COTABATO CITY -- Shari’ah law experts gave assurance that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) protects religious freedom and does not prejudice Christians, indigenous peoples, and other non-Muslims living in the region. In a forum conducted by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in partnership with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) among Bangsamoro Shari’ah lawyers and the academe last month, Shari’ah expert Ubaida C. Pacasem said that the Shari’ah system in the Bangsamoro will apply only to Muslims as had been practised since the Islamic justice was adopted and made part of the Philippine judicial system in 1977. Pacasem, who is also chief of the Legal Division of the NCMF’s Cotabato City office, said all Bangsa-moro residents can rest assured that the regional government and judicial system will respect their religion. Pacasem also disproved the misinformation circulating that the Bangsamoro government will be an Islamic State. “The proposed Bangsa-moro is not even a separate state, much less an Islamic State. It shall be an autonomous region with a government exercising genuine political autonomy where all peoples regardless of religion and cultural affiliation shall be respected,” said Pacasem. Bangsamoro Shari’ah Lawyers League of the Philippines, Inc. (BSLLPI), one of the participating organizations in the said forum, also made it clear that “Shari’ah law, although not the governing law in the proposed Bangsamoro government, actually champion peace, justice, human rights, and respect for all religions.” On the other hand Shari’ah lawyer Rodjipay Mangulamas, president of BSLLPI, explained that Shari’ah law will respect religious differences in the envisioned Bangsamoro region. “The Shari’ah law is principally based on the Quran, and one of the verses in our Holy Book specifically states that there shall be no compulsion in religion,” Mangulamas said. He added that, “as Shari’ah lawyers, we truly respect all religions. But the bottom line here is that the Bangsamoro government is neither about Islam nor about establishing an Islamic State. It’s about respect for the long-sought Bangsa-moro aspiration for self-determination and freedom from oppression and discrimination.” Shari’ah courts were established in the Philippines as early as 1977 through Pre-sidential Decree 1083 issued by the late President Ferdi-nand Marcos—preceding the crafting of the proposed BBL by nearly 40 years—and were later incorporated into the current 1987 Constitution. (Peace Process Media Bureau)