“Stop environmental genocide!”
This was the contention of Maranao protesters spearheaded by RCAPPers after they staged a one-day peace rally on August 9, 2006 at Banggolo Plaza Cabili, Marawi City. The rally’s objective was to unanimously voice out their sentiment against state-owned National Power Corporation (NPC) concerning environmental problem plaguing Lake Lanao.
In a written manifesto, Ranao Claim against the Power Plant (RCAPP) blamed the NPC on the economic deprivation of the Maranaos.It said that the hydroelectric power plants earned (for 2005) P7 Billion (US14.5 Million). Unfortunately, ninety-nine percent of this power revenue is sent to imperial Manila while the poor Maranaos got only floods, pollution and diseases. It further said that the tragic economic situation of the Maranaos is compounded by the NPC’s, built from Jewish Funds, defective infrastructure that caused insurmountable fears and damages of the innocent Maranao people.
Document shows that there are 45,000 hectares of farmlands inundated (in the Basak areas and Baloi plains) resulting from irregular openings and closures of NPC’s built Agus Dams while the Department of Health – Marawi City revealed 43,000 were sick and 403 died (2002-2003) after drinking polluted or contaminated waters. Over 45,000 of Maranaos were forcibly uprooted their homes and migrated to Northern parts of the country to find foods and shelter.
What led to this?
If the Maranaos are oppressed and haunted like animals sometimes, it is because we have not taken the struggles of the Prophet Nabi (saw) as our guide, as an example of how to overcome adversity and how to succeed. By and large, we have not adhered to the true teachings of Islam.
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Omar in which he said: “the Messenger of Allah (swt) said: If people should breakthier covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realize that this has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force.
It is worth recalling when Muslims neglected the obedience to Allah; He gave the Jews the power and took Palestine. And when they were negligent about that which they were reminded of, Allah established the Christians over them and took Spain. And when they were negligent again, Allah (swt) put the Christians in control over Bosnia.
This is why the strength of Muslims is not in their greatest numbers- weapons or wealth – but it is in their aqeeda (belief) and their adhering to it. For today, there are plenty of Maranaos, but we are like a foam, like the foam carried by the waves. Our riches cannot be for us. Rather, it has become the possession of our enemies. The Maranaos today approximately over 1.2 million and we grow in number everyday. However, at the same time, we are like the weakest of nations of our country we are in being oppressed. Why?
Because we have become like the foam on the waves. Also our lands possess many riches and minerals but where does it all end up? It goes to the disbelievers in Manila. The Maranao’s Lake Lanao whose water resources feed the Agus hydroelectric power plant constitutely supplies eighty percent (80%) of the power requirements of 21 million consumers of the island of Mindanao. Yet, the Maranaos are the poorest of the people – why?
Because we do not possess anything from our deen (religion) escept a name. So we call to it but all our riches belong to our enemies.
We are enjoined to seek hassanah in this world and in the Hereafter but clearly we are not striving hard enough for hassanah in this world or else why are we in such a terrible state now. Allah (swt) wants us to achieve a balance between dunya and akhirat.
Then there is the brotherhood of the Muslim Maranaos which Islam enjoins upon us. Can we say that we Maranaos are brothers? Every time a proposal is made to solve a problem, we cannot unanimously agree to the proposal and if we make a counter proposal the others will not agree either. And so we remain divided and have never achieved the unity of the Muslim brotherhood. In fact, when we call ourselves the Muslim brotherhood, the first thing we do is to condemn other Muslims. Yet, we know that the first thing the Prophet Nabi (saw) did was to unite the warring Arab tribes through Islam to make them brother of each other and to start the spread of Islam aided by the previously warring tribes.
We all know this of course. We all know the Qur’an and Hadith and we can quote the passages at anytime. But can we honestly say we practice what is taught in the Qur’an and Sunnah?
Today the image of the Maranaos is far from the way of the Prophet Nabi (saw). Despite 1.2 million Maranaos in the country, we are unable to do anything. We live at the mercy of others. If they want to, they can wipe us out with the nuclear bombs they have.
