Official Statement of Dr.

Bilal Philips
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful
10 September, 2014
From Immigration Detention, Daao !it"
Min#anao, $hilippines
Dear Frien#s, Stu#ents, an# Supporters,
Salaam ala"%um& $eace be upon "ou all&
I 'oul# first li%e to than% "ou for all "our pra"ers an# arious positie e(pressions
of care, concern an# support& I)m happ" to inform "ou that I am safe an# 'ell*
treate# in Daao !it" immigration custo#", as m" re+uest for oluntar" #eportation
is being processe#&
,hough I appreciate "our rallies an# #emonstrations of support in Mara'i !it",
-amboanga an# else'here, I a#ise "ou all to %eep calm an# not let "our genuine
e(pressions of support spiral out of control an# #egenerate into 'anton #estruction
of propert" an# the loss of life an# limb&
$lease allo' the #ue process of la' to ta%e its course& ,he false allegations an#
misun#erstan#ings circulating in the me#ia 'ill be tac%le# legall" in or#er to clear
m" name an# lift the ban on an" future isits to the $hilippines . /o# 'illing&
,here is sufficient ei#ence to proe m" innocence in m" hun#re#s of "outube
i#eo lectures an# %hutbahs 0see m" "outube channel1 aabphilips2, oer 30
publishe# boo%s, man" of 'hich can be #o'nloa#e# freel" from m"
'ebsite1 '''&bilalphilips&com or'''&%alamullah&com, or the hun#re#s of posts
on m" official faceboo% page1 Dr& Bilal $hilips, 'ith almost 2 million li%es&
As to m" being on the no*fl" blac% list of America, I 4oin the ran%s of Nelson
Man#ela 'ho 'as put on it 'hile he 'as in 5obbin Islan#, an# he remaine# on the
list as presi#ent of South Africa until he 'on the Nobel $eace $ri6e for the same
reason he 'as put on the list in the first place& Because of a narro' polic" of the
7S an# inhospitable atmosphere, I prefer not to go to 7S li%e one "our local public
official in Daao !it" 'ho shunne# going to the 7S for me#ical treatment& Not to
mention the actual meaning of American label place# on me as an un*in#icte# co*
conspirator in the 1889 attempte# bombing of the :orl# ,ra#e !enter& In normal
language, ;un*in#icte#< simpl" means ;no charges hae been file# against me #ue
to lac% of ei#ence<, an# ;co*conspirator< means ;guilt" b" association<, that
someone 'ho the authorities arreste# ha# m" name in their telephone boo%, or the"
'ere seen sha%ing han#s 'ith me, or the" pra"e# ne(t to me in a mos+ue, etc&
5egar#ing the British 9*"ear ban, base# on a statement ta%en out of conte(t from a
i#eo program originall" ma#e in 1883 an# rebroa#cast along 'ith m" other
programs continuousl" in Shar4ah ,=, 7A>, since 2009, it has alrea#" been
successfull" #emonstrate# to !ana#ian Immigration authorities that I 'as
mis+uote#& ,he ban in Australia follo's the American lea# blin#l" an# the ban in
?en"a also blin#l" follo's the British ban& As for the /erman lifetime ban
unilaterall" issue# b" the Ma"or of Fran%furt, it 'as thro'n out of court in
/erman" last "ear& ,he Ma"or)s appeal 'as also re4ecte# b" the higher courts, he
'as ma#e to coer all court costs an# the ban 'as lifte#& I 'as not banne# or
#eporte# from Bangla#esh earlier this "ear as in commonl" falsel" reporte#& I
entere# the countr" an# left on m" o'n 'ill&
Sensational 4ournalism has also pla"e# a ma4or role in #emoni6ing me, li%e that of
the #ail" ne'spaper 'hich plastere# a picture of me on their front page, Sept& 10th
issue, 'ith the hea#ing ;Suspecte# ,errorist Arreste#<& ,he relate# article
containe# a series of irresponsible, inflammator" an# inaccurate statements from
$5@ 11 5egional Director !hief Superinten#ent :en#" /& 5osario&
Superinten#ent 5osario 'as +uote# as sa"ing that I 'as consi#ere# a person of
interest because of allege# lin%s to a terrorist group outsi#e the countr"& I hae
neer ha# an" lin%s nor hae I eer been accuse# of haing lin%s to an" terrorist
group& Superinten#ent 5osario further state# that I 'as inite# for +uestioning b"
the police 'hile lecturing in a mos+ue 'hich is inaccurate, as I #i# not lecture in
an" mos+ue in Daao, m" lecture on ;5aising 5ighteous !hil#ren< 'as a public
lecture in the Sunn" $oint Aotel au#itorium atten#e# b" Muslims an# non*
Muslims& Ae then state# that I 'as preente# from lecturing in -amboanga
sche#ule# for the 4 an# 3th 0correctl" the 3th an# Bth2 'hich is untrue& I personall"
#eci#e# not to go to -amboanga 'hen the Ma"or of -amboanga 'ith#re' her
support b" cancelling the enue an# her proision of goernment securit" forces&
She also re+ueste# the Department of Custice to preent me from coming there& ,he
organi6ers in -amboanga re+ueste# me to come an"'a", assuring securit" from e(*
generals from their ran%s, but I thought it pru#ent not to go since the ma"or 'as
personall" oppose#& Ae then state# that the Bureau of Immigration issue# a
blac%list or#er against me on the 4th September, also untrue& ,he" issue# the or#er
on the 3th at the re+uest of the Ma"or of -amboanga, an# I arrie# in the countr"
on the 4th& Ae then mentione# that there 'as a report that I 'as alrea#" blac%liste#
'hile failing to mention that the preious blac%listing 'as lifte# b" the
goernment& Such irresponsible sensational 4ournalism has been i#entifie# b" the
7? goernment)s 5un"me#e 5eport as a ma4or source of Islamophobia& I trust an#
pra" that the ma4orit" of the people of the $hilippines 'ill not tolerate such
attitu#e&
It is er" sa# that lecturers an# spea%ers li%e m"self 'ho call to Islamic mo#eration
an# oppose e(tremism, terrorism, in#iscriminate iolence an# reolt, are bloc%e#
from cone"ing this peaceful message to Muslim minorit" communities& :e
recogni6e that e(tremism is a pro#uct of ignorance of true Islamic teachings so 'e
promote in our lectures the ac+uisition of correct %no'le#ge an# the practice of
Islam)s authentic teachings& In banning an# #emoni6ing us, the" hae create# a
acuum of information 'hich continues to be e(ploite# an# fille# b" e(tremist
elements 'ho easil" recruit "outhful impressionable follo'ers 'ith emotional
messages to their saage, iolent an# merciless unIslamic metho#ologies an#
i#eologies&
I hae al'a"s been a proponent of peaceful solutions to our problems as "ou all
%no', the motto of m" uniersit" 0Islamic @nline 7niersit"&com2 is ;!hanging
the Nation ,hrough >#ucation<& $lease be an actie part of this prophetic
metho#olog" for change b" 4oining the ran%s of oer 1D0,000 registere# stu#ents in
m" uniersit", most of 'hom are stu#"ing free of an" charge in the free Islamic
Stu#ies Diploma program&
$eace be upon "ou all&
Dr& Abu Ameenah Bilal $hilips
!hancellor, Islamic @nline 7niersit"