The local affiliate of the Islamic State, identified as the Islamic State of East Asia Province (ISEAP), has claimed responsibility for the recent bombing at a Sunday Mass at the Mindanao State University (MSU) campus in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines. This attack, which occurred during the first Sunday of Advent, a significant event in the Christian calendar, resulted in four fatalities and at least 50 injuries. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), however, have expressed doubt about this claim and are currently validating it.
ISEAP’s pronouncement, as documented by the Jihad Terrorism Threat Monitor of the Middle East Media and Research Institute (Memri), indicates that this was the second attack this year primarily targeting Christians. The first occurred in September, when local affiliates killed two farmers in a village in Kauswagan town, Lanao del Norte.
This recent bombing in MSU follows a pattern of similar attacks in the region. In January 2019, a suicide bombing at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, claimed 23 lives. Previous attacks include a grenade attack outside St. Michael Cathedral in Iligan City in April 1992 and the lobbing of grenades at a Mass in Davao City’s San Pedro Cathedral on Easter Sunday in 1981.
In response to the tragedy, Iligan Bishop Jose Rapadas led a Mass at the Capin Funeral Homes in Iligan City for one of the victims, Evangeline Aromin, a graduate student from Bansalan, Davao del Sur. The Bishop urged the faithful to uphold compassion amid the tragedy to help transform the landscape of violence.
To investigate the incident, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has formed a task force and is gathering evidence, including security camera footage from outside the MSU gym. Two persons of interest have been identified, and the AFP is validating ISIS’s claims and the involvement of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group in this act of terror.
The incident has drawn international condemnation, with several governments denouncing the attack. The US Department of State labeled it a “horrific terrorist attack,” and ambassadors from various countries, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Japan, and Sweden, have expressed their support for the Philippines and extended condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families