When the Military Makes Its Move

When the special forces team sent by the United States coalesced with the special forces team of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, they usually bring home corpses. During the Sipadan hostage crisis, some hostages were instantaneously killed while most of the kidnappers fled unharmed. In the Dos Palmas hostage crisis, the AFP tried and again failed to assault the terrorist lair, to the chagrin of the people and those in power.

Always, the armed forces meet their Maker and their shameful defeats are stuff of back talks and rumours in Jolo, Sulu. For their every defeat, more and more Muslim youth in Jolo think of them as just boisterous bunch of idiots, always being defeated by a lesser armed yet fully determined bunch of fighters.

At the center of Jolo town, every soldier or cop who speaks in Tagalog is gunned down. That's why they don't go to the Jolo public market. Soldiers or cops are killed like chickens there. And always, the perpetuators flee the scene and takes another victim the next day.

In the hinderlands of Sulu, these troops suffer uncalculable damages, especially when they engage the ASG or some wayward MNLF fighters in Patikul, Indanan and even in some other place a few kilometers away from Jolo.

These defeats all the more diminish the trust and confidence of moderate Muslims in these armed forces. For every successful rout of the perceived enemies, the more trust and confidence the people perceive of the Abu Sayyaf Group. That explains why the group gets bolder, stronger and more resilient every single encounter. Their ranks swell every time they engage the military. Why? For every successful fight, public talks about the ASG legend grow and spread. These ASG fighters are perceived as Robin Padillas by the people.

So, how to defeat them?

Defeat them NOT BY FORCE OF ARMS BUT BY FORCE OF RELIGIOUS REASON. BRUTE FORCE CAN NEVER BE DEFEATED BY APPLYING AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE. IF THE STANDARD OR MODEL OF THE MUSLIM YOUTH IS THAT OF AN ASG FIGHTER, THEN THE SOLUTION IS PLAIN AND SIMPLE---PRESENT AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL.

MUSLIM YOUTH SHOULD EMULATE THEIR IMAMS, THEIR USTADZ AND THEIR AMIRS MORE THAN FIGHTERS. Yes, mujaheddins are worthy models. Yet, the youth of Jolo should follow the path of Pious and Noble Ones who follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and strictly the precepts of the Noble Qu'ran and not those who mask their banditry with religious cloaks.

True mujaheddins and jihadists are those who follow the path of Islam and promote the Banner of Islam by promoting peace and by exhausting all means before fighting the way of jihad.