PHILIPPINE MUSLIMS AGAINST TERRORISM

1-26 - Earthquakes jolt Bicol. 2-Earthquake rattles Peruvian coast. 3-Flooding brings chaos to region's roads, 4-Tropical Storm Paul floods Mexico. 5-Officials seek arsonist responsible for Cabazon blaze. 6-Iran fires up nuclear processors. 7-Text: Draft Sanctions Resolution on Iran (Steve). 8-Israel will continue flying over Lebanon, minister says. 9-EU six agree to fight terrorism and illegal immigration. 10-Muslim Leaders in The Philippines Call for Rejecting Terror.

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

26 - Earthquakes jolt Bicol
Thursday, October 26 2006 @ 06:35 PM BST
Provincial

The Bicol provinces were shaken by three consecutive earthquakes Thursday morning, government seismologists said, but no damage or casualties were reported.Similar events also affected Mindoro and Mindanao areas during the past few days where at least seven more earthquakes were recorded.The latest was a magnitude 5 earthquake (intensity 3.6) which shook the island province of Masbate and the other parts of Bicol region at around 8:41 a.m. Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. Its depth was 36 kilometers or 21.7 miles beneath the ground.Margina Ramos, Phivolcs Science Research Analyst, said that the other events were recorded at 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. She explained that the three earthquakes were not aftershocks of previous earthquakes but rather 'series' of tectonic origins.

The same earthquakes were also felt slightly in Legazpi, Albay, Calbayog, Samar and Manila. Its origin was tectonic in nature and the center was plotted at 12.394 degrees north and 123.897 degrees east.The epicenter was traced 35 kilometers east of Masbate, or 85 kilometers south of Legazpi. The institute said that the earthquakes were also felt 90 kilometers west-northwest of Calbayog, Samar and as far as 400 kilometers southeast of Manila.Ramos said the 7:40 a.m. event was intensity 2 at the epicenter while the 8:40 a.m. episode was recorded at intensity 3. The scientist explained that the 8:41 a.m. event was the strongest with intensity 3.6 or magnitude 5.

On the other hand, the worldwide seismic monitoring networks have reported that at least ten earthquakes were felt in different areas of the country from October 20 until the 26th of the month alone.Six of them (magnitudes ranging from 4.2 to 5.8) occurred in Mindoro Island originating from depths ranging from 10 kilometers to as deep as 35 kilometers below the surface.Other episodes were previously felt in Metro Manila and two others in Mindanao with magnitude range of 4.2 to 4.7 at depth range of 35 to 63 kilometers below the ground.There had been no reports of damage to life and properties so far but various disaster coordinating councils have activated their communication centers to make sure there are no casualties. (PNA)

Earthquake rattles Peruvian coast Thu Oct 26, 11:27 PM ET

LIMA, Peru - A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 rattled Peru's southern coast Thursday, sending residents of one city scurrying into the streets but apparently causing no damage or injuries. The quake struck at 6:54 p.m. inn the Pacific Ocean, 94 miles southeast of Lima, almost the same location where a powerful magnitude-6.7 quake hit six days earlier, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.Apartment buildings and commercial towers shook in Lima for several seconds, but no damage was reported.The earthquake caused the most alarm in Ica, a coastal city 165 miles to the southeast, where local radio reports said panicked residents rushed from their homes into streets and parks.

Peruvians have been on edge during the last week because of several aftershocks from the Oct. 20 quake, including a 4.2- magnitude temblor that made Lima shudder late Wednesday.We have registered more than 280 earthquakes, a process that concerns us, but which we also know is expected after the strong quake we felt last Friday, Hernando Tavera, director of the Geophysics Institute of Peru, told The Associated Press.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Flooding brings chaos to region's roads
Kate O'Hara

NON-STOP rain brought flooding to several parts of Yorkshire yesterday, and traffic ground to a halt on motorways and roads around the region as motorists struggled with terrible driving conditions.Weather experts reported more than an inch-and-a-half of rain in Bingley before 6pm and West Yorkshire Fire Service was inundated with reports of flooding.A spokesman for weather forecasters the Meteo Group said Bingley had had the highest rainfall in Yorkshire – about a third of the amount in 12 hours that it would normally have in the whole month of October.We expect those levels to rise steeply too, because they are quite early rainfall levels. We won't be giving another reading until tomorrow, but we expect most of Yorkshire will have had at least an inch or an inch-and -a-half of rain by the end of the night, but Bingley is looking like it could be heading to two-and-a-half or three inches of rain..

The Highways Agency said there had been horrendous congestion on the region's roads throughout the day, and that traffic had practically ground to a halt in parts of Leeds during the evening rush hour.The M621, M62 and main arterial routes into and out of the city were particularly badly affected. A spokesman said: We can't even give any particular reason for it, apart from perhaps the weather. There haven't been any major accidents but traffic has certainly been particularly bad today.There was a three-car accident on the M1 southbound early in the evening between junctions 34 and 35, but nobody was injured.And on the East Coast Coastguards were involved in a search off the North Bay at Scarborough. Battling against terrible weather conditions and high seas the Scarborough Lifeboat scoured the area after North Yorkshire Police reported an unattended bicycle on the shore.The search began at about 6.30pm but was called off at around 9pm when no-one was reported missing. It is thought the bike may have been there since early in the afternoon.kate.o'hara@ypn.co.uk,26 October 2006

Tropical Storm Paul floods Mexico By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 27, 12:22 AM ET

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico - The remnants of Tropical Storm Paul made landfall on Mexico's mainland Thursday, triggering floods that caused mostly superficial damage to 5,000 houses, officials said. An elderly woman died in a car crash on a rainy road and officials were investigating whether the death was directly connected to the storm, said Jorge Tallaeche, a spokesman for the civil protection service of the Pacific state of Sinaloa, where the storm hit land.Paul, which had been a hurricane earlier in the week, weakened to a tropical depression before making landfall near the Sinaloan town of La Reforma. After hitting land it quickly dissipated.However, it unleashed floods that forced more than 5,000 families to evacuate their homes, Tallaeche said. Most of the damage was superficial, with the houses' structures left intact, he said.Gov. Jesus Aguilar Padilla said he would ask the federal government to declare the zone a disaster area.

Some of the worst flooding was in the village of Villa Juarez, where a canal overflowed and sent more than 3 feet of water into the streets.On Monday, Paul neared Category 3 hurricane status, with winds reaching 110 mph.In September, Hurricane John battered Baja California, killing five people and destroying 160 homes. Later that month, Hurricane Lane threatened the resort region but ended up hitting the resort town of Mazatlan, causing relatively minor damage.San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are popular with sports fishermen and celebrities and famous for its deep-sea fishing, golf courses and beaches flanked by cactus-dotted deserts.

FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Yesterday this fire burned 800 Acres, as of today so far the winds are stirring up 24,000 of burnage and only 5% contained.

Officials seek arsonist responsible for Cabazon blaze
By Michael Muskal, Scott Martelle and Maeve Reston, Times Staff Writers
3:31 PM PDT, October 26, 2006

Four firefighters were killed today when a fast-moving arson fire fed by Santa Ana winds churned through the rugged wild terrain of Riverside County, destroying homes and forcing hundreds of residents to flee.The Esperanza fire burned more than 10,000 acres near Cabazon, some 90 miles east of Los Angeles and about 20 miles northwest of Palm Springs.Fueled by dry wood, high temperatures and winds gusting to more than 30 mph, the blaze burned out of control as more than 700 firefighters fought to tame the fire that was reported at 1:12 a.m.This is an arson fire. This is a deliberately set arson fire, fire Chief John Hawkins told reporters at an afternoon news conference. Hawkins oversees fire operations in Riverside County.A deliberately set arson fire that leads to the death of anyone constitutes murder,he said.The county will establish a $100,000 reward to find the arsonist, officials said.Turn that scum in, said Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, one of many angry officials who vowed to find and prosecute those who started the blaze.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated and will stay overnight at community shelters or with friends.But as many as 2,000 people were trapped in a park for recreation vehicles. The people are safe in a protected area, Hawkins said.The fire raced through the terrain, outpacing officials' ability to keep track of the damage. This morning, there were just 800 acres charred. Within eight hours, the damage had increased more than tenfold despite firefighters' efforts and the usual assortment of land and air equipment.It was on one of those rescue efforts that a crew of firefighters were trapped in their vehicle as the rapidly moving fire simply devoured their attempt at shelter from the firestorm.The U.S. Forest Service reported the three deaths, initially saying that two firefighters were critically injured. One of the injured died later at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, according to Cheri Patterson, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department and the CDF. The other firefighter remains in the facility in critical condition.

The firefighters were trapped when high winds suddenly pushed the flames over them, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Pat Boss told the Associated Press.The engine was in the area and with the wind conditions like they were, the fire just overtakes and burns the entire engine,said Pat Boss, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. They were trapped within the engine.The deaths took place near the end of Gorgonio View Road, about 10 miles from Twin Pines Road. The fire crew was trying to protect a home in an inaccessible area.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger briefed reporters this morning outside the student union on the Cal State Fresno campus.So far, 700 people have been evacuated, he said. We have 700 firefighters battling the fire right now to contain it. My, and my wife's, all of our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those firefighters who were killed in this fire.

One major firefighting effort was to protect as many as 2,000 people in the Silent Valley RV Park who are in the hills directly south of Banning near Poppet Flats, according to CDF Fire Capt. Rick Griggs, who has been on the fire line since 4 a.m.We are having to protect structures to save lives,he said. They are well protected there.But the fire, he said, is all around them.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

JOEL 2:20,30-31
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army,(RUSSIA,MUSLIMS) and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.(SIBERIAN DESERT)
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(NUCLEAR BOMB)
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Iran fires up nuclear processors
POSTED: 1149 GMT (1949 HKT), October 27, 2006

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iran has resumed its uranium enrichment program by building a second cascade of centrifuges and injecting gas into the system over the past few weeks despite threats of U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Friday.The news comes almost two months after Tehran ignored an August 31 U.N. Security Council deadline demanding it halt its nuclear program.Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly said uranium enrichment is his country's right and will not be abandoned, despite Western fears that Iran's goal is to build nuclear weapons.

ISNA reported the International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general Mohamed ElBaradei is fully aware of the injection of gas and the agency's inspectors are currently present in Iran.ElBaradei reportedly said the second cascade has already produced its product but no uranium has been introduced into the new system yet. However, it could be added into the system in upcoming days, he is quoted as saying.Iran had been conducting a small-scale research enrichment program using 164 centrifuges at its Natanz facilities and has now doubled its capacity, ISNA reported. The news agency also said the country's centrifuges are projected to number 3,000 by March 2007.The news of Iran's resumed program comes while six major powers have been meeting at the United Nations to review a draft Security Council resolution mandating sanctions against the Islamic republic over its flaunting of the U.N. deadline.

Text: Draft Sanctions Resolution on Iran (Steve) October 27, 2006 8:54 AM
The text of the Draft Sanctions Resolution on Iran makes clear exception to anything related to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant construction, currently under contract with Russia for completion.

14. Decides, with regard to the construction of Bushehr I Civil Nuclear Power Plant and on the condition that activities set out in subparagraphs (a) to (d) below are notified to the Committee within ten days of taking place, that;

(a.) the measures imposed by paragraph 4 and 5 above shall not apply to supplies of items, materials, equipment, goods and technology, nor to the provision of technical assistance or training, financial assistance, investment, brokering or other services, and the transfer of financial resources, related to the construction of Bushehr I, where these are being provided directly by the Russian Federation,

(b.) the measures imposed by paragraph 7 above shall not apply where such travel, directly between Iran and the Russian Federation, is necessary for the construction of Bushehr I,

(c.) the measures imposed by paragraph 9 above shall not apply to funds, other financial assets or economic resources payable to the Russian Federation by Iran, related to the construction of Bushehr I,

(d.) the measures imposed by paragraph 13 above shall not apply to assistance provided solely to Iran by the IAEA, related to the construction of Bushehr I,

(e.) all other activities related to Bushehr I which are covered by the measures in paragraphs 4, 5, 7, 9 and 13 above must be approved in advance and on a case by case basis by the Committee;
The rest of the text - as proposed but unaffirmed - spells out the restrictions sought to be placed on Iran, including but not limited to travel of those involved in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the sale of items that can be used for the programs, and the refusal of training abroad in related fields.

Such restrictions are logical as presented. Yet, as Paragraph 14 above clearly states, the logic stops at Bushehr.

With a draft proposal [made available here] that calls for the cessation of all enrichment activities including ceasing construction of Iran’s heavy water reactor at Arak the wisdom of an exception in all restrictions for the Islamic Republic’s largest nuclear reactor is more than questionable. The reasons for it are clear: Consensus requires Russian approval, and Putin’s Russia has a greater interest in a partnership with the Iranian regime than countering the potential acquisition of nuclear weapons by the world’s primary state sponsor of international terrorism.

Glasnost should be officially declared dead.

It should be recalled that during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Russian advisors were in Baghdad, feeding intelligence and, some say, directing Hussein’s military defense against American forces.With the Hussein regime gone, Iran represents Russia’s primary seat of influence at the Middle Eastern power table. The Bushehr sanctions exception both recognizes and solidifies this.

Israel will continue flying over Lebanon, minister says (Roundup)
Oct 26, 2006, 17:10 GMT

Tel Aviv - Israel will continue to fly over Lebanese territory, Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Thursday, two days after Israeli planes buzzed a German naval vessel close to the Israel- Lebanon border. Meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Peretz said that the Israeli flights over Lebanon would continue so long as two Israeli soldiers snatched by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas were not released, and so long as there was no organized supervision of the Syrian-Lebanon border. Israel has said Hezbollah is receiving arms across that border, in defiance of United Nations resolution 1701, which ended 33 days of fighting between Israel and the guerrilla group sparked by the abduction of the two Israeli soldiers on July 12.

Reports from the Peretz-Solana meeting said the two men also discussed Teheran's nuclear programme, which Israel sees as particularly alarming, given President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated statements that the Jewish state should be destroyed and dismantled. Consequently, the Iran issue was raised in the other meetings Solana held Thursday with Israeli officials. Foreign Minister Tipi Livni called for sanctions against Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear arms, telling a joint news conference with the European envoy after their morning meeting in Tel Aviv that 'the Iranians are trying to win time. We are not asking the world to help us, we are asking the world to help itself, she said. Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who met with Solana in the early afternoon, accused Europe of not doing enough to forestall a nuclear Iran. Iran is not strong, Peres said. The reaction to Iran is weak, and that is what strengthens Iran.

Solana, for his part, concentrated his remarks on the Israel- Palestinian conflict, telling the news conference with Livni that Israel had to fulfil its obligations under the stalled international road map peace plan and uproot unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank.He said the road map was still alive and Israel should remember that it too had commitments under it. Calling for a relaunch of the stalled peace plan, which was initiated three years ago by the EU, United States, Russia and United Nations but has been bogged down ever since, he said: We don't push enough to get it moving, too get the train out of the station. We have to have the road map on to the road and to the end of the road,he said, adding that end was very clear two states living side by side in peace and security.

Later, meeting with Peres, he accused Israel of imposing collective punishment on the Palestinians, and thus increasing despair and poverty in the Palestinian areas. Peres replied that Israel was first and foremost committed to the security of its citizens, and would not open the passages to the Gaza Strip, or undertake any other gestures, so long as Palestinian militants continued firing makeshift rockets from the Strip at Israeli communities bordering the salient. Solana arrived in Israel Wednesday and first met with the head of the hardline Israel Beitenu party, Avigdor Lieberman, who is due to enter the government as a minister dealing with strategic threats facing Israel. Later he also met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose office released no details of the meeting Solana was scheduled to travel to Ramallah later Thursday for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the evening. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

2 PETER 2:5
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men

LEVITICUS 26:16
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you( sudden) terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

ISAIAH 33:1,18-19 Woe to thee that spoilest,(destroys) and thou wast not spoiled;(destroyed) and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil,(destroy) thou shalt be spoiled;(destroyed) and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?
19 Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
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DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

EU six agree to fight terrorism and illegal immigration
27.10.2006 - 09:27 CET | By Helena Spongenberg,Eu observer

The EU's six largest countries have agreed to work together on fighting terrorism, organised crime and illegal immigration after a two-day informal meeting hosted by the UK.The interior ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK known as the G6 met in Stratford-upon-Avon and agreed to crack down on tax fraud that could fund terrorism, to fight human trafficking, share more information about terrorist threats and make joint moves toward African countries to curb illegal migration routes.The important thing is to keep this at the top of the European agenda, because it is at the top of the concerns of the populations of every country which is represented here: organised crime, counter-terrorism, managed migration, UK home secretary John Reid said after the meeting, according to Reuters.

Although agreements do not lead to any formal decisions, compromises reached by the G6 who represent three quarters of the EU population help set the agenda of meetings at the EU level.The ministers were also concerned about alienation of European Muslims and sought to engage Muslim minorities in the fight against extremism, seeking to counter anger at what they see as unfair treatment by the authorities.The fears were highlighted by the overnight violence in the suburbs of Paris, where youths many from immigrant families - set four buses on fire ahead of the one-year anniversary of major riots across France.

Hostile environment for terrorists

The G6 said close contact between the countries in the 25-nation bloc was needed in order to properly fight terrorism.The six also agreed to increase cooperation on explosives and the technologies that could be used to trace them. In particular the emerging threat from liquid explosives, which British police believe were at the heart of an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic passenger jets last August.They said improved co-operation in monitoring and analysing internet use by radicals for organising and recruiting terrorists was required, to make what Mr Reid called a more hostile operating environment for terrorists.

Immigration

French minister Nicolas Sarkozy emphasized the importance of a common EU-wide policy on granting asylum and said Europe should negotiate as a bloc with African countries on limiting routes used by illegal migrants.There are voices around this table from the right and from the left who are united in seeing the subject of immigration not as a thing of politics but of human drama, he said according to Reuters. His Spanish counterpart Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said according to El Pais that we have approved a very important initiative. The final document of the meeting will be presented to EU interior and justice ministers meeting on 9-10 December.The G6 was set up in 2003 by France and the UK to provide an informal forum for big European Union countries to discuss issues of law and order and immigration

Now this is the way, some Muslims speak out against violence and Terrorism.

Muslim Leaders in The Philippines Call for Rejecting Terror
Santosh Digal

COTABATO CITY, THE PHILIPPINES (ANS) -- Filipino Muslim Religious leaders urged fellow Muslims to shun terrorism in any form in the world.In a khutba (sermon) Ustadz Abdulrauf Guialani, a member of the Assembly of Philippine Da’rul Ifta (Apdi or Houses of Opinion), declared senseless violence haram three times and terrorism is intrinsically is haram (unlawful).The congregational prayers were held in observance of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Charity). Eid’l Fitr marks the end of the Muslim fasting month.To mark the occasion, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared on Oct 24 a national holiday in the largely Roman Catholic country.

Allah has made it haram to kill children; Allah has made it haram to kill women; Allah has made it haram to kill elderly people, Guialani said.A similar teaching was delivered in open field prayers elsewhere in the country, particularly in the areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, a senior member of the Apdi, said.The ARMM is composed of the predominantly Muslim provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and Marawi City.

This year marked the first time in many years that political and religious leaders had unanimously agreed on a common date to celebrate Eid’l Fitr.ARMM Governor Zaldy Uy Ampatuan and his father, Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, were the first to declare Monday a day of Eid’l Fitr prayers.The regional governor made the declaration through a religious deputy, Ustadz Mohamad Farid Adas, the ARMM madaris education undersecretary.Governors Wahab Akbar and Abolais Manalao made similar declarations in Basilan and Lanao del Sur.Ramadan begins with the moon sighting on the ninth lunar month of the Arabic Hijra calendar and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon on the tenth month.

Adas invoked the Islamic concept of government officials as being the imam (leader) of the people clothed with authority to declare what is to be followed in matters pertaining to secular and religious affairs.The Apdi also issued a statement condemning the renewed violence that had prompted a heightened terror alert level following recent bombing incidents in Mindanao, southern Philippines.In a public statement, Adas said terror was among the worst forms of evil.He said he had twice witnessed what tragedies terrorism could cause, on June 23 in Shariff Aguak and on Dec. 24, 2002, in Datu Piang, both in Maguindanao.In the first incident, seven people were killed while in the second, 14 died, including Mayor Saudi Uy Ampatuan, the brother of the regional governor.

The late mayor’s son and namesake, now himself the mayor of a town named after his father, said it was unfortunate that people had the misimpression that Muslims generally were not the targets of, or were spared (from) terror attacks.But look at what’s happening in Iraq. Many of the victims of terrorism are Muslims, said Mayor Saudi Ampatuan Jr.In their common sermons, the muftis said the Muslims finest role in a collective jihad (struggle) was that of maintaining good relationships among humanity and with other creations of God.