religious extremism in the philippines

14 Mar religious extremism in the philippines

This has been raised as being an area that is critically lacking in ASEAN’s terrorism efforts. What was most apparent about the Marawi crisis was the transnational nature of the militants joining the ‘fight’. The NPVEP was conceptualized in 2017 when the Philippine Institute… In one of the bloodiest days for the armed forces in years, 18 soldiers were killed and over 50 wounded on 9 April. The way forward for ASEAN requires a fundamental shift in the manner in which ASEAN conducts its operations as a regional bloc. Radical civil society Terrorism is a crime under the Human Security Act of 2007 which describes such acts as causing "widespread and extraordinary fear and panic among the populace". While this is one way to get around the challenge of working within the regional body, multilateral cooperations are only going to get more complicated as the face of religious extremism within Southeast Asia becomes more transnational and complex. The obvious solution would be to leverage on the existing platform offered by ASEAN in order to engage more effectively with this security threat, as long as ASEAN is able to offer concrete actions. According to the 2000 census, 2.8% of the Filipino population are Evangelicals. In addition, a report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) showed that the militants received direct funding from IS, and were under a chain of command originating from Syria. The Al-Mesbar Center for Studies and Research, in its 163rd monthly book — The Siege of Marawi in the Philippines: The Roots of Extremism and State Fragility (July 2020) — examines the history and current condition of ethnic and religious groups in the Philippines. ASEAN as a regional bloc is hence well-placed to engage in this task of enforcing a regionally-aligned approach to countering religious extremism, and should be leveraged on to this end. Given the unique nature of extremism in the region, the approach to countering it would require a contextualised approach specific to each ASEAN country, and to ASEAN as a whole, rather than one adopted from other regions in the world. The idea of the Muslim Ummah may also be one of the reasons for the link between Muslim seces-sionism and religious extremism… Below is an overview of the largest religions in the country, with data from the CIA World Factbook. Such varying approaches would undermine any collaborative efforts. One instance in the case of countering terrorism can be seen in the cooperation between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to conduct joint maritime patrols to ward off potential terrorist threats. Will India and ASEAN Counterbalance China? Relooking at ASEAN’s methods and operations through a critical engagement with the looming threat of religious extremism in the region, would also make for a stronger ASEAN that is better able to protect its member’s interests in the future. Also, the region’s efforts to counter religious extremism would benefit greatly from the creation of a regional body focused on this purpose. Is ASEAN Ready For A Technological Shift? Linus Escandor II/EPA The Philippine government is recruiting Muslims into the military in an attempt to counter terrorism through a mixture of religious and security approaches. This is evident from the growth of radical religious groups in states with nascent (Myanmar) or maturing (Indonesia) democracies. Islamic extremism is growing in the southern Philippines, with alarming implications for the rest of Asia, reports Time. For instance, with regards to the Marawi crisis, Philippines’ Defence Secretary highlighted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) required intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities such as long-range surveillance drones in their efforts to liberate Marawi. Forget ‘Made in China’. Religious extremism has been an issue in Southeast Asia for decades. Legal definition. While previously religious extremist groups functioned within sovereign boundaries, their operations are becoming increasingly transnational. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses www.rsis.edu.sg ISSN 2382-6444 | Volume 10, Issue 8 | August 2018 A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM RESEARCH (CTR) Aum Shinrikyo’s Rise, Fall and Revival Rohan Gunaratna Arrest of Influential Religious Hardliner and Religious Extremism in Sri Lanka Amresh Gunasingham Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism … The threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the Philippines is severe and persistent in some areas of the country, as current conditions—such as extreme poverty in areas of the Philippines, divisions between Catholic and Muslim culture and communities, grievances with the government, and recurring conflict—create a ripe environment for violent ideology to take root. The United States has made substantial direct and indirect contributions to the counterterrorism (CT) efforts within … Continued Sabah’s close proximity to the Philippines and Indonesia, combined with longstanding trade routes, porous borders, and cross‐border familial ties, facilitate high Much of the terrorism in the Philippines started in 2000 and was caused by the Communist Insurgency and Islamic extremist in attempt to take over the current government. An overarching regulating body would be a critical step towards aligning the different national approaches to tackling religious extremism. Resultantly, the old methods of national governments being able to tackle religious extremism unilaterally would no longer be effective. Even the engagement of transnational elements, such as in the case of Marawi, leverages on the existence of local religious extremist groups. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PhD candidate. However, for ASEAN, requiring such transnational collaboration this is a taller order than it seems, due to the ‘ASEAN Way’. v . For more than four decades, Islamist groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the Mindanao island group of southern Philippines. She can be contacted at joellecheong1@gmail.com. The drivers of violent extremism are exacerbated by historic and contemporary grievances against Metro Manila, disunity among Moro communities in Mindanao and a lack of access to economic opportunities. FTFs come to the Philippines to facilitate transfer of funds and weapons to local supporters, to conduct violent extremist propaganda activities, and to transfer skills in religious jihad. Evangelicalism is of the minor Christian denominations in the Philippines and is the fourth most widespread in the nation's people, followed closely by Iglesia ni Cristo and Hinduism. Alon Burstein. By more fully understanding the role of religion in violent extremism and adopting a broad-based and inclusive approach to engaging religious actors, policymakers and practitioners can better advance countering violent extremism objectives. The Abu Sayyaf militant group, along with the Maute group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Ansar Khalifa Philippines, all extremist Islamic terror organisations operating in southern Philippines, pledged their loyalty to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Critics have long criticized the ‘ASEAN Way’ as a hindrance to the effectiveness of ASEAN as a regional body. South China Sea Dispute to Take ASEAN Summit’s Centre Stage, Malaysia-Singapore Relations in the Post-Mahathir Era. Imperfect democracies, such as Bangladesh under the current Awami League government and the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, have further fuelled extremism. Growing Tensions over Trade between the US and China for ASEAN, Looming Opportunities for ASEAN in Trump’s Foreign Policies, Australia uses ASEAN to poke at US, China. Extremism is a misguided ideology, but there is no strong counter-narrative to tackle the root causes politically, socially, economically, and religiously. However, within the context of countering a significant threat such as religious extremism, clear rules and boundaries need to be set between member states to outline the extent to which collaborative security can be exercised within sovereign boundaries. She believes that more focus needs to be put on youth engagement and empowerment in social and political issues, and passionately involves herself in such efforts. Understanding Radicalization and Violent Extremism B. Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the Philippines C. Roots, Beginnings, and Morphing of Violent Extremism in Mindanao Violent Extremism Chapter II. In the Philippines, all religions are protected by the law, and no one religious belief is given priority over any other. The ‘ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism’ (2001), ‘ASEAN Declaration on Terrorism’ (2002) and the ‘ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism’ (ACCT) (2007) are several declarations made by the regional body to increase cooperation in this realm. Malaysia, The Next Regional Internet-of-Things (IoT) Development Hub? Combating Religious Extremism: To Interfere, Or Not To Interfere? In the case of the ACCT, for instance, ASEAN’s lack of institutional mandate resulted in the Convention taking almost six years to be ratified, only being accomplished in 2013. If one looks at the five worst perpetrator movements in the world in 2016, four are “Islamist" extremist. Several have now pledged allegiance to ISIS, while one of their leaders – Sheik Mujahid Abu Abdullah al-Filipini from the Abu Sayyaf militia – was been appointed ISIS’s leader in the Philippines. ASEAN has undertaken a number of efforts in countering terrorism and prevent radicalisation. Shortly afterwards, Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Filipino hostages. This would greatly enhance ASEAN’s credibility as an effective, united regional bloc. “Recent arrests in Malaysia and Indonesia clearly show that a new terror attack from ISIS in the region is imminent. [citation needed]However, this figure has risen to 14% as of 2017. While, until the mid-1980s, conflicts such as those in Kashmir, Israel/Palestine, and the Philippines were dominated by secular-nationalist, sometimes Marxist groups, religious sub-state actors have infiltrated and … Foreign ministers and military chiefs from each country met days after the May 1 release of 10 Indonesian crewmen and a separate incident in which a Canadian hostage John Ridsdel was beheaded by ASG militants. A contrast of these problems within ASEAN due to the non-interference principle can be drawn to the European Union. For ASEAN, however, the awareness of the long process that engaging the regional body entails has led to ASEAN members engaging in bilateral/trilateral cooperation, or even extra-regional cooperation, over regional cooperation within ASEAN. In the popular mind, to discuss religion in the context of international affairs automatically raises the specter of religious-based conflict. As mentioned previously, religious extremism has been a long-standing issue within ASEAN. The ability to align these methods would better facilitate the sharing of resources to tackle the operational aspect of targeting extremist networks. Choose the countries of your interest. These sweeping measures applied across member states have allowed for changes to improve counter-terrorism efforts to be adopted quickly—such as the 2016 directive to harmonise the use of passenger name record data in the EU for travellers. A total of 88% of 2,916 attacks and 99% of 14,017 deaths that resulted from the top five perpetrators were caused by Islamic extremist groups. Over the past thirty years, religiously motivated groups have become the dominant actors using terrorism and sub-state violence. This situation presents a growing concern for both ASEAN and Southeast Asia. political, ethno‐religious, and sociocultural dynamics that became, often in a reductive manner, associated with global extremist movements. Separately, trends have been observed over recent years of radicalised Southeast Asian citizens going to Syria to be trained, and returning to conduct attacks in their home country in the name of ISIL. But crucially, our research also affirms the existence of a wide theological gulf between extremists and the mainstream. Successful steps taken to tackling religious extremism as a regional body would also be an avenue through which ASEAN itself can progress. The major religion in the Philippines is Roman Catholic Christianity, followed by Islam and other types of Christianity. Even before the September 11 attacks, when religious extremism started becoming a buzzword in security circles, Southeast Asia has been grappling with such violent extremist (and undoubtedly skewed) takes on religion in forms like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines, and Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. This is not to mean that it should be thrown out of the window—the diversity within ASEAN member countries mandates that such a principle remains to ensure a peaceful working relationship within the bloc. However, the siege of Marawi presented a new scenario of a coordinated attack involving both local and foreign militants—an unprecedented level of transnational coordination. On May 5, 2016, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia agreed to coordinate policing of Southeast Asia’s shipping lanes following an increase in kidnappings by Islamic extremists. The contribution that religion can make to peacemaking--as the flip side of religious conflict--is only beginning to be explored and explicated. Is An All-Powerful Xi Jinping and an Emboldened China Good for Southeast Asia? Joelle is currently an undergraduate at the University of Sheffield, pursuing a Double Major in Politics and Sociology. We argue that the contemporary use of the term “extreme” fails to capture the different interpretations, beliefs, and attitudes defining extreme religious identity. ASEAN has its foundations on a principle of ‘non-interference’ in member countries—otherwise known as the ‘ASEAN Way’. Unified efforts taken by ASEAN to counter religious extremism would signal the ability of the regional bloc to bypass the challenges of the non-interference principle, to engage on a deeper level than economic partnerships. tism in Indonesia and the Philippines is related to reli-gious extremism, where the link between them is more likely to have been established after 9/11 rather than before. The five-month-long crisis began in May 2017, with the objective of declaring a provincial ISIL territory, or wilayat, in the Provincial Capitol of Lanao del Sur. The Philippines has become a recruitment and operational hub for a number of violent extremist organizations (VEOs), including the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-Philippines. Subscribe to news by email and RSS. The NPVEP is a non-government, non-profit, and non-partisan association of professionals, academics, private individuals and public officials (acting on their personal capacities) with the shared aspiration to prevent the spread of violent extremism as one way to overcome the threat of terrorism in the Philippines. 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The creation of counter-terrorism bodies on a regional level is also in preliminary stages of discussions, with no indication of being completed anytime soon. Clashes between Philippine government security forces and militants affiliated with ISIL resulted in over 103 deaths, making it Southeast Asia’s deadliest jihadist assault. Say Hello to ‘Made in Vietnam’, The Technological Conquest of the ASEAN Taxi Industry, Are Drivers for Amazon, Lyft or Uber Today’s Version of Factory…, MRAgration — ASEAN’s step towards labour mobility, explained, Innovation – It’s About Creating Opportunities. FTFs also regard the Philippines as an alternative home base, a new land of jihad, and a very excellent sanctuary or safe haven because of domestic Muslim resistance, weak law enforcement, and very porous borders. Evaluating The Issue of Terrorism in Southeast Asia, Australia Uses ASEAN To Poke At US, China, What This Malaysian Teacher’s Struggle Says About the Strength of Southeast Asian Women, Collective Action Problem in Southeast Asia. As an independent, centralised body, the EU Council has adopted a Counter-Terrorism Strategy since 2005, and has a Counter-Terrorism Coordinator who works to coordinate these counter-terrorism efforts across member states. Terrorism in Southeast Asia predates the American post-9/11 war on terrorism. Several have now pledged allegiance to ISIS, while one of their leaders – Sheik Mujahid Abu Abdullah al-Filipini from the Abu Sayyaf militia – was been appointed ISIS… It traces their relationship with the state, the formation of that relationship, key institutions, and historical drivers that accumulated during the … “Once that is done, it will be much more difficult to dismantle these groups. VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND INSURGENCY IN THE PHILIPPINES . Religious extremism’s attraction and appeal lies in balancing a destructive rejection of modernity and globalisation with a utopian and universal theocratic vision of society. Religious leaders and stakeholders agree that the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is crucial in addressing the problem of extremism … All Rights Reserved. Less than two years after victory was declared over ISIS-aligned militants in Marawi, the threat of extremism has returned to the southern Philippines. This is especially necessary as the threat of religious extremism is embedded within civilian populations. in Muslim Mindanao may make developmental sense, but by themselves they do not address more prof ound Muslim grievances, many of which are political and cultural in nature. However, the siege of Marawi City under the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has shown that the face of religious extremism in Southeast Asia is rapidly changing. For example, the state has done little to curb popular Islamic preachers, who spew the venom of hate against religious … the drivers of VEI. In addition, terrorism and countering violent extremism has been a key priority in recent ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meetings. Literature Review: Exploring the Global and Local Context of Radicalization and Violent Extremism A. These militants ranged from members of existing Filipino militant groups Abu Sayyah and the Maute Group, to foreign fighters from the Middle East and Chechnya provided by IS, and radicalised militants from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. Even though religious extremism is currently a hotly debated topic, it is often reduced to a unidimensional construct that is linked to religious violence. While he raised the AFP’s solution to be to request for more funding to acquire these capabilities, fellow ASEAN neighbour Singapore has been noted to utilise these capabilities widely within its Armed Forces. The case of countering the increasingly transnational threat of religious extremism in Southeast Asia is no exception. Even before the September 11 attacks, when religious extremism started becoming a buzzword in security circles, Southeast Asia has been grappling with such violent extremist (and undoubtedly skewed) takes on religion in forms like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines, and Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. [17] While the above measures have shown efforts being taken on an ASEAN level to legislate a collaborative effort to counter religious extremism, the principle of non-interference has resulted in such efforts being rather superficial. The Philippine army is currently attempting to strike at the group’s jungle stronghold on the island of Basilan. FTFs come to the Philippines to facilitate transfer of funds and weapons to local supporters, to conduct violent extremist propaganda activities, and to transfer skills in religious jihad. The first group to be officially listed as a terrorist organization under the law is the Abu Sayyaf on September 10, 2015 by the Basilan provincial court.. Why Technology Has Yet to Take Off in Indonesia, Beyond Bitcoin: The Next Cryptocurrencies To Watch, Cryptocurrencies: The Economist’s Perspective, ASEAN May Play Key Role in Korean Peninsula Talks. And the next one will be bloodier.”, Meanwhile, the Philippine Star reports: “In the southern Philippines, we have jihadists pushing to advance their particular umma [Muslim community]; separatists pushing for autonomy of varying degrees, up to and including full independence; Communist proponents of protracted armed struggle aimed at eventually causing the state to wither away entirely; pre-Hispanic sultanates claiming various territorial rights; right down to rido – clan disputes over property or seeking to avenge past wrongs.”. The conflict takes place mainly in the area of Mindanao, the southern part of the Philippines. For more than four decades, Islamist groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the Mindanao island group of southern Philippines. While the Philippines has declared the end of the Marawi crisis following the military’s capture of the pro-IS militants’ final stronghold, the significance of the siege reverberates through ASEAN security circles. An increased collaboration within ASEAN could see the sharing of such resources in this way to better neutralise threats of religious extremist groups. (The group is also holding 10 Indonesians, two Canadians and a Norwegian captive. “It’s very likely that [Abu Sayyaf] will declare a satellite of the caliphate in the coming year,” Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorism expert at S. Rajaratnam School of Security Studies in Singapore, told Time. What’s Behind Thailand’s Buddhist-Muslim Divide? The Philippines is currently ranked number 10 on the Global Terrorism Index. Islamic extremism is growing in the southern Philippines, with alarming implications for the rest of Asia, reports Time. In this report, a former senior policy adviser and a USIP senior specialist explore the nexus of religion and violent extremism. The many other dimensions and impacts of religion tend to be downplayed or even neglected entirely. For instance, the job of combating terrorism in the Philippines is done through the Army, whereas in the case of Indonesia and Malaysia, it is done through the police force, resulting in very different approaches towards tackling the problem. There are anywhere between 5-10% Muslims in Philippines, a vast majority of them living in the southern Island of Mindanao. List of terrorist incidents in the Philippines This led to several important questions. Institute for the Future Economy (IFE) aims to shape the regional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem through collaboration with leaders and influencers in government, business, academia and society. The challenge to integrate Muslims within the modern state of Philippines remains one of the main political issues for this rapidly developing and … (CNN) — Visiting Ur, the ancient Iraqi city where Jews, Christians and Muslims believe their common patriarch Abraham was born, Pope Francis denounced extremism as a "betrayal of religion." of violent extremism in Mindanao.1 We compiled a list of 18 assumed drivers of extremism based on a literature review, consultation with experts on extremism in the Philippines, and interviews with academics and local government representatives in Mindanao. However, last week, it released a former Italian missionary priest it had held for six months. Traditionally, Southeast Asian extremist groups have typically been carried out by their local citizens, with little more than loose affiliations to overseas organisations. Firstly and fundamentally, the principle of ‘non-interference’ needs to be reconsidered in this context. Increased collaboration and cooperation between countries and governments is required if the threat is to be targeted effectively. ISIS claimed responsibility. Is This the Future Face of Indonesian Politics? Restrictions on Religion Attempt to Limit Extremism … Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. But since 2001, terrorist groups in Indonesia and the Philippines have emerged as significant security challenges within these states, as well as indirect threats to U.S. national security. Why Marcos the Dictator Still Inspires Pride in the Philippines, What This Malaysian Teacher’s Struggle Says About the Strength of Southeast…, Sidelined? What then does ASEAN need to do in order to tackle the increasingly transnational problem of religious extremism within its region effectively? These militant soldiers poured into Marawi City following calls from Abu-Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, dubbed the “Emir of the Southeast Asian wilaya”, for reinforcements in the battle. The sharing of resources through intelligence gathering (such as through surveillance means of drones, for instance), patrolling of borders, and other forms of collaborative security would greatly enhance the efforts to tackle religious extremism, but can only be leveraged on with clearly established boundaries of collaboration. Copyright © 2011 - 2021 — World Watch Monitor. Supporting schools, roads, jobs, etc.

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