The same rivals say Achmad Kandang, who like Maulida operates around Lhokseumawe, also has Kopassus contacts and forms part of a 'False GAM' that takes part in school burnings etc. With the Malaysian part of the conduit between Aceh and Sweden blocked by rebels, this faction apparently uses a Singapore contact to maintain international relations. The factionalism became very obvious in another round in the war of press releases on 23 November 1999, when Hasan di Tiro specifically disowned Zulfahri. The war of words followed an announcement by President Adurrahman Wahid that he had had discussions by phone with GAM, something that Hasan di Tiro strongly denied. Wahid may have meant Zulfahri.
Religion plays an important part in the identity each group claims for itself.
The Zulfahri group claims to be more Islamic than its rival. One of its spokespersons portrayed Hasan di Tiro and his European GAM as secular, alienated from Acehnese life by his long absence, too scared to return home or even address the world media, and therefore no longer genuinely Acehnese. One way to bolster claims of Acehnese rootedness is to claim links with the heroes. Husaini claims a special relationship with Dr Muchtar bin Hasbi, who in turn had close links with the revered Daud Beureuh. Sources differ on which of these two groups, the Malaysian group under Zulfahri and thence Husaini, or the Aceh-based group under Zaini and thence Hasan di Tiro, is the more 'accommodating' towards Jakarta.