Sheikh Salamat Hashim, leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), died of natural death due to cardiac arrest on Sunday, July 13 at 11:00 o'clock in the morning in the Bangsamoro homeland. The vice chairman of the group said news of the death had been delayed while the group informed his relatives and chose a successor. Being the No- 2 man in the MILF hierarchy, Vice Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim has assumed to succeed as the New Chairman of the Central Committee (CC) on the popular mandate of the Central Committee in a meeting on July 26-27, 2003 and unanimously confirmed by the General Assembly of the MILF held on August 30-31, 2003 in the Bangsamoro homeland. Ghazali Jaafar, vice chairman for political affairs, said the MILF has held in abeyance the announcement of the demise of Chairman Salamat Hashim pending the confirmation of the New Chairmanship of the MILF under former Vice Chairman for Military Affairs al Haj Murad Ebrahim. "Vice Chairman for Internal Affairs Aleem Abdulaziz Mimbantas was elected as the Vice Chairman of the MILF and concurrently Vice Chairman for Military Affairs," said Jaafar. He told that As Siddique succeeded Murad as the New Chief of Staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), MILF. "Murad will remain as the Chairman of the MILF Peace Panel negotiating with the Philippine Government," Jaafar has stressed. Asked on the manner of succession, Jaafar said it was a very smooth transition, stressing "free and democratic with popular mandate from the rank and file". It could be recalled Salamat was the founding father of the Bangsamoro Jihad together with about 10 leading Moro scholars in Cairo, Egypt during the early 1960. Jaafar said Salamat has indeed implanted the seed of Jihad among the Moros in order to regain their usurped freedom and independence. Salamat was the product of the covetous Al Ahzar University in Cairo. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Salamat Hashim