Murad Ebrahim
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Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (born 15 May 1949), better known as
Al-hajj Al-Ḥajj ( ar, الحج, ; "The Pilgrimage", "The Hajj") is the 22nd chapter ('' sūrah'') of the Quran with 78 verses ('' āyāt''). This surah takes its name from the 27th verse. Summary *1-2 The dreadful character of the judgment-day ...
Murad Ebrahim, is a Moro
Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
politician and former rebel leader currently serving as the first
chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
of the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ar, منطقة بانجسامورو ذاتية الحكم فى مسلمى مينداناو , native_name = , settlement_type = Autonomous regions of the Philippines, Autonomous region , anthem = Bangsa ...
. As the current chairman of the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
, a Moro regionalist and Islamist armed group in the southern
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, Ebrahim is a key figure in the Bangsamoro Peace Process in the Philippines.


Early life and education

Born on 15 May 1949, Murad Ebrahim was born to an Islamic preacher. He lost both of his parents at a young age; his mother when he was just one year old and his father when he was 13 years old. He is the youngest among four children. Ebrahim started his elementary studies when he was seven years old and completed the six-year program in five years. He entered the Cotabato Public High School in Cotabato City for his high school studies in 1960. After graduating from high school, Ebrahim enrolled at the
Mindanao State University Mindanao State University, commonly referred to as MSU Main, is a regional state, coeducational, research higher education institution in the city of Marawi, Philippines. Founded in 1961, it is the flagship and the largest campus of the Mindana ...
in
Marawi Marawi, officially the Islamic City of Marawi (Maranao language, Maranao: ''Inged a Marawi''; fil, Islamikong Lungsod ng Marawi), is a 4th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of th ...
under a scholarship but transferred to the
Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in Cotabato City in his second year after passing the entrance examination. He was granted a scholarship in Notre Dame by the Commission on National Integration (CIN) and pursued a course on civil engineering. However he stopped his studies in his fifth and final year in college in 1970 to get more involved in the Moro movement.


Militant career


Moro National Liberation Front

Ebrahim dropped out of college to join the underground movement which fought against Christian paramilitary groups and security forces during the administration of then-president
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
allegedly targeting Muslims. He adopted "Murad" as his '' nom de guerre'' when he joined the Moro resistance against the government. Ebrahim first got involved in the underground Moro secessionist movement as early as 1968 prior to fully committing in 1970. He was recruited into the
Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...
(MNLF) in 1968 and was part of the "Top 300", a second batch of MNLF trainees sent to Malaysia. He was appointed as a zonal commander with his area of assignment covering 15 municipalities. Ebrahim led the group's Kutawato Revolutionary Committee in fighting against government forces and the
Ilaga The Ilagâ ( Hiligaynon for ''rat'') is a Christian extremist paramilitary group based in southern Philippines. The group is predominantly composed of Visayans (mostly Hiligaynon-speakers), embracing a form of Folk Catholicism that utilizes amu ...
paramilitary group in Central Mindanao. He was Military Chairman of Kutawato from 1974 until 1978 when he was promoted as Region Chairman. When
Hashim Salamat Salamat Hashim, also known as Hashim Salamat, was a Filipino militant who served as leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He is the founder of the group. Early life and education Hashim was born in Midsayap, Cotabato (now Pagalungan, Mag ...
organized a faction within the MNLF, Ebrahim was appointed as chairman of the Ad Hoc Coordinating Committee to lead the faction's activities in Mindanao, while Salamat is abroad.


Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Ebrahim left the MNLF due to ideological differences along with
Hashim Salamat Salamat Hashim, also known as Hashim Salamat, was a Filipino militant who served as leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He is the founder of the group. Early life and education Hashim was born in Midsayap, Cotabato (now Pagalungan, Mag ...
who formed the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
(MILF). In the 1980s, Ebrahim went to Afghanistan to meet with Filipino rebels fighting against the forces of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
amid the
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
though he said has not fought alongside them. There he also met Osama bin Laden, who would later become the head of
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
describing him as a soft-spoken and refined man who would have never thought to be declared "a world enemy". He developed reputation within the MILF as one of its top guerrilla commanders. He served as vice chair for military affairs and as chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF before he was appointed as MILF chairman in mid-2003 to replace MILF founder Salamat who died within the same year. He also served as the group's chief negotiator in talks with the Philippine national government.


Interim chief minister

Upon the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in 2018 under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Ebrahim campaigned for the law's ratification by voters that would lead to the establishment of the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. He was nominated by his group, the MILF, to be the chief minister of the
Bangsamoro Transition Authority The Bangsamoro Transition Authority is the interim regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Philippines and has executive and legislative powers over the region. History With the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law ...
(BTA) which would serve as the interim government in the region. On February 22, 2019, Ebrahim was appointed and sworn in by Duterte as the interim chief minister of the newly formed
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ar, منطقة بانجسامورو ذاتية الحكم فى مسلمى مينداناو , native_name = , settlement_type = Autonomous regions of the Philippines, Autonomous region , anthem = Bangsa ...
(BARMM). Ebrahim will lead the 80-member BTA, which will govern the five-province Bangsamoro region. Scheduled elections for the new members for the region's parliament will take place in 2022. At the official turnover of the ARMM to BARMM on February 26, 2019, Ebrahim announced the members of the first Bangsamoro Cabinet, with himself as concurrent minister of public works and highways. On November 11, 2019, Ebrahim transferred his duties as public works minister to Finance Minister Eduard Guerra, while placing the finance ministry under the chief minister's supervision. His government pursued a policy of promoting "moral governance", which Ebrahim says based on "moral values of Islam" as a response to corruption and failed governance in the former ARMM. On February 8, 2022, Ebrahim ordered the ministers and their deputies of his cabinet to tender courtesy resignation while the director general of each ministry were directed to temporarily take over. This marked the end of Ebrahim's tenure as concurrent finance minister and was succeeded by Ubaida Pacasem who took their oath on March 14, 2022. Ebrahim retained his position as interim Chief Minister when President Bongbong Marcos appointed a new set of members for the BTA in August 2022.


Personal life

Murad Ebrahim is married to Hadja Lupia Ebrahim, with whom he has two children. On 14 March 2015, controversy on the citizenship of Murad arose when Philippine former interior secretary Rafael Alunan accused him of being a citizen of
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. This allegation was denied by Malaysia and fellow MILF member
Mohagher Iqbal Mohagher Iqbal is the ''nom de guerre'' of the member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who serves as chair of the group's peace panel. Education Igbal was born in Cotabato City and grew up in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. Iqbal attended t ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebrahim, Murad Military history of the Philippines Living people 1949 births People from Maguindanao Filipino Islamists Filipino Muslims Members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament Moro Islamic Liberation Front members