MANILA, Oct. 20, 2009— Muslim leaders in Southern Philippines have appealed to kidnappers to release Irish priest Fr. Michael Sinnott who was kidnapped recently.

The National Ulama Conference of the Philippines (NUCP), a national organization of Muslim religious scholars, said the abductors must treat the priest with respect and release him as soon as possible.

In a statement, the group condemned the kidnapping “as violently opposed to the tenets of Islam and Christianity as well as of a diversity of other faiths.”

NUCP also called on the media not to malign the name of Islam by using terms like “Islamic militants” and “Muslim terrorists” in reference to the priest’s abductors.

“This serves only to widen the rift especially between Muslims and our brothers, the Christians, and perpetuate hatred and misunderstanding,” the statement read.

But the group said it appreciates media’s courage in fighting injustices as “remarkably Islamic” in nature and “one that derives its strength from finding unity in diversity”.

Fr. Sinnott, 79, was abducted by six men heavily armed men while he was walking around his convent 7:30 p.m. last October 11 in Pagadian city.

Fr. Sinnott of Wexford County, southeast Ireland, was ordained in 1954 and assigned to Mindanao in 1957 where he stayed until 1966. He returned to the Philippines in 1976.

In 1998, he established Hangop Kabataan (care for youth), a Diocese of Pagadian-based rehabilitation program for children with special physical and other needs.

To date, the centre caters to around sixty children who attend daily. About one third of these have been diagnosed as autistic, while the rest have other mental and physical disabilities. (Roy Lagarde)