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Thursday, March 28, 2024

‘Muslim ID plan must be stopped’

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SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday called  for an immediate end to the Muslim ID card system being implemented in certain towns in Tarlac province to screen potential security threats as a result of the ongoing conflict in Marawi City.

“The Muslim ID card system is a discriminatory policy that violates the constitutional right of Muslim Filipinos to equal protection under the law. It should be scrapped immediately,” Gatchalian said.

Even though the policy might have been carried out in good faith by local governments and police forces in the area, it nevertheless singles out Muslims in an unfair and patently illegal manner, Gatchalian added.

If allowed to continue, Gatchalian said the ID system would encourage hostility against Muslims in affected communities and make them susceptible to religious profiling by law enforcement authorities.

He also reminded the public that law-abiding Muslims should not be unfairly linked to the violent extremism espoused by groups such as the Islamic State-inspired Maute group and its allied terrorist networks in Mindanao.

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“Terrorism is an unholy crime against humanity that has been denounced by every religion in the world, including Islam. Our law-abiding Muslim brothers and sisters are not the enemy, and I will oppose any policy which implies that they should be treated with suspicion merely because of their religious beliefs,” Gatchalian said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said singling Muslims out and branding them as a potential threat would not make communities safer, but would only sow animosity.

Over the weekend, the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Mujiv Hataman, expressed alarm over the proposal.

“We believe this policy clearly discriminates against the believers of Islam and could set a dangerous precedent,” he said.

Hataman said the Muslim-only ID could make matters worse, as it could “ignite anger among young Muslims who are the primary target for recruitment of extremist groups.”

The officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Catalino Cuy, for example, said he sees nothing irregular in the move by local officials to implement security measures.

Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa, while saying the proposal is a local, not a national initiative, said he regards the ID as merely “a form of record keeping.”

At the heart of the controversy is a plan by Police Regional Office 3 Director Supt. Aaron Aquino to issue mandatory IDs that all Muslim residents must wear. These IDs must be signed by the local chief of police and government units for “easy, proper and efficient authorization.”

Aquino said the IDs can can help local communities identify suspicious individuals so they could be reported to the authorities.

The practice of issuing IDs, he added, is being successfully implemented in Paniqui, Tarlac, and should be expanded to the entire region, “not only to protect the civilian populace but also vital government installations against terrorism.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana last week said a Muslim-only ID would be discriminatory, but the officer-in-charge of the DILG, Catalino Cuy, said he saw nothing irregular in the move by local officials to “implement security measures.”

PNP chief Dela Rosa, while saying the proposal is a local, not a national initiative, said he regards the ID as merely “a form of record keeping” and said it violated no human rights.

Last week, Police Regional Office 3 Director Supt. Aaron Aquino said authorities in Central Luzon planned to issue mandatory IDs that all Muslim residents must wear. These IDs must be signed by the local chief of police and government units for “easy, proper and efficient authorization.”

Aquino said the IDs can can help local communities identify suspicious individuals so they could be reported to the authorities.

The practice of issuing IDs, he added, is being successfully implemented in Paniqui, Tarlac, and should be expanded to the entire region, “not only to protect the civilian populace but also vital government installations against terrorism.”

But Human Rights Watch said the ID system would discriminate against Muslims based on religion, which is prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other human rights treaties to which the Philippines is a party.

“The IDs could also violate the rights to equal protection of the law, freedom of movement, and other basic rights,” said Carlos Conde, Philippine researcher for Human Rights Watch.

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