ABOUT THE LECTURE: This research is a preliminary inquiry into the factors affecting moderation and radicalism in Muslim Mindanao. Despite the long-running Bangsamoro conflict, Muslims Mindanao is still considered a moderate community. However, the presence of radical movements operating in Mindanao presents an alarming concern. Radicalism or religiously legitimated use of violence is viewed critically, as it is claimed to provide the “right thinking” and so called “one’s right” to use violence against others. This study intends to explore the following issues and research questions: 1) How strong are the radical elements currently operating in “Moro land”? 2) How effective are the efforts conducted to arrest the growth of radicalism in the Philippines? 3) How do they threaten the Muslim Filipinos’ moderate way of life? Pertinent historical data and current reports are examined in the context of the Bangsamoro struggle and within the framework of the Philippine counter-terrorism campaign.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Cecilia D. Noble, a recipient of the East West Center Population Policy Research and Communications Program Fellowship, is currently finishing a research study on ethnic conflict resolution for her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). Previously she served as program for the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center’s Globalization Lecture Series and special projects on peace building / conflict resolution and population & development. She holds a Master of Development Management from AIM. She is a managing partner of Steadfast Asia Inc. - a research and social enterprise consulting firm based in the Philippines. Her research interests include ethnic identity formation, disability & diversity studies and cybersociology.
Nawal Naissana Sampaco is a fellow at the Asia Pacific Leadership Program, a signature program of the East-West Center. She holds a B.A. in International Studies with a major in Development Studies from Miriam College and has earned academic units in AB Sociology from the Mindanao State University. She previously worked for the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) at the Ateneo de Manila. Her research interests include environment and natural resource management and traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous resource management practices.