DAVAO CITY—A South Korea-based religious group heeded a global call to address extremism. Its Philippine chapter has linked up with Islamic religious leaders in Mindanao to embark on an island-wide education in mixed Christian and Moro communities against the likely incursions of terror recruiters into the Arabic-language schools called madaris.

Luna Kim, assistant director of the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, brought key officers of the organization here to witness its major public event called the “Peace Walk for the Prevention of Violent Extremism”.

The walk for peace on Tuesday has already generated support from local government and other organizations, including the National Police, academic institutions with known peace programs and the Moro Muslim and indigenous tribes here.

Datu Pamikiren Latip Arumpac Jr., designated deputy vice mayor for the Iranun tribe, said the indigenous people’s tribes hre have committed their support.

“We have already agreed among ourselves, even in the past, to support the peace-and-order directive of the mayor. For those of us who already suspect the presence of extremists, we have to report them to the Task Force Davao,” he said. The task force is an antiterror unit of the government military.

Yaudi B. Semilla, coordinator of the group, said there would be more activities, mainly information and education sessions in the communities “to educate more Filipinos on the nature of groups or individuals whose extreme push of their beliefs has already caused violence and pain among other people”.

She said more Islamic leaders have been going around their respective madrasah (singular of madaris), or the Arabic-language schools, to teach the correct interpretation of Islam.

Samer Along, secretary of the executive director of the city’s Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Program, said “in the madrasah, we educate children of the true values of Islam. We have to educate them so that they would not be disoriented or misled.”

The city program covers all the 40 madaris, and provides stipend to teachers who teach Arabic during weekends. Moro Muslims in the Philippines have to learn Arabic, from which language was written Islam’s holy book, the Koran.

Kim said the organization has also conducted education sessions in the day-care centers, where barangay residents also converge. She said it would not only be the Muslims who would receive the information dissemination, but the non-Muslim residents as well.

“We teach love and sharing first before we teach residents immediately on how extremists work,” she said.

She said they have not received any threat or warning in organizing the peace walk and to conduct more activities to address extremism.

Earlier, Islamic scholars across the country were warned by the erstwhile unknown group Dawla Islamiya, to avoid attending the first three-day summit against terrorism in Cotabato City in the middle of this month.

Secretary Noor Hafizullah “Kirby” Abdullah of the Department of the Interior and Local Goverment in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao appealed last week to local chief executives to protect the more than 300 ulama across the country.

Abdullah said the group has been reported to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, popularly known as Isis.