MANILA, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has become a "monster" by kidnapping civilians as a means of fundraising, local media reported.

"A beast is always a beast but if it devours its own kind, then it becomes worse than a beast. It is a monster. Today, the ASGs (Abu Sayyaf Group members) are not only abducting foreigners but everybody who has money or anyone perceived to have the ability to pay ransom," the MILF said in an editorial posted on its website, philstar.com reported.

It referred specifically to the June 22nd abductions of independent Muslim filmmakers, sisters Nadjoua and Linda Bansil, on Jolo Island, and to Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani's abduction a year earlier, according to Business Insight.

"The group merely uses Islam to advance their false cause. ... The growing menace must stop now. It destroys the very core of human dignity and puts to shame everyone who still has that sense of self-respect. Moreover, it is humiliating to every Moro leader and is a slap to those leaders in Manila that a small band of people pursues their evil trade at will and earn millions of dollars on the process," it said.