"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
"Praise be to God, Lord of all creation. Prayers and peace be upon the most noble of prophets and messengers.
"This is a statement from the amir, the leaders, and followers of the Abu-Sayyaf Group. First, we would like to explain the meaning of this word, that is 'Abu-Sayyaf.' 'Abu-Sayyaf' is my own nickname (kunya). When I met some brothers who had come from Afghanistan, they asked me if I was married. I answered that I was not. They said, oh brother, it would be good to have a nickname because it is a Sunnah (imitation of the prophet) for a Muslim or a mujahid to have a nickname. They suggested 'Abu-Sayyaf' as a nickname and I agreed. When I got married and had a son, I named him 'Sayyaf,' praise be to God for that.
"In the beginning when we were in Zamboanga, there were clashes or problems between Muslims and Christians because Christians were killing Muslims who entered public markets especially if they heard them speak Taosu, Syaman, or Yakan, or any other dialect spoken by Muslims. One day, we heard that a Muslim pregnant woman who wore hijab (Islamic dress) was stabbed to death because she was wearing hijab. This incident concerned us a lot, and some brother complained to 'The National Front' while others complained to 'The Islamic Front' but there was no response. We consulted each other about doing something to punish the government. We prepared explosives that we detonated in the city, and we then distributed flyers warning our Muslim brothers and the government also.
"My nickname, 'Abu-Sayyaf,' became known because I signed the flyers distributed in the city as 'Abu-Sayyaf.' After that, clashes between us and the government took place in Basilan and the nickname 'Abu-Sayyaf' became even more known. Initially, we had no plans to establish a new movement or a new front for fear of division. In the beginning, we wanted to join either the Islamic Front or the Nationalist Front, but when we visited or met some of the brothers in the Islamic Front, we were not impressed with them. There was preparedness without objective. They had a large amount of weapons and a lot of training, but there was also stagnation and inaction. When we looked at the Nationalist Front, we found out that it does not conform to the requirements of Islam. Many brothers, may God forgive them, do no carry out their duties. They would fight like soldiers but they then undermine their religion because they refuse to practice their prayer. We then became convinced that the Nationalist Front was not interested in pursuing the necessary objective. We consulted with each other and formed this movement which we called simply "The Islamic Movement." That was on 7 Ramadan of last year.
"This is our noble objective. We are not after negotiations, victory, or liberation. What we are after is for the world of God to be supreme. God permitting, we wanted to liberate the whole globe so that God's law rules. This is our noble objective, God willing. We ask God to guide us and make us victorious and end our efforts in success and triumph, God willing. Finally, I ask and pray to God Almighty, to make us and all mujahideen victorious and to grant victory to the mujahideen in the Philippines and in Kashmir and the brothers in Afghanistan and Tajikistan and in Bosnia and in Al-Aqsa and everywhere. Peace be upon you."
A newer video statement by "Abu-Sayyaf" is shown where he stresses his rejection of the negotiations with the Philippines government and calls upon Muslims to support the mujahideen in the Philippines with weapons, medications, supplies, and scholarships.
Text on screen shows Abu-Sayyaf's movement as a popular movement that was subjected to isolation and a campaign of defamation and false accusations for rejecting the negotiations with the government. The captions also warn Muslims against partaking in the Philippines Government "propaganda" by portraying "The Islamic Movement" as a criminal group.
"Praise be to God, Lord of all creation. Prayers and peace be upon the most honorable prophet and messenger, our lord Muhammad, and upon his family and companions who carried the banner of jihad everywhere around the globe, and upon the leaders of truth and blessing until Judgment Day.
"Peace be upon you.
"Our generous brothers abroad, these are calls from your brothers, the mujahideen in 'The Islamic Movement in the Southern Philippines.' We take this rare opportunity to call upon you hoping that our calls fall on open ears, God willing. Before I begin talking, I wish to say that 'The Islamic Movement' is considered the third front in the southern Philippines. This movement is not affiliated with 'The Islamic Movement for the Moro Liberation' nor is it affiliated with the 'The National Moro Front.'
We have heard from many sources that some people abroad, either from 'The Islamic Front' or some of the leaders of 'The National Front' are making claims that this movement is affiliated with their groups. Their objective in doing so is to receive assistance. We hereby say and declare that this 'Islamic Movement' is not affiliated with 'The National Movement' or 'The Islamic Movement.' It is an independent front with its own military activities, plans, and leadership. The objective of this movement is clear. It is the establishment of an Islamic state in Mindanao that rules with the book and Sunnah, God willing. Unlike the 'National Movement, our objective is not to gain autonomy, nor is it what they refer to in English as the SPCPD. Our only objective for which we have dedicated all of our effort is as we said before, the establishment of an Islamic state in Mindanao, God willing.
We realize also that the establishment of an Islamic state is not only for Mindanao. History shows that Bisayis and Busun, these two islands in the Philippines, were previously part of the known Sultanate of Sulu and they were ruled by Muslims. This is why we must reclaim these two Islands to Islam, God willing. But we have no choice but to begin with Mindanao, and if God makes successful, we will then move on to Bisayis and Busun and God willing until we arrive to Jerusalem.
This is the objective of 'The Islamic Movement.' This is why our position regarding the peace negotiations that took place between the 'Moro National Liberation Front' and the Philippines Government was negative. We said from the beginning that we were invited to sit down under the banner of the National Front so that we share government seats with them but we categorically rejected their offer. We now constantly hear that the 'Islamic Front' under the leadership of Brother Hashim Salamat has also negotiated with the government. Months have passed since the negotiations without any acceptable results.
"The reason we rejected the negotiations is obvious. God Almighty said about the Christians and the Jews, about the non-believers, the enemies of God, 'With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant' (Qur'an, Al-Thawbah, 9:10).
"They only negotiate to attain their own objective or their own goals, but without any benefits for Muslims. Who can believe that the Philippines Government would ever give us Mindanao or give us a chance to rule? Everyone knows that Mindanao is the richest island in the Philippines. According to the statistics that we have, more than 60 percent of the Philippines gross national income is taken from Mindanao. Giving Mindanao to Muslims or giving the chance to rule this island is considered a great loss to the Philippines Government. God said: 'Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you till you follow their religion' (Qu'ran, Al-Baqarah, 2:120).
"There are many verses in the book and many hadith in the Sunnah that warn us about them. What I remember is the Umar al-Mukhtar who was betrayed during the negotiations and there are many examples throughout history in which revolutionaries and mujahideen were betrayed by the negotiations. This is why we have a negative position on the issue of these negotiations.
But if we see that the government's objective is to achieve true peace and to give us our rights, God willing, we would then sit down with them, but if their objective, as is the case now, is to divide the mujahideen and lead them astray from their original goal, then we fully reject it. This is why we sent you this videotape so that you hear from us directly and so that we share our problems with you hoping that you might be able to help us as much as possible. Our brothers abroad, our generous brothers, who supported Afghanistan with their life and money, who supported Bosnia, Tajikistan, and Muslims everywhere, we call on you to support us the same way you supported them.
Do not make a difference between your brothers in Afghanistan and your brothers in southern Philippines, or between your brothers in Bosnia and your brothers here in Philippines. If they needed your support in the past and they have now achieved their goal or have come close to achieving it, we now call upon you to support us because this jihad we are embarked on is not only our duty in the Philippines, but it is the duty of all Muslims as you already know very well. You must help us; it is indeed your duty to help with all types of assistance. We are now in need of weapons, both small arms and large weapons, especially anti-aircraft weapons. Until now, we have had no anti-aircraft weapons. The government always uses air raids because they know that is the mujahideen's weak point.
"We have very few anti-tank weapons. We need large sums of money to buy them from some government officers who smuggle these weapons. Ammunition is also limited. If we want to carry out an operation, we have to collect money or wait until the ammunition arrives. Help us with weapons, small arms, and heavy weapons. We also need medication because the brothers who get injured in battle are often treated with traditional medicines and many were martyred, as God willed, but I wish we had medicines and doctors so that we could treat them. As I said, it is God's will and praise be to God, they are now in heaven. We also need supplies, and we need scholarships for our students. There are many students who would like to continue their studies abroad but the door is shut in their faces. If our brothers abroad can hear our calls, we plead with them to open the door of assistance for us, God willing. We in turn promise you and promise God not to waste this assistance. You will see, God willing, your support on Judgment Day. You will find the reward on Judgment Day, and nothing will go to waste, God willing. If we were able to persevere since 1992 to this year of 1997 without any support from abroad or with very little help, we can, with God's support and protection, liberate Mindanao and after that, as we said, move on to Busun and Bisayis.
"As we said, this is a rare opportunity we seized because the group is always on the run and it is very difficult to find a time suitable for recording a statement or sending our voice to you. I beg you to forgive me if my (Arabic) language on this video contains grammatical or literal mistakes, or if you find the points in it unorganized because this is due to our current situation. I left school for years and all I have around me are forests, trees, rocks, and rivers. It is very difficult to find a chance to use Arabic. This is why my Arabic has begun to weaken. I ask you again not to let us down in these circumstances. You know that Muslims are all brothers. 'The belie vers are nothing else than brothers' (Koranic verse, Al-Hujurat, 49:10). You also know that Islamic countries or Muslims everywhere in the world are one nation; there is no difference between us. These artificial distances created by the colonizers are incapable of separating us from you or separating you from us. We must be one hand, tough against the enemy and compassionate with our Muslim brothers. Do not forget us in your supplications in every prayer, for prayers for brothers in absence are answered, God willing.
"Praise to you Almighty God. I ask your forgiveness and to you I repent.
"And peace blessings be upon you.
"This is the voice of your brother nicknamed Abu-Sayyaf."
******
"All praise is due Allah. We praise Him. We seek His help. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and our sinful deeds. For whoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him. For whoever Allah sends astray, there is none to guide him. We bear witness that there is no God except Allah, the One, who has no partner. And we bear witness that Mohammad is His servant and messenger who said whoever dies without taking part in a battle or longing to join a battle for the sake of God has died a hypocrite. Peace and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.
"God has enjoined jihad upon us for His sake, not for the sake of anything else as the Philippines Government claimed when it alleged that the movement is involved in criminal acts and in the pursuit of individual desires. We here say that we are following the path of our brother Shaykh Abdurajik Abu-Bakr, nicknamed Abu-Sayyaf. We call upon our Muslim brothers concerned about Muslim causes and every generous person in the Arab and Islamic countries to support us. We ask for their assistance both material and moral to rescue us because we are oppressed and we have been deprived of our rights at the hands of the unjust and wicked Philippines Government. We call upon our brothers in the Arab and Islamic countries to pay attention and be concerned about the causes of their Muslim brothers. You money will not go in vain. You will find the reward to be many fold on Judgment Day. Peace be upon you
"Praise be to God, Lord of all creation. Prayers and peace be upon the most noble of prophets and messengers.
"This is a statement from the amir, the leaders, and followers of the Abu-Sayyaf Group. First, we would like to explain the meaning of this word, that is 'Abu-Sayyaf.' 'Abu-Sayyaf' is my own nickname (kunya). When I met some brothers who had come from Afghanistan, they asked me if I was married. I answered that I was not. They said, oh brother, it would be good to have a nickname because it is a Sunnah (imitation of the prophet) for a Muslim or a mujahid to have a nickname. They suggested 'Abu-Sayyaf' as a nickname and I agreed. When I got married and had a son, I named him 'Sayyaf,' praise be to God for that.
"In the beginning when we were in Zamboanga, there were clashes or problems between Muslims and Christians because Christians were killing Muslims who entered public markets especially if they heard them speak Taosu, Syaman, or Yakan, or any other dialect spoken by Muslims. One day, we heard that a Muslim pregnant woman who wore hijab (Islamic dress) was stabbed to death because she was wearing hijab. This incident concerned us a lot, and some brother complained to 'The National Front' while others complained to 'The Islamic Front' but there was no response. We consulted each other about doing something to punish the government. We prepared explosives that we detonated in the city, and we then distributed flyers warning our Muslim brothers and the government also.
"My nickname, 'Abu-Sayyaf,' became known because I signed the flyers distributed in the city as 'Abu-Sayyaf.' After that, clashes between us and the government took place in Basilan and the nickname 'Abu-Sayyaf' became even more known. Initially, we had no plans to establish a new movement or a new front for fear of division. In the beginning, we wanted to join either the Islamic Front or the Nationalist Front, but when we visited or met some of the brothers in the Islamic Front, we were not impressed with them. There was preparedness without objective. They had a large amount of weapons and a lot of training, but there was also stagnation and inaction. When we looked at the Nationalist Front, we found out that it does not conform to the requirements of Islam. Many brothers, may God forgive them, do no carry out their duties. They would fight like soldiers but they then undermine their religion because they refuse to practice their prayer. We then became convinced that the Nationalist Front was not interested in pursuing the necessary objective. We consulted with each other and formed this movement which we called simply "The Islamic Movement." That was on 7 Ramadan of last year.
"This is our noble objective. We are not after negotiations, victory, or liberation. What we are after is for the world of God to be supreme. God permitting, we wanted to liberate the whole globe so that God's law rules. This is our noble objective, God willing. We ask God to guide us and make us victorious and end our efforts in success and triumph, God willing. Finally, I ask and pray to God Almighty, to make us and all mujahideen victorious and to grant victory to the mujahideen in the Philippines and in Kashmir and the brothers in Afghanistan and Tajikistan and in Bosnia and in Al-Aqsa and everywhere. Peace be upon you."
A newer video statement by "Abu-Sayyaf" is shown where he stresses his rejection of the negotiations with the Philippines government and calls upon Muslims to support the mujahideen in the Philippines with weapons, medications, supplies, and scholarships.
Text on screen shows Abu-Sayyaf's movement as a popular movement that was subjected to isolation and a campaign of defamation and false accusations for rejecting the negotiations with the government. The captions also warn Muslims against partaking in the Philippines Government "propaganda" by portraying "The Islamic Movement" as a criminal group.
"Praise be to God, Lord of all creation. Prayers and peace be upon the most honorable prophet and messenger, our lord Muhammad, and upon his family and companions who carried the banner of jihad everywhere around the globe, and upon the leaders of truth and blessing until Judgment Day.
"Peace be upon you.
"Our generous brothers abroad, these are calls from your brothers, the mujahideen in 'The Islamic Movement in the Southern Philippines.' We take this rare opportunity to call upon you hoping that our calls fall on open ears, God willing. Before I begin talking, I wish to say that 'The Islamic Movement' is considered the third front in the southern Philippines. This movement is not affiliated with 'The Islamic Movement for the Moro Liberation' nor is it affiliated with the 'The National Moro Front.'
We have heard from many sources that some people abroad, either from 'The Islamic Front' or some of the leaders of 'The National Front' are making claims that this movement is affiliated with their groups. Their objective in doing so is to receive assistance. We hereby say and declare that this 'Islamic Movement' is not affiliated with 'The National Movement' or 'The Islamic Movement.' It is an independent front with its own military activities, plans, and leadership. The objective of this movement is clear. It is the establishment of an Islamic state in Mindanao that rules with the book and Sunnah, God willing. Unlike the 'National Movement, our objective is not to gain autonomy, nor is it what they refer to in English as the SPCPD. Our only objective for which we have dedicated all of our effort is as we said before, the establishment of an Islamic state in Mindanao, God willing.
We realize also that the establishment of an Islamic state is not only for Mindanao. History shows that Bisayis and Busun, these two islands in the Philippines, were previously part of the known Sultanate of Sulu and they were ruled by Muslims. This is why we must reclaim these two Islands to Islam, God willing. But we have no choice but to begin with Mindanao, and if God makes successful, we will then move on to Bisayis and Busun and God willing until we arrive to Jerusalem.
This is the objective of 'The Islamic Movement.' This is why our position regarding the peace negotiations that took place between the 'Moro National Liberation Front' and the Philippines Government was negative. We said from the beginning that we were invited to sit down under the banner of the National Front so that we share government seats with them but we categorically rejected their offer. We now constantly hear that the 'Islamic Front' under the leadership of Brother Hashim Salamat has also negotiated with the government. Months have passed since the negotiations without any acceptable results.
"The reason we rejected the negotiations is obvious. God Almighty said about the Christians and the Jews, about the non-believers, the enemies of God, 'With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of kinship or of covenant' (Qur'an, Al-Thawbah, 9:10).
"They only negotiate to attain their own objective or their own goals, but without any benefits for Muslims. Who can believe that the Philippines Government would ever give us Mindanao or give us a chance to rule? Everyone knows that Mindanao is the richest island in the Philippines. According to the statistics that we have, more than 60 percent of the Philippines gross national income is taken from Mindanao. Giving Mindanao to Muslims or giving the chance to rule this island is considered a great loss to the Philippines Government. God said: 'Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you till you follow their religion' (Qu'ran, Al-Baqarah, 2:120).
"There are many verses in the book and many hadith in the Sunnah that warn us about them. What I remember is the Umar al-Mukhtar who was betrayed during the negotiations and there are many examples throughout history in which revolutionaries and mujahideen were betrayed by the negotiations. This is why we have a negative position on the issue of these negotiations.
But if we see that the government's objective is to achieve true peace and to give us our rights, God willing, we would then sit down with them, but if their objective, as is the case now, is to divide the mujahideen and lead them astray from their original goal, then we fully reject it. This is why we sent you this videotape so that you hear from us directly and so that we share our problems with you hoping that you might be able to help us as much as possible. Our brothers abroad, our generous brothers, who supported Afghanistan with their life and money, who supported Bosnia, Tajikistan, and Muslims everywhere, we call on you to support us the same way you supported them.
Do not make a difference between your brothers in Afghanistan and your brothers in southern Philippines, or between your brothers in Bosnia and your brothers here in Philippines. If they needed your support in the past and they have now achieved their goal or have come close to achieving it, we now call upon you to support us because this jihad we are embarked on is not only our duty in the Philippines, but it is the duty of all Muslims as you already know very well. You must help us; it is indeed your duty to help with all types of assistance. We are now in need of weapons, both small arms and large weapons, especially anti-aircraft weapons. Until now, we have had no anti-aircraft weapons. The government always uses air raids because they know that is the mujahideen's weak point.
"We have very few anti-tank weapons. We need large sums of money to buy them from some government officers who smuggle these weapons. Ammunition is also limited. If we want to carry out an operation, we have to collect money or wait until the ammunition arrives. Help us with weapons, small arms, and heavy weapons. We also need medication because the brothers who get injured in battle are often treated with traditional medicines and many were martyred, as God willed, but I wish we had medicines and doctors so that we could treat them. As I said, it is God's will and praise be to God, they are now in heaven. We also need supplies, and we need scholarships for our students. There are many students who would like to continue their studies abroad but the door is shut in their faces. If our brothers abroad can hear our calls, we plead with them to open the door of assistance for us, God willing. We in turn promise you and promise God not to waste this assistance. You will see, God willing, your support on Judgment Day. You will find the reward on Judgment Day, and nothing will go to waste, God willing. If we were able to persevere since 1992 to this year of 1997 without any support from abroad or with very little help, we can, with God's support and protection, liberate Mindanao and after that, as we said, move on to Busun and Bisayis.
"As we said, this is a rare opportunity we seized because the group is always on the run and it is very difficult to find a time suitable for recording a statement or sending our voice to you. I beg you to forgive me if my (Arabic) language on this video contains grammatical or literal mistakes, or if you find the points in it unorganized because this is due to our current situation. I left school for years and all I have around me are forests, trees, rocks, and rivers. It is very difficult to find a chance to use Arabic. This is why my Arabic has begun to weaken. I ask you again not to let us down in these circumstances. You know that Muslims are all brothers. 'The belie vers are nothing else than brothers' (Koranic verse, Al-Hujurat, 49:10). You also know that Islamic countries or Muslims everywhere in the world are one nation; there is no difference between us. These artificial distances created by the colonizers are incapable of separating us from you or separating you from us. We must be one hand, tough against the enemy and compassionate with our Muslim brothers. Do not forget us in your supplications in every prayer, for prayers for brothers in absence are answered, God willing.
"Praise to you Almighty God. I ask your forgiveness and to you I repent.
"And peace blessings be upon you.
"This is the voice of your brother nicknamed Abu-Sayyaf."
******
"All praise is due Allah. We praise Him. We seek His help. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and our sinful deeds. For whoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide him. For whoever Allah sends astray, there is none to guide him. We bear witness that there is no God except Allah, the One, who has no partner. And we bear witness that Mohammad is His servant and messenger who said whoever dies without taking part in a battle or longing to join a battle for the sake of God has died a hypocrite. Peace and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.
"God has enjoined jihad upon us for His sake, not for the sake of anything else as the Philippines Government claimed when it alleged that the movement is involved in criminal acts and in the pursuit of individual desires. We here say that we are following the path of our brother Shaykh Abdurajik Abu-Bakr, nicknamed Abu-Sayyaf. We call upon our Muslim brothers concerned about Muslim causes and every generous person in the Arab and Islamic countries to support us. We ask for their assistance both material and moral to rescue us because we are oppressed and we have been deprived of our rights at the hands of the unjust and wicked Philippines Government. We call upon our brothers in the Arab and Islamic countries to pay attention and be concerned about the causes of their Muslim brothers. You money will not go in vain. You will find the reward to be many fold on Judgment Day. Peace be upon you
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