50 Muslim youth leaders attend 4-day educational tour in Malaysia

The participants were accompanied by 10 representatives from the Sulu local government and the Department of Education, as well as 10 AFP support personnel. (PNA PHOTO)

MANILA— Some 50 youngsters from Mindanao participated in the 2nd Muslim Youth Leaders’ Educational Tour held in Malaysia, the military reported Sunday.

The activity took place from November 20 to 24, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said.

The participants were accompanied by 10 representatives from the Sulu local government and the Department of Education, as well as 10 AFP support personnel.

“These Muslim youths with ages 14 to 25 years old are mostly from Maguindanao Province, they arrived in Malaysia by a Philippine Air Force C-130 plane and were welcomed by the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur,” he added.

Participants in the four-day educational tour had a series of interactions with their Malaysian counterparts who had various cultural and religious backgrounds.

“We hope that through this activity, these youth leaders and those that accompany them will become advocates of peace and good governance when they return to their communities,” Arevalo pointed out.

The delegates also visited different Malaysian Government offices such as the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Department of Islamic Development, organizations such as the Global Movement of Moderates, and schools like the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Now on its second year, the tour is a project of the AFP Civil-Military Operations in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia.