The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the Philippine region known as the Bangsamoro (a recent neologism reaching national prominence in the 2010s, meaning or ), which is colloquially known as "Muslim Mindanao". As Muslim-majority ethnic groups, they form the largest non-Christian population in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, they comprise about 6.5% of the country's total population, or 7.1 million people.
Most Moros are followers of Sunni Islam. The Moros were once independent under a variety of local states, including the Sultanate of Sulu, the Sultanate of Maguindanao, the Sultanate of Buayan, 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 under the Constitution of the Philippines; however, the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao 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 of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2018, a region with greater political autonomy and powers.
Today, outside the Bangsamoro autonomous region, the Moro people are a significant minority in nearby provinces, including Soccsksargen, Palawan, Samar, and the Bicol Region. They 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, North Kalimantan in Indonesia, and in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Etymology
The word Moro (a cognate of the English Moors) originates as an exonym which, before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippine archipelago, came to be used by the Spanish in reference to Muslims in general, relating to the large North African population of al-Andalus. The term is derived from Mauru, a Latin word that originates from Amur, a Berber word referring to the inhabitants of the ancient Mauretania in northwest Africa, which today comprises the modern Muslim states of Morocco and the northwest of Algeria. With the rise of Mauritania as part of the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate, Muslim armies conquered and ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492, for about a total of 781 years in which Christians became involved in conflicts to reclaim Iberia. The term came to be extended to Muslims in general. The Spanish similarly applied the term to the Muslim communities they encountered in parts of the Philippine archipelago upon their arrival.
In their struggle for self-determination, the term was later adopted in the names for separatist organizations such as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Rashid Lucman's Bangsa Moro Liberation Organisation (BMLO) as well the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The recently coined term Bangsamoro is derived from the Malay word bangsa, (originally meaning but altered to denote 'race' in colonial times) with the Moro as and may also be used to describe both the Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic groups and their homeland. The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro recognizes Bangsamoro as an identity and called for the creation of a new autonomous political entity called Bangsamoro.
Though the term may carry some derogatory connotations for some, the term Moro has evolved to become seen as a unitary force, especially by the Philippine government, despite opposition from some of the modern Muslim communities in the Philippines who object to the term's origins in the Spanish colonial era. Marvic Leonen, who was the Chief Peace Negotiator for Philippine government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has said:
Ethnic groups The Muslim-majority Philippine ethnic groups, according to the Bureau on Cultural Heritage (BCH) of Bangsamoro, include:
Badjao Iranun Jama Mapun Kalagan Kolibugan Maguindanaon Maranao Molbog Palawano Sama Sangil Tausūg Yakan
Languages
The Moro people speak their native languages. Non-native languages spoken are Ilocano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Cebuano, and Tagalog, of which the latter two are used as Lingua franca. This is true for Cebuano because of the mass arrival of Cebuano settlers to Mindanao. Tausug are at ease in speaking Cebuano, because both Tausug & Cebuano are Visayan languages. Chabacano is the lingua franca of native peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and in Basilan, alongside Tagalog. Many locals and merchants in the Sulu Archipelago can also speak Sabah Malay.
Society
Region
The majority of the Moro people have historically resided in what is now called the Bangsamoro region, which was known as Muslim Mindanao in 1989 when the ARMM was created. That land is located in the provinces of Basilan, Cotabato, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Palawan, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. It includes the cities of Cotabato, Dapitan, Dipolog, General Santos, Iligan, and Marawi. Some eastern areas of what is now the Malaysian state of Sabah, formerly the British protectorate of North Borneo, are also claimed by the Moro National Liberation Front as part of the proposed state of Bangsamoro Republik. However, the idea has failed since the MNLF founding leader Nur Misuari exiled himself after a clash against the government in 2013 in Zamboanga City, as he protested the further unilateral changes by the government on the mutually signed 1996 Final Peace Agreement. Misuari was labeled a "terrorist" during the siege.
On 5 August 2008, after nearly 10 years of negotiation, with all Thebes's associated international bodies all ready to witness a supposed historic event, an attempt by the Philippine government's Peace Negotiating Panel to sign a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front through a petition by Settler politicians in Mindanao like Governor Manny Pinol and Governor Lobregat, was then declared unconstitutional by the Philippine Supreme Court. Conflict immediately broke out following the decision, with nearly half a million people displaced and hundreds killed. Observers now concur that two Moro commanders—Kumander Umbra Kato and Kumander Bravo—did launch attacks in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato as a response to the non-signing that has shaken the peace process in the region.
The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro defines Bangsamoro as who at the time of conquest and colonization were considered natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago and its adjacent islands including Palawan, and their descendants whether of mixed or of full blood".
Najeeb Saleeby said:
Religion has never been a cause of hostility between Americans and Moros. Datu Utu and his whole household knew Iwas a Christian, yet they took considerable pleasure in my attendance at some of their religious ceremonies and festivities. Datu Mastura gave me free access to his whole library most of which were religious manuscripts and books on law and magic. There was no book on religion, law, or history in the possession of Datu Ali that I could not get, and the Sultan of Sulu placed his precious Luntar in my hands. The Moros have not that bigotry and religious fanaticism which we observe in India, Western Asia, and Africa. They do not understand the principal doctrines of Mohammedanism, and have so little religion at heart that it is impossible for them to get enthusiastic and fanatic on this ground. They do not know the five prayers and seldom enter a mosque. Some of the panditas attend the Friday service once a week and pray for the Sultan and the whole nation. "Juramentados" are not religious fanatics. Not one juramentado in ten could say his prayers or knew the doctrines of his creed. There has been no greater misunderstanding by Spaniards and Americans on any one Moro subject than on this-the juramentado question. The juramentado is not actuated by a religious feeling. It is fierce patriotism that excites his rashness and provokes his craziness. A juramentado's state of mind during the execution of his purpose is a condition of frenzy or temporary insanity closely allied in its nature to that of being amuck. A man who runs amuck in a manner avenges himself and his personal grievances, but the juramentado avenges his people and his chief. His chief's call for vengeance rings in his ears and he immediatly comes forward as the hero and avenger of the datuship and gets ready for his treacherous fray. No one, however, faces death without religious wakening and fear, and the reckless juramentado can not advance towards his grave without performing the last rites of his creed. He would not otherwise be allowed to proceed even if he wanted to. Religion plays a secondary role in this case and no blame can attach to the juramentado's creed. Let the Moro be heathen and he will "go juramentado" on the strength of his faith in wooden idols before he yields to a master or gives up his home. The juramentado is a forerunner of hostilities and an evil sign of the times.
Culture
Islam has greatly influenced Moro cultures since the era of the Sultanate of Maguindanao and Sulu. Large and small mosques can be found all over the region. In accordance with Islamic Law, alcohol consumption must be avoided at all costs, fornication is prohibited. Pork and pork byproducts are not permissible. Fasting during Ramadan and providing charity for people experiencing poverty are mandatory in Islam. The Hajj is also a major requirement as it is one of the five pillars of Islam. Moro women are required to cover themselves using a veil (tudong) as in other Muslim areas of South East Asia. Moro men, especially older adults, can always be seen wearing a black skullcap called the songkok or a white one called the taqiyah. Unlike their Malay relatives in neighboring countries, the main problems facing Moro groups are their lack of unity and a sense of solidarity.
Music
One type of traditional Moro musical instrument is the kulintang, a gong made from bronze or brass found in the southern Philippines. This creates a unique sound that varies in the speed it is hit which includes the Binalig, Tagonggo and the Kapanirong plus others more also normally heard in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Education