Eid'l Adha outdoor rites peaceful

COTABATO CITY - The outdoor Eid’l Adha congregational worship rites in Central Mindanao on Sunday morning were peaceful, capped off with calls by clerics for worshippers to keep adhering to teachings on respect for other religions and harmony with non-Muslims.

Captain Alinair Guro, the ustadz, or command Islamic theologian of the 6^th Infantry Division, said in his khutbah, or sermon, during the outdoor rite on Sunday morning in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte that it is a bounden duty of Muslims to be “instruments of peace” to achieve solidarity with people around them regardless of their races and religions.

“The essence of Eid’l Adha is something like absolute belief, or submission to Allah, whose commandments about respect for life, fraternalism and respect for others who have different religions and rejection of sinful doings are like catalysts for peace and co-existence among all in this world,” Guro said. 

Three members of the 80-seat Bangsamoro parliament, the physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding, Jr. and the lawyers Paisalin Pangandaman Tago and Suharto Ambolodto have extended separate Eid'l Adha greetings to Muslims in the autonomous region and elsewhere in the country on Sunday.

"It is my wish that we keep the essence of Eid'l Adha, its message of sacrifice for the good of all, in our hearts," Sinolinding said.

Tago said he was elated knowing that Sunday's Eid'l Adha activities in all provinces and cities in the Bangsamoro region were peaceful. 

"We should thank the local government units, the police and military for cooperating in securing the venues of the open-field Eid'l Adha prayer rites," Tago said. 

Eid’l Adha, an important religious holiday in Islam, marks the culmination of the hajj season, or yearly pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia, of Muslims from around the world.

It is also centered on the biblical story on how Abraham, who is prophet Ibrahim in Arabic, almost slaughtered his son, Ismael, as a sacrifice, as commanded by God to test his faith.

Narrations in the Holy Bible and the Quran stated that God sent down from heaven Archangel Gabriel to tell Abraham he had proven his subservience to him and replaced Ismael with a ram, then offered as thanksgiving sacrifice.

Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters that Sunday’s Eid’l Adha gatherings in open fields in Cotabato City and nearby Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces were generally peaceful and orderly.

“We also had peaceful Eid’l Adha events in other provinces and cities that are under our watch,” Tanggawohn said.

Guro said Muslim personnel of units under 6^th ID who participated in the Eid’l Adha activity at Camp Siongco are thankful to their division commander, Major Gen. Alex S. Rillera, for continuously supporting their Islamic religious activities.