Moro (Philippines)

Moro people

Three Moro women in Jolo, Sulu, c. 1900s.
Total population
c. 5.1 million (2007)
Regions with significant populations
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei
Languages
English, Filipino Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug, Arabic, Zamboangueño, Cebuano, Tagalog, Malay, Urdu and other Philippine languages
Religion
Sunni Islam

The Moro, also called the Bangsamoro or Bangsa Moro, are the Muslim population of the Philippines, forming the largest non-Catholic group in the country and comprising about 5.1% (as of August 2007) of the total Philippine population. There are around 13 indigenous communities, of which the majority have converted to the religion of Islam and are now Muslims or Moros; most are the followers of Islam of the Shafi'i madh'hab.

The term Moro (Moor) came into use during the Spanish colonial period by the Spaniards. It was originally used to refer to the Berber/Arab Muslims who ruled Muslim Spain (prior to the Reconquista), but for a time it came to be used informally by the Spaniards to refer to all Muslims. They noticed early on quoting one of their earliest writers:

they say that there are in this country, Moors [Moros] like those of Barberia [Barbary], and that their strength in arms is quite equal to that of those people; and that they fight and defend themselves like the Turks...

The term is also self-prescribed by the communities themselves. There is also the historic Dansalan Declaration and the Zamboanga Declaration of Moro and Lumad leaders gathered to declare their protest to the planned inclusion of their sovereign territories to the emerging Philippine Commonwealth. On both declarations, the signatories used the word; Moro Nation which translates as .

In modern history, influential groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) espoused the Moro identity to unify all Muslim groups in the Philippines. This is different from the "Filipino" identity as it was more seen as an epithet to Catholic converted ethnic groups. In addition with the Moro concept represents their distinct Islamic heritage, one of the Moro social movement founding leaders, Nur Misuari clarifies that they are not a part of the majority Filipino society with a slogan "Moro not Filipino" in their struggle for autonomy or independence against the Catholic majority Philippine central government.