Islamic Insurgency

The Muslim people first immigrated to the Philippines in the 13^th century for trade, but some of their motives have changed since then from economical, to terrorist. In the late 1800s rebelling Muslims began to wish for a South Eastern state to call their own. But unfortunately for them, in the 1940s, countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia were unwilling to comply. It wasn’t until the mid 1940s that terrorism spiked in the Philippines. After the Americans granted the Philippines their independence, the government was far weaker than it had been before and these organizations had the opportunity to rebel. The Islamic people from this region felt they were under foreign occupation for they held a stronger loyalty to Islam than the Philippine Government.

In the 1970s the Islamic rebels increased their activity planting bombs in areas with a high population of Christians, and targeting the government. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under the leadership of Nur Miswaari was founded in 1972 and was one of the most active terrorist groups in the Philippines along with four main others, Abu Sayyaf, Rajah Sulaiman Movement, Jemaah Islamiyah, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (which was the original group that split creating the MILF and the MNLF). These groups having contact with Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda helped refuge members of Al Qaeda and plan attacks against American passenger planes and Pope John Paul II in 1993. This devotion to the disruption of foreign affairs shows their strong allegiance to other Islamic groups. Philippine rebels wish to be a part of this Islamic state and go as far as refuging them and providing support with their plots. The above pictures are of Islamic terrorists and a logo including the MNLF flag.
The Philippine Government struggles greatly with these attacks and has made multiple peace treaties with the rebel groups, yet the terror continues into modern day. The Islamists want their own land in Southeast Asia and use terror to try and fulfill their wishes. Holding only 5% of the Philippine population, the Muslims feel like foreigners. The government has always made an attempt to keep the state separate from religion creating religious tolerance, but the rebels want more. They wish to acquire an Islamic State and will stop at nothing to achieve this.