Posted on 06/27/2002 3:23:10 PM PDT by knighthawk
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (IslamOnline) - Recent raids carried by Muslims in certain areas of Mindanao are raising eyebrows in the military which says they do not know how to deal with the situation, sources close to the Bangsamoro people told IslamOnline.
The raids were neither military nor did they involve rebel attacks against military targets; they were mostly in the spirit of an Islamic revival that scares the local authorities the most.
A confidential intelligence report obtained by the source said a new movement in Mindanao, called the “Balik Islam” or “Back To Islam” movement is gaining grounds nationwide.
This movement is being taken very seriously by the authorities who claim it could be more dangerous than the Abu Sayyaf or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The military has already qualified the movement as a “terrorist organization” running madrassahs in Mindanao. “Several foreigners are believed to have financed the recruitment and indoctrination of members of a local terrorist cell linked to the MILF,” the intelligence report said.
However, the report did not say whether the foreigners are linked to the Al-Qaeda movement of Saudi billionaire dissident Osama Bin Laden.
The real name of the movement is Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), the document says, adding that a Saudi national and a Jordanian national were the financiers.
They are identified as Humoud Mohammad Abdulaziz al-Lahem, a Saudi national and Jordanian Nedha Falah Awwad Al-Dhalain. The intelligence document claims the two men funneled funds to the RSM using several layers of fronts and conduits.
Al-Lahem heads the Islamic Studies, Call and Guidance (ISCAG), in Dasmariñas, Cavite, while Al-Dhalain heads the Darul Hijrah Foundation (DHF) and the Islamic Information Center (IIC) located at Ansa II Bldg., Pasong Tamo, Makati.
Both groups have vehemently denied the government’s charges, accusing intelligence officers of insensitivity towards Muslims’ strong belief in propagating charitable causes, the Manila Times reported recently.
The supposedly secret report also mentioned other organizations such as the Fi Sabililla Daw’ah and Medina Foundation Inc. at Barangay, Malong, Anda, Pangasinan, Al Maarif Educational Center (AMEC) and Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission (IWWM).
The fears of the local authorities are based on the infiltration of the “Balik Islam” that resulted in huge Muslim communities sprouting nationwide.
The Pangasinan provincial police office estimates the province alone has 40,000 Muslims, a figure that does not tally with local registry sources said. Of these, 6,000 are the products of Balik Islam, the report added.
The Balik Islam has also been allegedly linked to several bombings in the region, and police and military officials have accused it of creating disorder. The bombings left no casualties, though.
In the Philippines, Balik Islam also means “Converted to Islam” and most of the members of the group, though sympathetic with the MILF, forms a totally different political component according to the military.
Balik Islam is a movement rooted in the idea of the “rebirth” of Islam. It provides a romantic peg by claiming most of Luzon was Muslim before the Spaniards arrived. Rajah Solaiman, who fought Miguel Lobos de Legaspi, is a favorite hero of the group, wrote the Manila Times.
Poverty and the sense of brotherhood among Muslims have helped the movement to grow rapidly in the past years. The movement also enjoyed funds from generous donors that made the job easy since they could convince the starving people that Islam was the original religion of their forefathers.
To counter the growth of the movement, the military said it was pushing for the integration of Islamic teachings into the Philippines public education system.
“Islamic schools, or madrassahs, would be used to douse the fires of fanaticism being inculcated in the minds of the Muslim youth,” the report said.
The United States and France have agreed to help fund an ambitious campaign in Mindanao villages, as part of the education plan.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
I think the United States and France need to first get a handle on seditious Muslim activity in their own respective countries.
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