Another Filipino gang about which less is known is the Rajah Solaiman Group. While the MILF and ASG say they want to carve an Islamic state in the south of the predominantly Catholic Philippines, the Rajah Solaiman Group reportedly has more ambitious plans. According to a report on an Islamic website in June 2002, the group was described as a "back to Islam" movement that sought to emphasize an Islamic revival throughout the country. It promoted the idea that much of the Philippines' main island in the north, Luzon, was Muslim before the 16th century arrival of the Spaniards, who introduced Catholicism. Named for a Muslim leader who fought the Spanish colonizers, the Rajah Solaiman Group focused on converting Christians to Islam, and apparently received financial support from sources in the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, the report said.
| De rigeur in these cases... |
It added that the movement was growing rapidly, facilitated by poverty and a sense of Muslim identity. A member of the group, Mariano Lomarda, was captured in March 2003 by police who said they had foiled a plot to plant bombs in Manila in response to the then imminent U.S. war against Iraq. |