‘Simply a foolish quest’

The political upheavals in the Middle East and African countries have very significant effects on countries, like the Philippines, that are bedeviled by pan-Islamic and secessionist movements.

There is no denying that the Philippines has been reeling for decades from armed separatist struggles bankrolled by members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), far and near. The enormous support that the secessionist groups are getting from their benefactors is even flaunted to scare the wits out of our leaders. The Philippines is highly dependent for its oil supply on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), which wields tremendous influence on OIC members. The fear that Opec might reduce oil supply to the Philippines to show support for the Muslim secessionists has tied the hands of our government in its handling of the Mindanao conflict.

But realpolitik has changed the position of the influential OIC members toward secessionist struggles, and has prompted them to reconsider their alliances with the vicious terrorist organizations worldwide. Since the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is a spawning ground for the terrorist group al-Qaida and its clone, the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the transformation that radically altered the political landscape of their patrons has likewise squeezed shut the taps of secessionist and terrorism funds.

The JI can still carry out low-level attacks, if only to keep itself visible to the public eye. But it no longer has the capacity to undertake sophisticated operations requiring warm bodies and substantial capital. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has distanced itself from such murderous groups, whose victims are mostly Muslims. In terms of casualties, displaced families and lost opportunities that terrorism and internal strife have caused, the statistics reveal that over 80 percent of the victims are Muslims who have  nothing to do with the dream of establishing an independent state through crazy adventurism. Many of the victims merely want to live in peace, engage in honest livelihood and give their children proper education.

Given what’s happening in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia, to name a few of the countries in turmoil, the establishment of an independent Islamic state through the instrument of war is simply not politically viable. Dreaming of a pan-Islamic nation that will emerge from the terrorist agenda is simply a foolish quest.

—RINA DE JESUS,

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