In the photo is Bangsamoro Labor Minister Sema (center), together with Moro students from the Islamic University of Madinah, whom he met in Saudi Arabia just last week. (Contributed Photo)
COTABATO CITY, Philippines โ Bangsamoro Labor Minister Muslimin Sema recently met with Moro students studying at the Islamic University of Madinah, encouraging them to complete their education and return home ready to serve their communities.
The meeting took place in Madinah during Semaโs visit to Saudi Arabia, where he also performed umrah, or minor pilgrimage, with his family.
In a simple gathering, Sema shared reflections on leadership, faith, and the long-standing struggle for peace in the Bangsamoro homeland. He urged the students to maximize their opportunity to study Islamic theology and use their knowledge to uplift Moro communities.
โBeing here, in a place of faith and learning, and seeing our youth pursue knowledge reminds me not only of our earlier days of struggle, but also of the broader mission of the Prophet Muhammadโฆ to uplift his people from ignorance, poverty, and injustice,โ Sema said.
Sema currently heads the Ministry of Labor and Employment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). He also chairs the central committee of the Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1996 after decades of negotiations that began with the Tripoli Agreement.
The Islamic University of Madinah, founded in 1961 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz, has long been a center for Islamic learning, producing generations of Filipino Muslim scholars and missionaries.
A known peace advocate and former three-term mayor of Cotabato City, Sema has consistently supported initiatives that promote religious understanding and cultural solidarity among Moro and non-Moro communities in the Bangsamoro region.
His message to the students was clear: education is not just a personal journey, but a responsibility to serve and strengthen their communities back home.
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