Philippines, Christian converts, Islamic terrorism
Officials in the Philippines are starting to examine the impact of Christians who have not only converted to Islam, but have embraced a militant form of it as well.
By Peter Chalk for The Jamestown Foundation
(25/04/06)

For several years now, the Republic of the Philippines has attracted the attention of regional and Western authorities as an emergent hub - both logistically and operationally - for cross-border jihadist extremism in Southeast Asia. Most of this focus has been directed toward the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), largely on account of the group's past historical ties to Osama bin Laden, persistent rejection of any form of religious compromise and/or cohabitation and recent attempts to re-establish itself as a credible and integrated Islamist force (between 1998 and 2001, the group appeared to be motivated more by financial greed than religious fervor). While the ASG is certainly a cause for concern, the activities of extremist Christian converts organized under the auspices of the Rajah Solaiman Revolutionary Movement (RSRM) may represent an even greater threat, not least because of their increasing interaction with militants from the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyya (JI) movement. the rest