanao.

"In these incidents, the affected families are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation from the military. The military's presence in their communities has intimidated them. The military also occupied schools, disrupting the classes and various school activities," Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, told Gulf News. "About 18 children were killed because of military operations code named Oplan Bayanihan (Community Welfare) in remote villages in the southern Philippines, since 2010, so one solution to this problem is the pull out of government troops from civilian communities in Mindanao, where five million Filipino-Muslims are based," said Palabay. She also added that the human rights violations of Filipino-Muslims have not ended despite peace settlements forged by the Philippine government with two major Filipino-Muslim groups in the South.

The autonomy or independent state is NOT a worthy solution for Muslim lands

The continued suffering of the children of the Muslim Moro, even though the autonomy was forged, is evidence that just granting autonomy to the Muslims in the Philippines will never create true independence for the Muslim Moro minority in southern Philippines, including Muslim women and children who have been living oppressed for decades over the past 40 years.

The Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forged two pro-autonomy peace settlements in Tripoli, Libya in 1976 and in Malaysia in 1996. The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a pro-autonomy agreement in March this year after dozens of talks that began in 1997. The agreements have resulted in the expansion of existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and enhancement of self-rule in their homeland territory. Member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have brokered the Philippine government's political settlements.

However in facts, life has not changed for the Muslim Moro as their children continue to be victims of military violence and the Ummah still suffer. The important lesson that we must take from this, is that the struggle to achieve autonomy or an independent national state will never really protect the blood and basic rights of Muslims. This principle can also be applied to the proposed "two-state solution" for Gaza that has been accompanied by hundreds of UN resolutions that have been signed over the years, which have and will similarly fail to protect the blood, land, property, and the rights of Palestinian Muslims. So we should say that the solution of an autonomous or independent state is NOT A WORTHY solution at all to be championed by Muslims because it only creates false hope and places the fate of the Muslims and their lands in the clutches of the Western imperialist powers. On the other hand, such a solution is not derived from Islam, but from Western imperialist interests as a continuation of 'colonization' of Muslim lands in their clutches.

In the context of Southern Philippines, the mode of granting of autonomy is essentially just a "democracy trap" that is often used by western imperialists specifically to annex the southern Philippines region which is very rich in natural resources, crippling the movement of Islamic movement groups, and moulding the Muslim Moro to become more moderate and pragmatic, in order that they come to believe that democracy is the ideal tool for the Islamic struggle. Surprisingly, some Muslims still put hope into a solution like this. Muslim leaders in particular do not feel guilty by relying upon the Kuffar and foreign parties to resolve the problems faced by Muslims.

The Khilafah "Caliphate" is the True Solution and Bright Future for the Muslim Moro

Islam obliges Muslims to live under one political leadership - the Khilafah "Caliphate". It is forbidden for them to be under fragmented political leaderships and different rulers and states as we see today. Prophet Muhammad (saw) once said:

"إِذَا بُويِعَ لِخَلِيفَتَيْنِ فَاقْتُلُوا الْآخَرَ مِنْهُمَا"

"When the oath of allegiance has been taken for two Caliphs, kill the latter of them." (Sahih Muslim)

Therefore the Khilafah "Caliphate" will unite the Southern Philippine archipelago with the huge territory of Indonesia and Malaysia, and all the lands of Muslims all over the world. The Khilafah "Caliphate" will also free the lands of the Muslims in Mindanao, Sulu, Myanmar, Syria, Central Africa and will be a true shield for the honor of the Muslims, including Muslim women and children in all regions of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state.

The Khilafah "Caliphate" with its noble foreign policy vision will never let any region of Muslims to fall into the hands of the Kuffar and will never accept deceiving imperialist treaties. It will mobilize its army for the sake of Islam and the protection of Muslims rather than for the sake of narrow selfish interests. It will end the weak foreign policy of the Muslim countries that are based upon submission to the West, nationalism and the betrayal of the Western puppet rulers. The Khilafah "Caliphate" will replace it with a noble foreign policy to spread the noble da'wah of Islam to the whole world by the method of da'wah and jihad.

O my dearest Moro sisters! Remember, the only way to achieve true independence is to return to the lap of Islam, and be united with all Muslims in the world under the shade of Khilafah "Caliphate"! Let us be aware that as Muslims we do not fall yet again into the trap of our enemies by embracing their vision of autonomous states, constructed to maintain their dominance over our lands and our subjugation to their political and economic will. The strength of the Muslims should not be stripped by a trap called democracy and nationalism. So be consistent with the straight Dawah method exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (saw). Thus join the struggle for the establishment of the Second Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashidah which will silence through the rule of Islam those who oppress the Muslims around the world.

Written for The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Fika Komara
Member of Central Media Office Hizb ut Tahrir