BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The destruction of Roman Catholic religious icons by a Muslim convert in the middle of a Mass being heard in the main Roman Catholic Church in Binalbagan town is not about to lead to a clash of cultures in the usually sleepy place as followers of the two faiths are not at odds with each other after the incident.
In fact, several Muslims from the masjid ( a Muslim place of worship) in the town went to Roman Catholic priest priest Leopoldo Cajilig, who heads the San Isidro Labrador Parish and was celebrating Mass when suspected destroyer Rolly Semira crashed his motorized pedicab inside the church and wrestled with the statues of Saint Joseph and San Isidro Labrador, both antiques aged more than a hundred years.
Today, the police also confirmed complaints for offending religious feelings and malicious mischief have been filed against Semira before the provincial prosecutor here.
As these developed, Semira’s fellow Muslims here are seeking ways to help Semira who has an illness or a mental condition, one of his friends in the congregation Gualcer Menez, a fellow convert, told DNX.
He said Semira could have had a fit of rage brought by a mental condition when he attacked the icons, similar to what he did in the past in Metro Manila where he was detained for gouging out a child’s eye.
“He was definitely not ordered by Allah,” Menez, an engineer who used to work abroad, added.
While Menez said Muslims in the town condemn Semira’s “extremist” act that is prohibited in the Islam faith, he pointed out that their holy book, the Quran, prohibits the worship of graven images.
An onkinevsource quoted the Quran verse thst said: Believers fight for the cause of Allah, while disbelievers do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil’ (Surah IV, verse 76). ‘Fight against them until idolatry is no more’ (II, 193). ‘Idolatry is worse than carnage’ (II, 217).
As Semira faces charges, Menez said they will look for ways to help him.
