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ay, and in the long run, to rid the earth of their corruption, materialism, and
secularism. 45
The two groups’ reading material also suggests that ASG and RSM have adopted
Azzam’s romantic and idealized vision of jihad. 46 Indeed, the material strongly
reflects Azzam’s central idea that Islamic lands once ruled by Muslims that are
now occupied by the infidels can only be liberated through a jihad. Moreover,
according to this view, it is the obligation of every Muslim to participate in the
holy struggle to restore Muslim sovereignty over these territories. Significantly,
both ASG and RSM regard the entire pre-Hispanic Philippines as a Muslim
territory. Thus, applying Azzam’s ideology to the Philippines, jihad should not
be confined to Mindanao, but should be waged all over the country.
Significantly, the ideological familiarity of ASG and RSM with the works of Qutb
and Azzam is almost certainly a result of their links with al-Qa’ida, made
possible by Janjalani’s stint in Afghanistan in the late 1980s and ASG’s ties with
RSM in the early 21 st century. Equally important, however, is the fact that the
groups have simply focused on the works of Qutb and Azzam and seem to be
generally oblivious to the works of more contemporary jihadist ideologues. Their
ignorance indicates that the Abu Sayyaf and RSM are, in fact, marginal groups
operating at the fringes of both transnational and domestic Islamic movements.
Internationally, ASG is seen as a small cog in the transnational jihadist network;
it originated in Afghanistan, but is not currently supported or guided by al-
Qa’ida because of the former’s propensity to engage in kidnapping and
banditry.
47
The exposure of chief al-Qa’ida operatives in the aftermath of
Yousef’s foiled attempt to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1995 led to the
withdrawal of these key figures from the Philippines and the refocusing of the
network attention from Mindanao to Malaysia. 48 In a way, links between al-
Qa’ida and ASG (along with RSM) are comparable to the relationship between
al-Qa’ida and the Hezbollah and other Palestinian terror groups; these groups do
not conduct joint operational activity with al-Qa’ida despite some ad hoc
45
Ibid., 182.
46
In the words of Azzam: “Love of jihad has taken over my life, my soul, my sensation, my heart,
and my emotion. If preparation for jihad is terrorism, then we are terrorists. If defending our
honor is extremist, then we are extremists. If jihad against our enemies is fundamentalism, then
we are fundamentalist.” Ibid., 191.
47
Milton-Edwards, 106.
48
Abuza (2005), 42.
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