Terrorism in the Philippines: THE BLOODY TRAIL OF ABU SAYYAF, BIN LADEN'S EAST ASIAN CONNECTION [Paperback]

Djanicelle Barreveld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 2001

The attack on New York's World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001, has made crystal clear that international terrorism knows no boundaries. For many it came as a complete surprise how Osama bin Laden and his Al Qa'ida network had spread their tentacles to the far ends of the world. Abu Sayyaf, in the southern Philippines, is Bin Laden's East Asian connection.Abu Sayyaf, the name means Father of the Sword, was founded in 1991 by Adurazzak Janjalani, a young Filipino mujahideen, upon his return from the war in Afghanistan. Bin Laden and Al Qa'ida, but also WTC bomber Ramzi Yousef, were instrumental in the creation of Abu Sayyaf.Time and again Abu Sayyaf made international headlines for taking hostages, cashing in millions of dollars in ransom money or by beheading their victims. They call themselves freedom fighters for an Islamic State in the Philippines, but they leave everywhere a trail of blood from innocent victims, which makes them ruthless criminals.This book looks at the root causes of the problem. How did these young men, all belonging to the fierce Tausug tribe, a tribe where ritual suicide is a custom, become international terrorists?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Drs. Dirk Jan Barreveld was born in the Netherlands in 1941. After a career in the Dutch merchant navy, he was active in the Dutch international transport world. In 1987 he became a permanent resident of the Philippines. In the Philippines he works as international consultant, teaches Economic Science at universities and publishes books. Drs. Barreveld holds a doctoral degree in Economic Science from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (November 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595206360
• ISBN-13: 978-0595206360
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,254,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Let's make a quick buck after 9/11 by pumping out a book on terrorism, July 11, 2006

By 

Patrick T. Van Haute (West Chester, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terrorism in the Philippines: THE BLOODY TRAIL OF ABU SAYYAF, BIN LADEN'S EAST ASIAN CONNECTION (Paperback)

When I first began reading this book I was taken aback by how horrible the writing was. It is for the most part grammatically incorrect. My fears were partially allayed when I read on the back cover that the author was in fact Dutch, and did not speak English as his first language. While I would have thought the publisher should have taken responsibility for cleaning up the writing, I gave the book a second chance and continued reading. It became abundantly clear that the author had very little in depth knowledge of the Abu Sayaf group. The entire first quarter of the book is nothing but filler explaining Islam and the concept of martyrdom in very generic and in places incorrect terms. What little I could stomach reading further when the author actually began to write about the ASG was also very generic and partially incorrect, or at least in contradiction to other writing on the subject. I have no way to determine if the author's sources are in fact more authentic because he fails to cite anything of significance. The few endnotes that he has for each chapter are almost exclusively from secondary sources. The only explanation I can come up with for the publishing of this book was that the publisher saw an opportunity to make a quick buck shortly after 9/11 by publishing a book with the words "Terrorism" and "Bin Laden" on the cover. If you are looking for a well researched and informative book on this topic I would recommend Militant Islam in Southeast Asia by Zachary Abuza.