By Noemi B. Edaga
Who would like to be labeled as an uprising leader? Sheikh
Mahir asked this question in an exclusive interview by the Philippine
Information Agency (PIA)-IX about his alleged involvement in an uprising.
The Sheikh in Mahir
Sheikh Loderson
“Mahir” Gustaham is a native of Pangutaran, Sulu but spent most of his time in
Zamboanga City where he studied high school and college. He took his Masters in
Education and Da’wah at the International Institute for Arabic Language of
Africa in Khartoum, Sudan. Fondly called “Mahir,” Loderson is a sheikh, which
literally means an Islamic scholar.
As a sheikh, he spends most of his time teaching in Madrasah and giving Islamic sermons in
mosques. To date, he has a flock of about forty thousand Muslim youths learning
at his feet the tenets of Islam faith.
FB sensational
Islamic Moro uprising
An esteemed member of the
Datul Iftah or the House of Verdicts, Shiekh Mahir was chosen by the elders
to give the Islamic sermon (Khutba) on Friday, September 13 at the Joaquin
Memorial Sports Complex (grandstand). Lo and behold the following day, a
picture of him taken from the grandstand was posted in the facebook along with
the picture of Nur Misuari, allegedly calling for the Muslim youths to join the
Islamic Moro uprising.
News shocked the Shiekh
Occupied with leading the Federation of Muslim Student
Associations’ (FMSA) members in
distributing food, clothing and relief goods in the different barangay hall and
school evacuation centers, Shiek Mahir, the FMSA executive chairman, was shocked to know from
his flock about him becoming viral in the social media instigating a Moro
uprising. Contrary to the social media postings, Sheikh Mahir in his Khutba advocated for peace and
volunteerism. He preached to the grandstand congregation the Islamic
jurisprudence which is peace. His messages were “H’wag maging marahas. Be
patient. Isantabi natin ang ating pagkakaiba. Magtulungan tayo upang makaahon
tayo sa crisis na ‘to (Let us not be violent. Be patient. Forget our
differences. Let’s help one another so we can rise above this crisis.)”
Clear my name
Mahir calls on those who used his name to ignite the already
volatile situation in Zamboanga to clear his name. “H’wag nyong gamitin ang
pangalan ko at ng FSMA sa pagpalaganap ng gulo dahil ang itinuturo ko sa mga
bata ay h’wag maging marahas dahil ang turo ng islam ay kapayapaan (Don’t use
my name nor the FMSA to propagate disturbance because I am teaching children to
be peace-loving because Islam is peace.) (PIA9)