A Muslim insurgency has been fought in Mindanao, the main island in the southern part of the Philippines, for decades. A few weeks ago, the government of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed a historic peace agreement that would have ceded part of the province to the insurgents.
It now appears that the deal will unravel in the face of legal challenges, a victim of deep and enduring suspicions of Muslims by the Christian majority in the country, the insurgents' questionable commitment to peace, and Mrs. Arroyo's own intentions. The consequences of failure will likely be bloody.
While the Philippines is Christian-dominated country, Muslims have dominated the island of Mindanao for generations. They have fought discrimination for decades. Several insurgent groups have led the armed struggle against Manila, demanding greater autonomy for the province so that Muslims could control their own destiny. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is one of the largest and most violent of those groups.