He has been popularly known as Al Haj Murad, but his real name is Ahod Balawag Ebrahim. He adopted Murad only as a nom de guerre after he joined the Moro struggle, first as member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and later, the MILF. ADVERTISEMENTWhen Salamat, the MILF founding chair, died of an illness in July 2003, Murad took over the position of the Egyptian-trained cleric. From early 2001 until he was appointed MILF chair in mid-2003, Murad concurrently served as the front’s chief negotiator in talks with the Philippine government. Murad is married to Hadja Lupia Ebrahim and they have two children and 10 grandchildren.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 22, 2019 23:09 UTC