Description of bus bomber as “muslim type” offends Islamic group

Sketch
Ulama Council Seeks Apology Over NBI’s Use of ‘Muslim Type’ to Describe Bus Bomber in Zamboanga City – www.plnmedia.com

Representatives of the Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula regions met with officials in Zamboanga City over the use of “Muslim Type” when describing the suspect in a bus bombing.

The Ulama Council met with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to speak about the artist rendering of a suspect who may have bombed a bus within Zamboanga city on September 18.

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Ustadz Abdulwakil Kasim, the chairman of Ulama Crisis Management Committee, said the label of “Muslim Type” was insensitive to his people – making it seem that every Muslim is some type of killer or extremist.

“It is not only politically incorrect but generalisation that all Muslims are possible suspects of the heinous crime. It is blatant disregard for respect for our Islamic Faith, a discrimination and a stereotype that will aggravate the very fragile Muslim-Christian relationship being syndicated and predicated with bloody wars in the past, ” Kasim said.

Police Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro tried to explained that the use of ‘Muslim type’ only referred to the dialect of the person, not his ethnic background.

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The sketch was created by NBI Regional Director Atty. Ferdinand Lavin apologized to the group – he said that artist came from Manila and had no intention of creating a conflict between Christians and Muslims within the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

The local government unit also appealed to both agencies to be sensitive while handling any information related to the religion and culture of the region.

 

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