Moro people

For the historical Muslim ethnic group also known as "Moro-Moro" in Spanish, see Moors.

Moro people
Bangsamoro people
Flag of Bangsamoro
Moro people of Mindanao playing a traditional Maguindanaon pair of agung (large hanging gongs in the kulintang ensemble) using "balu" (rubber-tipped wooden beaters).
Total population
6.9–10.7 million[1][2][3][4]
Regions with significant populations
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Middle East
Languages
Filipino, English
Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug, Yakan, Sama, Iranun, and other Philippine languages
Religion
Predominantly: Sunni Islam[5]

The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro (lit. Moro nation or Moro country).[6] As Muslim-majority ethnic groups, they form the largest non-Christian population in the Philippines,[7] and according the 2020 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, they comprise about 6.4% of the country's total population, or 6.9 million people.[1] However, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) estimates that the population is closer to about 11% of the country's total population, or 10.7 million people, attributing the difference to a number of factors.[2][3][4]

Most Moros are followers of Sunni Islam of the Shafiʽi school of fiqh. The Moros were once independent under a variety of local states, including the Sultanate of Sulu, the Sultanate of Maguindanao, and the Confederation of sultanates in Lanao; withstanding repeated Spanish invasions, the Moro states remained de facto independent up until the Moro Rebellion of the early 20th century. Upon Philippine independence in 1946, the Moros continued their struggle for self-determination against a predominantly–Christian Philippines, culminating in a decades-long insurgency of armed rebel groups, chief among them the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), against the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Moro people are guaranteed an autonomous region by the Constitution of the Philippines; the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao however did not satisfy the demands of rebel groups. A ceasefire and successful peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF led to the creation in 2018 of a region with greater political autonomy and powers, known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Today, outside of the Bangsamoro autonomous region, the Moro people are a significant minority in other nearby provinces in Southern Mindanao and in the province of Palawan, Samar, Bicol Region, and are a visible and integrated minority in various urban centers of the country, such as Manila, Cebu, and Davao. Outside of the Philippines, some Moros remain in areas once controlled by the Sulu Sultanate along the eastern coast of Sabah; others emigrated to neighboring Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei in the late 20th century due to the Moro conflict in Mindanao. Newer communities can be found today in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Semporna in Sabah, Malaysia,[8] North Kalimantan in Indonesia, and in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". psa.gov.ph. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Philippines. 2013 Report on International Religious Freedom (Report). United States Department of State. 28 July 2014. Section I. Religious Demography. The 2000 survey states that Islam is the largest minority religion, constituting approximately 5 percent of the population. A 2012 estimate by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), however, states that there are 10.7 million Muslims, which is approximately 11 percent of the total population.
  3. ^ a b "Philippines". U.S. Department of State.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Victor (9 January 2017). "Origins of Islam in the Philippines". The Mackenzie Institute. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  5. ^ Arnold, James R. (2011). The Moro War: How America Battled a Muslim Insurgency in the Philippine Jungle, 1902–1913. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-1-60819-365-3.
  6. ^ Kamlian, Jamail A. (20 October 2012). "Who are the Moro people?". Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Philippines: Insecurity and insufficient assistance hampers return". Norwegian Refugee Council. ReliefWeb. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Deal sealed but to most Filipinos, Malaysia is home". The Star. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  9. ^ "The Moro People of the Philippines: The 400 Year Struggle for Independence". Amaliah. Retrieved 30 October 2024.