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Tens of Thousands Ready for Jihad in ASEAN Region
JAKARTA, Oct 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Southeast Asian Muslims on Wednesday geared up for what they call a drive against "evil" forces belonging to the "anti-Christ", with more than 100,000 men readying themselves for an enlarged "jihad", or struggle, worldwide.
One hundred thousand Bangsamoro people living in the southern Philippines have signed up for the "Jihad Needs You" campaign. Volunteers are ready for combat duty in Afghanistan and elsewhere, including the Philippines if the situation vouches it, sources said.
Abdullah "Laks" Dalidig, chairman of the Islamic Movement for Electoral Reform and Good Government (IMERGG), said the total number of volunteers who have signed up has reached 101,637, a majority of whom from Lanao del Sur: 20,842.
Other amounts from regions include, Maguindanao with 17,224, Marawi City with 16,784, Sulu with 13,682, Basilan with 9,412, and Lanao del Norte with 8,145.
The numbers are growing day-by-day in many other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Singaporean "warriors", and other supporters, will also make it to Kabul in the coming days, traveling mostly from Indonesia.
Dalidig said recruitment is still ongoing in Mindanao, Palawan, and neighboring countries, which he did not name "for security reasons".
Individuals from Indonesia and Thailand are also becoming mujahideens (fighters), some of whom have already left for Afghanistan, and presently supporting the Taliban. Some are still waiting at the border with Pakistan, while others have made it to China in a bid to enter Pakistan through that route.
In Indonesia, a group of several thousand Muslims have already registered for the campaign against the "Western world". Most of them are still in Indonesia though.
Much to the ire of the U.S., Southeast Asian recruiters are using local madrassahs (religious schools) or
maktabs (Qur'anic memorization institutions) to recruit "jihadis". The U.S. has made its intentions clear to eliminate
madrassahs in either Pakistan, Afghanistan or any other country, suspected of supplying or recruiting fighters.
On the other hand, the head of the Ikhwanul Muslimin Indonesia group, Habib Husein Al-Habsyi, on Wednesday claimed that no less than 73 Indonesian volunteers were already in Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Vice President Hamzah Haz, Habib insisted that the volunteers had left using private funding and followed all proper immigration procedures.
He said the volunteers consisted of, among others, doctors, paramedics and pharmacists. However, he did not elaborate how long they had been in Afghanistan, or how long they would be there.
Habib maintained that sending volunteers for humanitarian purposes was a legitimate need.
"There's no point sending people to fight over there," he said while stressing it was more important to send medical volunteers to help the Afghan people.
SMS campaign in Malaysia
In Malaysia, pro-Osama Bin Laden supporters have launched a nationwide Short Message System (SMS) campaign for boycotting U.S. products.
The worldwide campaign reached Malaysia Tuesday morning and has made the rounds of the country thanks to Muslims who have access to SMS.
The success of the campaign is as yet unknown, even though several people said they had already started boycotting U.S. made products, including movies and soft drinks.
In Thailand, anti-U.S. sentiment among Muslims is growing as well and the boycott of U.S. products has been very effective, according to informed sources. Muslims are literally brushing aside places like KFC and McDonalds.
Pepsi, Coca Cola and other U.S. brands, are also suffering dips in sale as a result of the boycott.
U.S. urged to halt strikes before Ramadan
Muslims in southern Thailand's provinces were concerned the situation in Afghanistan would get worse if U.S.-led air strikes continue into the holy month of Ramadan.
To this effect, they urged the U.S. to stop the raids before the Muslim holy month of fasting.
Muslims in the upper South will join a gathering to pray for peace in Nakhon Si Thammarat, while those living in the lower South will gather in Pattani.
In Yala, Pakistani citizens living in the province called on the Association of the Muslim Youth of Thailand to hold public discussions on the U.S. military attacks on Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Muslims in the northern provinces will stage a mass rally in Chiang Mai on Friday to protest against the U.S. military attacks.
Protesters will then move to the U.S. and British consulates in Chiang Mai.
There are about 50,000 Muslims living in the North, of which 1,000 are expected to join the rally Friday.
T-shirts printed with the face of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden were selling briskly among Muslim teenagers in the South.
In Malaysia, Mindanao and Indonesia, bin Laden t-shirts are also a hit, and have been selling rapidly.
Clothes vendors in Narathiwat said they now had more than 10,000 orders of bin Laden t-shirts. They say Malaysian vendors are crossing the border to buy the shirts and resell them at home.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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