Understanding violent conflict in Mindanao and Bangsamoro

are two main facets of violent action in the area that are intertwined; the rido, or family feud, and local gun culture. Rido or family feud has been imbibed in the culture, but there are also strong social ties to the act.

It is a way where families can retaliate, and act as a sort of vigilante justice for perceived slights or insults to their honor. As such, if one refuses to retaliate in this culture, they are seen as weak or vulnerable. This is a problem to any and all peacebuilding efforts due to its emotional and social grounding.

On the other hand, the gun culture is a persisting issue that deals with the owning of arms in the region. This is historically and culturally proven in the Sultanates of Muslim Mindanao wherein they would maintain private armies, which have then turned into militias. In the 70’s, there was a shift in power wherein ordinary folk were now also able to bear arms, and rise to officer positions in their own groups.

This gave them political and social standing similar to that of the datus of old, and as such these loose firearms have become prevalent in the area. Clashes with the military and these armed groups have led civilian Muslims to be labeled “bakwit.”

Our work at the Al Qalam Institute leads us to believe that these factors are detrimental to the peace process. Any interventions towards P/CVE need to consider these three factors: identity, belongingness, and sense of purpose.

One must also consider the audience, as it spans several different demographics; extremists coming from the grassroots have different motivations from those who are educated in the cities.

It is also worth looking at the community interventions, jail and corrections management, the role of social media, psychosocial interventions, and more. One must bring together different sectors that are willing to work together in order to implement change in the area.

This includes local government, traditional leaders, youth, and other stakeholders that are directly affected by the change in the area.

Continual dialogues, opportunities for education and awareness, and capacity-building efforts must be done within and outside of these social spheres in order to ensure sustainable change and development of the area.

These counter-narratives are pathways that will eventually lead to peace.

Social services must also be improved, as in the case of infrastructure and public works, economic enterprise, agriculture, industry, and other incomegenerating projects to their areas. When people are empowered in their own local contexts, they can be then moved towards mitigating the effects of terrorism.

Counter-narratives of the ideological underpinnings of the Islamist narrative are counterproductive. We recognize the need to provide alternative interpretations of Islam that are synonymous with human rights and the respect of human dignity.