In the news today, we hear about problems with Various Muslim factions that are located in the southern Philippines. Reports of the Abu Sayyaf and other groups associated with Osama Bin Landen are the focus of some minor U.S. involvement in the Philippines. One hundred years ago, the U.S. was involved with Muslims in the Philippines.

The term "Moro" is a Spanish term for Moor or Moslem. "Because all Muslims were called Moros (Moors) in Spain, Legazpi and other Spanish colonizers called the Filipino Muslims by that name". Filipino Moslems could be found throughout the 7,100 islands, but the majority of Moslems inhabited Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. It is theorized that the early inhabitants of this area came from the region's neighboring Malayan states in the south, notably Borneo and the islands of northwestern Indonesia.

Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago make up the southern islands of the Philippines. We are primarily concerned with the Sulu Archipelago, or more specifically the Jolo group which includes the island of Jolo. The Moros in this area are also referred to as Sulus. Prior to Magellan's visit to the Philippines, Sulu pirates terrorized the Visayas and Luzon (the central and northern Philippine islands). The Sulu's had a social class, which included slaves. Slaves were taken as captives or received as tributes, and were assimilated into the bulk of the population of Sulu.

An Arabian judge named Makdum, introduced the Mohammedan religion throughout the Sulu Archipelago in 1380. Around 1390 Raja Baguinada continued the work of Makdum and also made himself ruler. In 1450 Abu Bakr, a Mohammedan missionary, married Baguinada's daughter. When Raja Baguinda died, Abu Bakr took over as the religious authority and later proclaimed himself sultan. This was the rudimentary foundation of the social and ruling powers for the Sulu's.

Spain sent an expedition to the archipelago in June of 1578. This expedition was the beginning of warfare between Sulu and Spain, which lasted for 300 years. "Governor De Sande gave as his principal reason for opening hostilities against the Sulus the desire to convert them to Christianity". These expeditions were also sent to stop the Moro pirates from "obstructing Spanish trade with the natives and preached to them the 'religion of Mohammed'".

The Sulu's were never completely controlled by the Spanish. A few treaties were made but they never lasted. In 1848, steam gunboats were used for the first time against the Moros. "The introduction of steam gunboats marked 'the beginning of the end of Moro piracy'". Around 1876 the Spanish had destroyed most fortified Sulu positions and occupied the well-fortified town of Jolo. The steamboats had also stopped the importation of guns and ammunition by the Sulu's. "The Sulu's fought to a finish, but they were overwhelmed by the invaders".

As you can see, the Moro's were fierce warriors. They tried their best to keep the Spanish from changing their culture and religion. They believed that the "use of violence against enemies either as sabilallahs or as groups in jihads or kutahs, arose from their desire to preserve themselves or merit heaven". In other words, they would rather die than give up their religion and culture.

With a better understanding of who the Moros are, lets take a brief look of how the United States got involved with the Philippines. The immediate cause of the Spanish-American war (1898), "was the blowing up of the U.S. battleship Maine" at the harbor of Havana, Cuba. Spain declared war on America April 24, 1898 and the next day Congress declared war on Spain. Commodore George Dewey sailed to the Philippines with orders to destroy the Spanish fleet. On the morning of May 1, 1898, Dewey attacked the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. By noon, Commodore Dewey had sank the Spanish fleet. This marked the end of Spain as a world power and the beginning for the United States.

With the help of Emilio Aguinaldo, Dewey was able to gain control of Manila bay and the surrounding area except Manila. "By the end of July 1898, the American troops had totaled nearly 11,000 men". During the morning of August 18, 1898, the Battle of Manila began. By one o'clock that afternoon, the Spanish surrendered. On December 10, 1898, after two months of discussions, the Treaty of Paris was signed. Because of this treaty, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States and the civil and political status of the Philippines was now to be determined by the U.S. Congress.

On May 19, 1899, American troops occupied Jolo, replacing the Spanish garrison there. By November 1899, all Spanish forces were removed from Mindanao and Sulu and shipped to Spain. This was the beginning of American sovereignty in the Sulu Archipelago.

When the Americans arrived in Jolo, there was no open resistance to the occupation of the region. During August 1899, Brigadier General John C. Bates was sent to negotiate with the Sultan of Sulu a treaty to govern their relations. "The agreement, known as the Bates Treaty, provided for the recognition of American sovereignty in the Sulu Archipelago. The Americans in turn, would respect the rights and dignity of the Sultan and not interfere with the religion and customs of the Moros". "While the treaty allowed the rights of slaves to purchase their freedom, it nevertheless gave full protection to the Sultan and his datus against foreign intervention". President McKinley confirmed the agreement, except for an article in which slavery was recognized.

Between 1899 and 1903, there was some resistance to the Americans and their military government. It was primarily caused by problems between American ideals and the Islamic influence of the Moros. This included religion, education and keeping arms like the barong (Sulu knife) which was also used in some religious duties. Also the question of slavery, which the Americans deplored, was a custom recognized and practiced by the Moro's.

In May of 1901, Colonel Sweet, commander of garrisons on Jolo and Mindanao, "reported to General MacArthur that while 'relations with the Sultans and chiefs remain friendly, they will promise anything in the shape of reforms, but these will never be carried out.' Finally, he warned MacArthur that there could be 'no hope of progress until the United States takes complete control of these islands' and recommended a show of force on Jolo or Mindanao to impress the Moslems that the United States meant business".

Colonel Sweet was not able to convince General MacArthur that the Moslems were a problem in the Sulu Archipelago, but when General Adna Chaffee took over, he listened to Sweet. When some Americans were killed, Chaffee started moving in troops to Jolo, Leyte and Samar. This helped keep the region calm for a few years.

In 1903, the United States started to set up a military type government. The Moslems resisted this manifesto with increasing surprise attacks on American Soldiers and outpost. One of the fiercest encounters during this period took place in 1903 in Jolo. "Panglima Hassan, leader of the uprising from Luuk, a descendant of half-slaves who rose to a position of influence by guts and wits, gathered a large following of about 4,000. His opposition arose from a strong anti-foreign feeling against the establishment of American sovereignty as provided for in the Bates Treaty".

On June 1, 1903, the Moro province was created and General Leonard Wood became the first Governor, Sulu being one of the five subdivisions of the province. September 2, 1903, Major Hugh L. Scott became governor of Sulu. Many of the chiefs of Sulu agreed to resist a new civil government that Major Scott had instituted. Relations with the Moro's was declining more, that on March 2, 1904, the Bates agreement was revoked.

By May of 1905, unrest had become the norm and had to be quelled by force. Major Scott tried to make peace with the Datu Laksaman Usap of Sulu, but he ignored them. When the offer of peace didn't work, Major Scott attatcked Usap's kutah, leaving Usap and 100 Moros dead on the field. Usap's knifes and spears were no match against superior American weapons. Other important fights took place at Mount Talipao and Bud Dajo, resulting in some casualties among the American forces and many more among the Moros.

After the first skirmish on Bud Dajo, the Moros built a kutah on the top of the extinct volcano, fortifying it. They stocked it with munitions and food in hopes to repulse the U.S. Army in the fort at Jolo. An official U.S. report stated, "A few outlaws in Jolo entrenched in the crater of the extinct volcano of Mt. Dajo on that island, began depredations upon the peaceful people of the island". A lot of the Moro's in the crater were survivors from the Pala uprising, which included woman and children. Efforts were made to get the Moro's to surrender or move the women and children out. Colonel Scott even tried using some prominent Moslem leaders to help persuade them to leave. On March 7, 1906 Governor Scott ordered that the place be taken by force.

The assault force totaled 790 men, which included federal troops, the Navy and the constabulary. They used a tactic of prolonged bombardment, which required them to drag cannons up the side of the volcano. The defenders held out to the very end, but out of 600, only 6 survived. The official report stated that "The Moro women fought alongside the men and held their children before them, having sworn to die rather than yield. In this way a number of woman and children were among the killed-an unfortunate but necessary evil".

This slaughter was viewed in two different ways in the United States. The republican newspapers considered the battle as "a grim but necessary bit of police work". President Roosevelt spoke of it as 'a most gallant and soldierly feat', performed 'in a way that confers added credit on the American Army'.

The democrats on the other hand were outraged. A list of the papers that express their horror and disgust at this thoroughgoing victory would include every Democratic and 'anti-imperialist' paper in the United States. In Congress the Democrats have branded the affair as a 'horrible massacre' and an 'assassination.'

The Anti-Imperialist League had been opposed to U.S. involvement in the Philippines. After the Moro slaughter at Mount Dajo, Mark Twain, who was involved in the Anti-Imperialist League, considered the Army as "Christian butchers". The Anti-Imperialist League used this opportunity to further their cause. They published two pamphlets about the massacre and distributed 3,000 copies of a photograph of the carnage to the press in January 1907.

After the assault at Mount Dajo, fighting continued between the United States and the Moros. They were not going to change their ways, even if it resulted in death. At the cost of fifteen years of desperate guerrilla warfare, the United States Army practically annihilated the Moro warriors. In the battles of Bud Daho and Bagsak, fought in 1906 and 1913 respectively, the women stood beside their men and together they fought until they died.

Eventually the Moro problem was passed on to the Philippine Government. Today the same problem of cultural clashes between Moslems living together with Christians, which the United States dealt with partially, continues for the Philippine government.