The Insurgency in the Philippines is rooted to the conflicts caused by Spanish colonization, beginning in 1521 as well as the Moro Rebellion phase during the Philippine-American War.

However, religion is but one difference, albeit a large one, as Islamic Sabah, Malaysia and the Bangsamoro (Moro) themselves have considerable differences.

Culture, language, and tradition are also divisive.On a larger scale, the Philippine insurgency is an outgrowth of the division of the Malay Archipelago by European and American colonial powers, much as ethnic conflict in Africa is today.

The colonies that became the nations of Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand lumped together and split indigenous peoples of hundreds of languages and cultures into modern nations, trying to assimilate them into "nationalities."

There is no doubt that all of these indigenous groups have suffered immeasurably to avoid destruction of their culture, language, and livelihood, and only now is there awareness of the need to protect indigenous peoples.

The Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia are all signatories to International Treaties on self-determination of indigenous peoples