The Marawi siege is reaching its end. But it is the protracted scars of this conflict, and the city’s role as a centre for religious militant insurrection, that still has the community concerned.

Muhd Saiful Alam Shah from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University believes there are genuine risks to religious leaders in Mindanao del Sur due to inter-marriages and the tribal nature of the community, but discreet objection can be done through a new approach to learning Islam.

“Critical thinking should be part of religious learning rather than mere acceptance of what was taught. The clerics must be bold enough to tackle hard questions relating to religious narratives used by militants to advance their cause,” he said.

“Mainstream clerics have the upper hand in influencing public opinion about Islam.”