ABSTRACT
This chapter discuses the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the two organizations began at different periods and in different historical contexts. The expansion of Islam into the Philippines had the greatest lasting effect on the historical development of the country, and is the basis for the struggles leading to the development of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the ASG. Unlike Colombia, the country has also been subject to influence by Japanese invasion and American colonization. Even with these differences, the Philippines have a long history of uprising against the central government, including activities by the ASG. As in the development of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the MILF was created as true believers in the MNLF broke away; likewise, MNLF members broke away to form the ASG.
