SUDDENLY “Abu Sayyaf” has become a household name. No, it is neither the latest hot series on television nor is it the latest singer to make it big in the local music industry.
Rather, the name, which appears in every news edition on TV, radio and newspapers at the national, regional and international levels, refers to the “most radical of the Islamic separatist groups operating in the southern Philippines.”
When the Abu Sayyaf group kidnapped 21 people from the island paradise of Sipadan, off the coast of Sabah, on the evening of April 23, the whole world focussed its lenses on it.
Not since the Tupac Amaru hostage crisis in Peru several years ago has similar global attention been given to an international hostage crisis such as this.
The Abu Sayyaf group is categorised as a terrorist group. Its profile can be found in detail in a report published in April 1999 by the US State Department.
Abu Sayyaf (or “Father of the Sword”) is a splinter group of the Moro National Liberation Front.
The group came into being in 1991 under the leadership of Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who was killed in a clash with the Filipino police on Dec 18, 1998.
It has been said that some members have studied or worked in the Middle East and developed ties with the Arab Mujahidin while fighting and training in Afghanistan.
The group’s modus operandi includes bomb attacks, assassinations, extortions and kidnappings, which seem consistent with the Sipadan hostage crisis.
It has been claimed that Abu Sayyaf’s aim is to promote an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, which are areas in the southern Philippines heavily populated by Muslims.
The group’s first documented large-scale action was the raid on the town of Ipil, in Mindanao, in April, 1995.
The group was also a prime suspect in several small-scale bombings and kidnappings in 1998.
It is unknown how many militia members make up Abu Sayyaf, but it is commonly believed that the group has 200 or so members.
The group is said to be operating mainly in the southern Philippines and, occasionally, in Manila.
While efforts are being made to free the hostages, the sentiment of “Islam equals terrorism” is being played up rather wantonly by the media.
The portrayal of Islam as a violent religion and Muslims as terrorists is indeed worrying.
This will not help alleviate the already serious situation. Instead, any hope of achieving a breakthrough is feared to be spiralling downwards.
It should be realised the crisis must be handled with the utmost care and sensitivity. Emotions and sentiments must be avoided.
The safety of the hostages must be the topmost priority. In achieving this, all parties–the Philippine overnment, the negotiators and the media–must be prudent to avoid any unwanted incident.
What Abu Sayyaf did was undoubtedly uncalled for. Involving foreign nationals in a domestic political struggle would only attract international attention.
In retrospect however, that is probably what the group was hoping for from the very beginning.
At a time when President Joseph Estrada seems burdened with internal political problems, this hostage crisis is the last thing he would have probably wanted.
With the international community (in particular the countries whose nationals are involved) zeroing in on the situation, the president will have to find the best way to resolve the situation.
The pressure is mounting on him to ensure the safe return of the hostages.
Also, with the media attention, Abu Sayyaf seems to be getting a high profile. Its demands are now heard by the international community.
Previously, its demands might have fallen on deaf ears. Since the Sipadan hostages include citizens of many countries, this seems to be no longer the case.
The growing media attention has also resulted in a negative backlash towards Muslims in Mindanao in particular, and Muslims around the world in general.
The sentiment that is being played, as mentioned earlier, is “Islam equals terrorism.”
Such a label to Islam is not new. It has been around for hundreds of years as a result of small groups of uslims taking up arms to realise their cause.
Of late, with the grip on the media by the West, Islam is somehow stereotyped as being violent, intolerant, extreme, brutal and bloodthirsty.
It is a common belief that Islam is a religion of the sword. Apply this to the contemporary world, and the popular misconception is that Islam is a religion of M16s and hand grenades.
The event brought about by Abu Sayyaf only succeeds in strengthening this hackneyed image.
The imperative now falls on Muslims to ensure that such a misunderstanding be rectified.
Terrorist groups, like the Abu Sayyaf, who believe in violence and terrorism, only represent a miniscule percentage of Muslims.
The vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving, tolerant, kind-hearted and gentle people.
The word “Islam” comes from the word salam which means peace. To say that Islam is a violent religion is far from the truth.
The West, through the media, seems to be happy to play along with this sentiment.
Remember what happened with the Oklahoma bombing a few years ago?
The first few reports linked the bombing to Muslims, when in actuality the perpetrator was not a Muslim.
Likewise, when the media reports on the crisis in Northern Ireland, almost no mention of religious terrorism is made.
Therefore, Muslims must project the true image of Islam. Images of bearded men wearing turbans carrying machineguns going on a shooting spree killing innocents must be eradicated.
It is the responsibility of Muslims to project Islam as it truly is–a religion that is dynamic, progressive, tolerant
and understanding.
It is also the responsibility of Muslims to project this image through the media so that accurate portrayal of Muslims can be brought forth to the international community.
In line with this, the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) has taken the initiative to organise an international seminar entitled Enhancing the Understanding of Islam to the Media next month.
The seminar, which will be attended by foreign and local journalists, hopes to tackle the issue of the negative portrayal of Islam in the media.
This effort by the institute is very timely, in view of the resurgence of these negative images in the media.
Let us all pray that the hostage crisis will end peacefully without any untoward incident.
And let us all pray that the next time we listen to or read the news, Islam will no longer be looked upon in a demeaning light in this new century.
