About 600 Philippine Muslims including many young children in hijab (head scarf) Saturday stepped up their protests led by Islamic clerics against religious discrimination and defamation in the European Union (EU) with a sit-in rally in Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

Ustadhz Aleem Guimba, main organizer of the mass action to call awareness and combat anti-Islam and anti-Muslim acts that amount to religious discrimination in United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Germany, France, Norway, among others, said "crusaders" are getting stronger in countering the influence and direction of interfaith to promote peade and religious harmony.

"Revivalists of pure Islam are working to address these religious discrimination and defamation," said Guimba, a frequent sermon deliverer at the Indonesian Embassy's Mushallah (prayer room) in Makati City.

Guimba said he is a missionary and member of the Manila chapter of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), the Libya-based humanitarian group that also promotes the call of Islam.

Monday's protest leaders in Davao City and Marawi City belonged to the Philippine chapter of the World Islamic People's Leadership (WIPL), Ustadhz Ahmad Nooh Darping and Ustadhz Abdulmadjeed Djamla, who are also missionaries.

Another rally last Sunday was staged in Cotabato City led by Ustadhz Jaapar Ali. Muslim clerics in Jolo, Sulu, headed by Ustadhz Abdul Muhaimin Abubakar was also supposed to have staged another rally over the week.

Thousands of rallyists in Mindanao slammed Switzerland for the ban on minarets, offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in Sweden and Norway, the prohibition of hijab (head covering) and niqab or burka (face covering) in France and Germany.

They are the same topics in the Maharlika Village protest where many young children in hijab were made to participate.