February 23-28 (2010)

It is confirmed Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader, Albader Parad, was among the six militants killed in a gun battle Sunday, February 21, in Maimbung, Sulu. Good or bad news?

Truth is we do not rejoice at people’s death. Even when MILF fighters kill Army soldiers, we don’t feel happy. Lives of men, whether Muslims, Christians – or even Abu Sayyaf – cannot be source of gratification.

For years, the military has always claimed the ASG is a spent force --- and already defeated. But each time the claim is made, the ASG always bounces back. No matter how “distorted” the belief of the ASG to others, but to them, their cause is worth dying for. And they continue to die – and they also continue to have new recruits and new leaders. Why? The ASG started as an ideologically-based organization (Harakatul Islamiyah or Islamic movement). The late Ustadz Abdurazak Janjalani, who founded the ASG, provided the ideology and the leadership. This is still deep in the hearts of his followers up to now.

The MILF does not have any alliance with the ASG; we might be all followers of Islam, but we never see their teachings as the true and correct path. The MILF shuns kidnapping; we do not consider the Christians as enemies; we believe in the value of negotiation; and jihad is not only fighting but a multi-prong struggles. The MILF is also pro-people and it strives to win their support and sympathy.

Like a bloodied boxer, the ASG is limping. Let us see if the military can deliver the killer punch, which we doubted very much. The ASG always has the capacity to survive. This is proved time and again.

It is the wish of the MILF that all those genuinely fighting for the cause of the Bangsamoro people will pursue one ideological and political line. But the fact still remains that the MNLF and MILF still pursue different pathways. However, the MNLF including its various factions abandons armed struggle, while the MILF pursues the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people for right to self-determination through armed struggle and negotiations. At present, the armed struggle option is not yet an option.

We believed the MILF line is the correct one, based on what the Holy Prophet of Islam (Peace be upon him) had pursued in his lifetime. With this correct line, it is only a matter of time before the MILF becomes the undisputed revolutionary group in Mindanao. Signs are already varied and many forms.