Maradeka
These groups emerged following popular dissent with the Philippine government, and their treatment of the Muslim minority as second class citizens, which caused extensive suffering.
In addition, the group articulates voices of the marginalized Moro people, democratic dialogues, participatory community consultations (shura), social and political advocacy campaigns, and launches mass actions to organise protests, appeals, and demands on various legal issues and policies affecting Muslim people in the Philippines.
These Moro Sultanates mounted a colonial resistance known as the Spanish–Moro Wars[8] by Dr. Cesar Adib Majul in his book 'History of the Muslims in the Philippines'.
This was carried out as a resistance to the incursion of Spanish Colonial power in 1571 and the annexation of the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan islands by the United States in the Moro–American War (1899–1913).
The freedom-loving Moro people lived up to the Malay tradition of enjoying a collective lifestyle, free from alien subjugation, control, or dominance.
The restlessness in the recurrent Mindanao conflict brought Moro political activists and bonded Islamists and pro-democratic political groups of youth and students, academe, professionals, clerics, workers and employees, businessmen, traders, urban poor, overseas contract workers, and women in the push for broader people participation toward peace and democracy in the Philippines.
[12] The unabated political repression, oppression, and discrimination resulting to serious violations of human rights, civil liberties, and deprivations of economic, cultural and social rights by the government authorities perpetrated against the Muslims in Mindanao, more popularly known as the Bangsamoro people have caused more public resistance and banded cause-oriented groups to redress collectively these pressing problems confronting them.
Like every Muslim organization, Maradeka asserts in the rhetoric of their leaders of Bangsamoro nationhood and the adherence to the political principles of Islam based on its precepts, namely: Tawhid (Monotheism), Khilafah (Trusteeship), Hakimiyyah (Sovereignty), Risalah (Message), Hukuwat (Brotherhood), and Jihad (Mass Struggle).
It provides necessary professional works in advocacy, documentation, paralegal trainings, education, networking, and humanitarian assistance to victims of human rights abuses and their families through legal and medical services; Empowerment of Muslim Communities.
It operationalizes practice of Islam as a comprehensive system and ideology in all facets of life in the Muslim communities and enjoins peaceful, open, and liberation mass struggle (jihadun jamian) in attaining its goals and ideals toward prosperity (aflaha).
It asserts the primacy of recognizing the democratic rights of main stakeholders-the Bangsamoro People as the sole determinant of their political status.
Through its member affiliates it pursues development programs such as a welfare-oriented civic assistance which is primarily responsible in helping alleviate mass poverty, dislocation, lack of medical and health services, and victims of calamities and armed conflict in Mindanao.
It institutes cooperative development mechanism to provide self-help and self-reliant assistance to the needy and poor, and displaced families in the urban areas and it established solidarity works with people organizations in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East who share similar common aspiration and ideals.
It also build tactical alliance and coalition with Moro political groups and create domestic and global networks with agencies, foreign democratic institutions, or peoples in the advancement of its goals.
Sources from Philippine media indicated Maradeka stepped forward as voice of civil liberty expression in various Muslim concerns and issues such human rights violations committed against innocent civilians, graft and corruption and electoral frauds in the Philippine political system, and the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro people.
Maradeka secretary general Nash Pangadapun[23] also cautioned the public against such premature comments pending the government's submission of its counter-proposal, and called for sobriety.
“The signing of the CAB is expected to benefit not only the Bangsamoro but the entire country, and will radiate beyond our borders to the regional community, and perhaps the whole world.”[24] In a step up for massive information drive thru government controlled Television Network, Maradeka Secretary General Nash Pangadapun urged the spoilers who are out to obstruct the peace deal from coming to fruition to back off and called on the enemies of peace to have "change of heart" as this historic signing to be attended by mediating countries and international communities hoped to end violence against women and children.
Guerra a Moro leader was arrested on September 22, 2010 in Davao City in time for his departure in a local airport for his attendance to the Geneva's United Nations' Human Rights Council Meeting.
In continuing its human rights advocacy, it denounced the attack in North Cotabato and accused the military of perpetrating the bombing and then pinning the blame on the MILF.
Maradeka fought against extrajudicial killings,[26] raised voice condemning the attack of Muslim mosque killing four (4) faithfuls because it was timed with the congregational prayer time of Muslims in the local mosque, local terrorism sponsored by political clan[27] and perpetrated by combined politicos and Philippine military.
Extremists and terrorists became synonymous with Islam and any bearded men or people wearing turbans, hijabs or white skullcaps were subject to insults and attacks.
