We may not have to look too hard to find out why 20 worshippers at a Roman Catholic church were murdered in the Philippines recently. It is likely to be Islam to be the reason why innocent Christians have been killed. Blame for such horrific incidents where Christians and the followers of other peaceable religions are slaughtered and maimed can often be laid at the feet of Islamic extremists and it seems to be the case with this latest atrocity. . It is more than likely that it is Muslims who have carried out this atrocity by placing bombs inside the church and outside an entrance to the building just as it is Muslims who have attacked churches and Christians in Egypt, Uganda, Syria, Nigeria and elsewhere.

The area of the Philippines where this appalling attack took place, the Island of Jolo, has long been troubled by Islamic separatists who want self rule for Muslims in areas where they are the majority, such as in Jolo, despite the Philippines as a whole being a predominately Roman Catholic nation. Although some Muslims in an area that has seen 130,000 people killed in a long running conflict have accepted a peace plan that will give autonomy for Muslim dominated areas such as Jolo, other Muslims have turned to terrorism in order to achieve their goals. Autonomy with protection for Jolo’s religious minorities who make up 10% of Jolo is never enough for these sorts of savages, nothing less than total dominance will suffice.

I fear that what happened at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday the 27^th January bodes ill for the future of the Christians of Jolo. When autonomy is granted to these Muslim dominated regions such as Jolo there is no real guarantee that the killings of Christians will stop and that Muslims will live in peace with their Christian neighbours. I predict that what will happen in Muslim governed Jolo is that oppressions of Christians will continue or even get worse until all the Christians and other non Muslims are driven out. This is a pattern that has been repeated time and time again in a multitude of different nations which Islam has dominated. Even if, as is the case of the Philippines where the Muslim community is relatively moderate, the majority of Muslims want to live in peace, Islam produces more than enough violent extremists to render the wishes of the peaceful majority immaterial. The extremists will continue to bomb and shoot and stab those who are either not Muslim or whom they consider to be not Muslim enough until the moderate Muslims are cowed and non Muslims have been driven out.

I would really not want to be a Christian in parts of the Philippines right now. With the rise of violent Islamic extremism and the entry into the conflict in Muslim dominated areas of those radicalised by ISIS and similar groups the future for religious minorities in these areas looks very grim indeed.