Philippines Terrorism: The Role of Militant Islamic Converts

Ray · 12-22-2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Philippines Terrorism: The Role of Militant Islamic Converts

19 December 2005
Asia Report Nº110

A small minority of militant Muslim converts in the Philippines is complicating efforts to fight terrorism and make peace in Mindanao, but government practices too often play into militant hands by subordinating procedural justice to careless counter-terror measures. The Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), a terrorist group with ties to Abu Sayyaf Group and foreign jihadists, emerged in 2002 from a loose association of converts who call themselves Balik-Islam. Even after the arrest of its leader in October, RSM remains a vehicle for more experienced terrorist groups based in Mindanao to reach the Philippines’ urban heartland. Perceived injustices of Manila’s urban counter-terror campaign serve as a recruiting tool, so is it critically important for the Philippines government to get the balance between human rights and security right.
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm

It is time that governments realise that heavy heanded and amateurish attitudes will not curb terrorism.

It requires a well thought out plan that maybe slow and painful lacking instant results, but that is the only way there is to a solution.

Ray · 12-22-2005, 15:35 PM

Troung,

What is your comment on this?

This is context with your comment in the thread Balochistan Quo Vadis.

troung · 12-22-2005, 23:10 PM

The RP/AFP lacks the means the deal a death blow to the enemy on the battlefield, lacks the money for a good civic action plan and lacks the leaders to make up for this.

On the plus side for them they outnumber the Moros in the South and have enough military power as to not be forced out. Most major offensives are short as limited by fuel, ammo, spare parts and money so the fighting is at company and smaller size. Still they are moving more and more in the right direction. MNLF members brought into the AFP are preforming well, the new SOF approach is producing results and the COIN approach for the PhAF is also working. Top terrorist leaders have been taken out or are on the run.

The military is getting stronger on the battlefield yes but with rumors about an X-Mas coup things could get sticky again and give the RP/AFP a black eye at a bad time.

Ray · 12-23-2005, 08:55 AM

The govt is winning slowly and steadily?!

Not quite. Ham handedness will not work.

troung · 12-23-2005, 21:41 PM

Terrorist leaders are on the run. The AFP is taking out camps and so forth so it is only a matter of time before they die or get caught. And this is not the OBL hunt but one far closer and using much more HUMIT. People are turning these guys in. Moro units are fighting hard against former allies.

Crisiscenter.org a sight on conflict prevention mioght not be the best source...

Ray · 12-24-2005, 00:32 AM

If that is not the best source, what is?

Just a recap of the Moslem heritage of Philippines.

Islam was introduced in the Philippines in 1210 by Arab merchants and Islamic missionaries as they did in Malaysia. This was before the introduction of Catholicism via Spanish colonialism in 1521.

Islam had manifested itself in the coastal communities of the major islands in the Philippines, including Manila.

Today, Moslems constitute about 5% of the total Philippine population. They are concentrated in five provinces of western Mindanao: Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. There are also significant in nearby Mindanao provinces and in Manila. 19% of Mindanao is Muslim (1990 Census).

The unfortunate part is that the Moslem regions in the Philippines are among the country's poorest and the social indicators (health, education) are among the lowest in the country. (I wonder why this is an universal phenomenon, even though the Moslems have some of the richest nations in the world that does not hesitated to funding terrorism)

The Moros of the Philippines are the Moslems who are in rebellion. There are three main Moro ethnolinguistic groups i.e. the Maguindanao-Iranun group in the Cotabato region, the Tausug-Samal group in the Sulu Archipelago, and the Maranaws of the Lanao region.

The three major Moro organizations fighting for self-determination in the Philippines are the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and two groups that originated as splinters from it: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF, which split from the MNLF in 1977 but was formally founded in 1984) and the Abu Sayyaf ("Bearer of the Sword," formally founded in 1991).

The interesting part is that with the fall of the Marcos regime in 1985, the MNLF negotiated a ceasefire with President Corazon Aquino in 1986. In January 1987, the MNLF signed an agreement relinquishing its goal of independence for Moslem m regions and accepting the government's offer of autonomy. The MILF refused to accept the accord. Talks between the government and the MNLF over the proposed autonomous region continued sporadically throughout 1987 but eventually deadlocked. The MNLF officially resumed its armed insurrection in February 1988, but little fighting resulted.

The government, meanwhile, pressed ahead with plans for Moslem autonomy without the MNLF's cooperation. Article 10 of the 1987 constitution mandated that the Congress create an Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao. In a November 1989 plebiscite, only four provinces opted to accept the government's autonomy measure. The four-province Autonomous Region for Moslem Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990, remains the only subnational region with its own executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

In 1996, the MNLF signed a peace agreement with the administration of Fidel Ramos. The 1996 Peace Agreement provides for two phases of implementation. The first phase, a three-year transition period, was to be followed by the establishment of a new Regional Autonomous Government that would operate from September 1999 on. The final outlines of the autonomous region were determined by a second plebiscite held on August 14, 2001, when citizens of 15 provinces and 10 cities in the southern Philippines decided whether they would join the new autonomous region. Turnout was low in many areas and the plebiscite resulted in the expansion of the ARMM to include the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City while also ratifying the law officially creating the ARMM. The scope of ARMM now covers five provinces (Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur) and Marawi City. Elections for governor, vice-governor, and the ARMM regional assembly are scheduled for November 26, 2001, the fourth set of elections in the ARMM's history.

Following the 1996 peace agreement, the MNLF entered civilian politics. As provided for in the peace agreement, two new governance entities were created: the Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD), comprising 14 of Mindanao's 24 provinces; and the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), which was established to manage peace and development efforts within the SZOPAD. Nur Misuari, who is also governor of the Autonomous Region of Moslem Mindanao, serves as the chair of the SPCPD. The current autonomy arrangement is hampered by the lack of funds for reconstruction in the region and by the government's failure to implement the 1996 peace agreement fully and on schedule.

Both the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf opposed the 1996 peace agreement. The MILF engaged in on-again off-again negotiations with the Philippine government until early 2000, when the Estrada administration launched an all-out attack on the MILF, capturing several of its camps. The MILF's demands differ from those of the MNLF in that the former wants a greater role for shariah law and demands that the Philippine government address the issue of land distribution. Following Estrada's ouster in January 2001, the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed a ceasefire agreement with the MILF in August 2001. The MILF had earlier agreed to put aside its demands for independence in order to achieve progress on the rehabilitation of war-ravaged areas, the implementation of previous agreements forged by the MILF and the government, and economic development for Mindanao. Negotiations are ongoing, with the third round of negotiations scheduled for October 15, 2001 in Kuala Lumpur.

The main declared objective of the Abu Sayyaf is to establish an Islamic state based on Islamic law (shariah) in the southern Philippines. It has issued no definitive policy statements and has not demonstrated any significant political support. It engages in a range of violent acts including bombings and kidnappings, most recently in early 2001. The MNLF and MILF as well as other Moro political figures have denounced the activities of the Abu Sayyaf. Since May 2001, the Arroyo administration has been engaged in a military assault on Abu Sayyaf positions in Basilan. Human rights advocates have criticized human rights abuses by the military during their operations.

So do you feel that with the international Islamic support the Moros have, there is any hope of the insurrection dying down or the govt winning?

How many insurrections have been successfully quelled? That too an Islamic insurrection where the Koran is the heady opiate?

Ray · 12-24-2005, 01:07 AM

In addition it must be remembered that throughout their history, they have resisted conversion and have been deprived of their rights to their homeland (depending upon if one accepts this view of it being their homeland alone) and its natural resources.

The Spanish tried their level best and the Spanish were rabid proselytisers, but even they failed to convert the Moslems to Christianity. It does speaks volume about the internal bind of Islam.

During the United States' occupation, it was policy to entice northern Christian Filipinos to move south by offering them land that belonged to the Moros. This created deep hostility within the Moros towards the Christians.

To believe that the Philippines govt will be able to appease the Moros in a jiffy would be a trifle imaginative, to say the least, especially these days where the Born Again Moslem attitude is raging internationally with their new sword arm of terrorism!

troung · 12-25-2005, 01:26 AM

Quote:

So do you feel that with the international Islamic support the Moros have, there is any hope of the insurrection dying down or the govt winning?

Of course there is a hope of the government winning. The Moros play the black market for guns and ammo and don't have some weathly nation giving them aid anymore.

If the government can win depends on what type of aid they can offer the south. On the battlefield the AFP is actually succeeding, hands were tied a few years ago in hopes of making a peace treaty with the MILF. Terrorists are being taken out and have lost a degree of public support. And the foriegn terrorists have even less and are being actively hunted.

What will end the war of course is an economic/political deal which resolves grievances. But yet the current plans don't see the war endign at best for another 7 or so years. So mentally they are in things for the long haul.

12-22-2005, 23:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
troung A Self Important *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-03-03 Posts: 4,390 Country:	The RP/AFP lacks the means the deal a death blow to the enemy on the battlefield, lacks the money for a good civic action plan and lacks the leaders to make up for this. On the plus side for them they outnumber the Moros in the South and have enough military power as to not be forced out. Most major offensives are short as limited by fuel, ammo, spare parts and money so the fighting is at company and smaller size. Still they are moving more and more in the right direction. MNLF members brought into the AFP are preforming well, the new SOF approach is producing results and the COIN approach for the PhAF is also working. Top terrorist leaders have been taken out or are on the run. The military is getting stronger on the battlefield yes but with rumors about an X-Mas coup things could get sticky again and give the RP/AFP a black eye at a bad time. Last edited by troung : 12-22-2005 at 23:33 PM.

12-24-2005, 00:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 28,288 Country:	If that is not the best source, what is? Just a recap of the Moslem heritage of Philippines. Islam was introduced in the Philippines in 1210 by Arab merchants and Islamic missionaries as they did in Malaysia. This was before the introduction of Catholicism via Spanish colonialism in 1521. Islam had manifested itself in the coastal communities of the major islands in the Philippines, including Manila. Today, Moslems constitute about 5% of the total Philippine population. They are concentrated in five provinces of western Mindanao: Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. There are also significant in nearby Mindanao provinces and in Manila. 19% of Mindanao is Muslim (1990 Census). The unfortunate part is that the Moslem regions in the Philippines are among the country's poorest and the social indicators (health, education) are among the lowest in the country. (I wonder why this is an universal phenomenon, even though the Moslems have some of the richest nations in the world that does not hesitated to funding terrorism) The Moros of the Philippines are the Moslems who are in rebellion. There are three main Moro ethnolinguistic groups i.e. the Maguindanao-Iranun group in the Cotabato region, the Tausug-Samal group in the Sulu Archipelago, and the Maranaws of the Lanao region. The three major Moro organizations fighting for self-determination in the Philippines are the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and two groups that originated as splinters from it: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF, which split from the MNLF in 1977 but was formally founded in 1984) and the Abu Sayyaf ("Bearer of the Sword," formally founded in 1991). The interesting part is that with the fall of the Marcos regime in 1985, the MNLF negotiated a ceasefire with President Corazon Aquino in 1986. In January 1987, the MNLF signed an agreement relinquishing its goal of independence for Moslem m regions and accepting the government's offer of autonomy. The MILF refused to accept the accord. Talks between the government and the MNLF over the proposed autonomous region continued sporadically throughout 1987 but eventually deadlocked. The MNLF officially resumed its armed insurrection in February 1988, but little fighting resulted. The government, meanwhile, pressed ahead with plans for Moslem autonomy without the MNLF's cooperation. Article 10 of the 1987 constitution mandated that the Congress create an Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao. In a November 1989 plebiscite, only four provinces opted to accept the government's autonomy measure. The four-province Autonomous Region for Moslem Mindanao (ARMM), which was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990, remains the only subnational region with its own executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In 1996, the MNLF signed a peace agreement with the administration of Fidel Ramos. The 1996 Peace Agreement provides for two phases of implementation. The first phase, a three-year transition period, was to be followed by the establishment of a new Regional Autonomous Government that would operate from September 1999 on. The final outlines of the autonomous region were determined by a second plebiscite held on August 14, 2001, when citizens of 15 provinces and 10 cities in the southern Philippines decided whether they would join the new autonomous region. Turnout was low in many areas and the plebiscite resulted in the expansion of the ARMM to include the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City while also ratifying the law officially creating the ARMM. The scope of ARMM now covers five provinces (Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur) and Marawi City. Elections for governor, vice-governor, and the ARMM regional assembly are scheduled for November 26, 2001, the fourth set of elections in the ARMM's history. Following the 1996 peace agreement, the MNLF entered civilian politics. As provided for in the peace agreement, two new governance entities were created: the Special Zone of Peace and Development (SZOPAD), comprising 14 of Mindanao's 24 provinces; and the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), which was established to manage peace and development efforts within the SZOPAD. Nur Misuari, who is also governor of the Autonomous Region of Moslem Mindanao, serves as the chair of the SPCPD. The current autonomy arrangement is hampered by the lack of funds for reconstruction in the region and by the government's failure to implement the 1996 peace agreement fully and on schedule. Both the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf opposed the 1996 peace agreement. The MILF engaged in on-again off-again negotiations with the Philippine government until early 2000, when the Estrada administration launched an all-out attack on the MILF, capturing several of its camps. The MILF's demands differ from those of the MNLF in that the former wants a greater role for shariah law and demands that the Philippine government address the issue of land distribution. Following Estrada's ouster in January 2001, the current administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed a ceasefire agreement with the MILF in August 2001. The MILF had earlier agreed to put aside its demands for independence in order to achieve progress on the rehabilitation of war-ravaged areas, the implementation of previous agreements forged by the MILF and the government, and economic development for Mindanao. Negotiations are ongoing, with the third round of negotiations scheduled for October 15, 2001 in Kuala Lumpur. The main declared objective of the Abu Sayyaf is to establish an Islamic state based on Islamic law (shariah) in the southern Philippines. It has issued no definitive policy statements and has not demonstrated any significant political support. It engages in a range of violent acts including bombings and kidnappings, most recently in early 2001. The MNLF and MILF as well as other Moro political figures have denounced the activities of the Abu Sayyaf. Since May 2001, the Arroyo administration has been engaged in a military assault on Abu Sayyaf positions in Basilan. Human rights advocates have criticized human rights abuses by the military during their operations. So do you feel that with the international Islamic support the Moros have, there is any hope of the insurrection dying down or the govt winning? How many insurrections have been successfully quelled? That too an Islamic insurrection where the Koran is the heady opiate? Last edited by Ray : 12-24-2005 at 00:36 AM.

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12-22-2005, 15:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 28,288 Country:	Troung, What is your comment on this? This is context with your comment in the thread Balochistan Quo Vadis.

12-23-2005, 08:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 28,288 Country:	The govt is winning slowly and steadily?! Not quite. Ham handedness will not work.

12-23-2005, 21:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
troung A Self Important *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-03-03 Posts: 4,390 Country:	Terrorist leaders are on the run. The AFP is taking out camps and so forth so it is only a matter of time before they die or get caught. And this is not the OBL hunt but one far closer and using much more HUMIT. People are turning these guys in. Moro units are fighting hard against former allies. Crisiscenter.org a sight on conflict prevention mioght not be the best source...

12-24-2005, 01:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 28,288 Country:	In addition it must be remembered that throughout their history, they have resisted conversion and have been deprived of their rights to their homeland (depending upon if one accepts this view of it being their homeland alone) and its natural resources. The Spanish tried their level best and the Spanish were rabid proselytisers, but even they failed to convert the Moslems to Christianity. It does speaks volume about the internal bind of Islam. During the United States' occupation, it was policy to entice northern Christian Filipinos to move south by offering them land that belonged to the Moros. This created deep hostility within the Moros towards the Christians. To believe that the Philippines govt will be able to appease the Moros in a jiffy would be a trifle imaginative, to say the least, especially these days where the Born Again Moslem attitude is raging internationally with their new sword arm of terrorism!

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