Publication

This report examines the significance of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) in the Philippines, a terrorist group with ties to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and foreign, mostly Indonesian jihadists. The RSM consists of militant converts to Islam. They are based in Manila and northern Luzon, and are a vehicle for more experienced terrorist groups to move into the country's urban heartland. This small minority complicates efforts to fight terrorism and make peace in Mindanao. However, government practices often play into militant hands by subordinating procedural justice to careless counterterrorism measures.