COL. Victor Corpus’ raising the possibility of the Philippines turning into another Colombia elicited a variety of responses.

In Muslim Mindanao, it came as no surprise. People here have come to terms with a not-so-distant prospect anymore but a creeping reality of narco-politics in some of its towns and cities, perhaps worse than it is in other parts of the country.

Accustomed to the uncertainty of justice in these parts, they merely wish that they or their children will not end up victims. Not because proof is hard to find. But like Corpus’ case they might be inadmissible in court.

Besides, nobody would relish the prospect of detention in the Senate or, worse, as Filipino tabloids would put it, "bathing in one’s own blood" for being talkative.

In these parts, narco-politics and Islamist extremism are close cousins.

Those who are in the business of ostentatiously promoting "Islam" and "jihad" are also connected with politics and narcotics. Like their counterparts in Afghanistan, Islamist rebel groups engage in a diabolic mix of religious zeal and callous crime. In such an environment, narco-political executions might even be glorified as Islamic chastisement. This explains the cowardly silence of a populace otherwise noted for courage.

Already wary of the perils that face whistleblowers, the ordinary and often unlearned Muslim is further threatened by the eternal damnation reserved for those who squeal on their brothers. After all, the self-proclaimed guardians of the faith would preach, these brothers are only seeking to "sabotage the government of the Infidel and add to the finances of the holy struggle." And, if they capture government posts in the process, is it not a partial victory of the jihad?

On any day in Marawi or Cotabato City, one has only to mingle with the regular kibitzers in small coffeehouses or stores to have an idea of the relationship between drugs, extremism, and government, terrorism and rebellion. When asked who owns the best and biggest AUVs passing by, the "istambays" would name either a local government executive, a rebel commander, an ustadz or a trader who is close to any of the above. (At times, many or all these labels point to one and the same person.)

When pressed for more details, they would tell you these expensive vehicles are "katas ng bato." In plain English, by-products of the illegal drugs trade.

But, sadly, those who know much don’t talk and those who talk don’t know much. Perhaps, more than a Corpus is needed.

When Islamist extremism is mentioned, especially by a Muslim, some fellow adherents of Islam feel uneasy, if not outraged. These feelings are further aggravated when the phrase is associated with crimes such as the subjects of Corpus’ exposé.

Some non-Muslims also think Islam as a faith is maligned. Which makes them either disturbed or glad, depending on their degree of ecumenism. But it is neither the intention nor the necessary effect of a reasoned critique of what is a real phenomenon which is a product of the modern era.

Is extremism a natural product of Islam? For lack of space, I will treat that question in a future column or article in more detail. But lest casual readers think that the religion preached by Abu Sabaya and an 'ulama who professes membership in the MILF are identical with the Islam of the Qur’an, the Prophet, and the early teachers of the faith, let me quote some lines from Ibn al-`Arabi:

"My heart is open to all the winds:
It is a pasture for gazelles
And a home for Christian monks,
A temple for idols,
The Black Stone of the Mecca pilgrim,
The table of the Torah,
And the book of the Qur’an.
Mine is the religion of love.
Wherever God’s Caravans turn,
The religion of love
Shall be my religion
And my faith."

Muhyi-ud-din ibn al-`Arabi was a Muslim mystic who lived in Spain between 1165 and 1240. He was praised by later Muslim scholars as the Great Master.

Christian scholars admired him no less. William Chittick, paraphrasing Whitehead’s famous remark about Plato, wrote in an article that subsequent to Ibn al-`Arabi, one could say that the history of Islamic thought is but a footnote to his works. While the Qur’an gives Divine prescription, Ibn al-`Arabi’s lines exhibit human expression of Islamic tolerance of the highest order.

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