December 29, 2004

The mainline faction of the MILF wants peace, but many factions, including some that support outlaws like Abu Sayyaf, and terrorists like al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya, don't want any peace deal, they want a separate Islamic state in the south. Many Moslem Filipinos are dismayed that the peace deal with MILF rival MNLF in 1996 did not bring the economic progress promised. But much of the corruption that crippled the MNLF deal came from the Moslem leadership, not the federal government. Filipino Moslems aren't happy, but are unsure who they should blame and attack.