The relation between Christian and

Muslims in the Philippines

Submitted by:

Ignacio, Mary Louise Lane

Flores, Mary Rose Ann

Martin, Jhan Khamyle

Castro, Natalia Jane

Magpayo, Patricia

Dionisio, Daniella

Mungcal, Meriam

Submitted to:

Rhealyn Joy I. Anceno

 Abstract

This study aimed to investigate about the relation between Christian and

Muslims in the Philippines for us to know how the two religions affect Filipino culture

up to present time. We live in a pluralistic world. We also live in a conflict-torn world.

Sad to say that some of these conflicts have been abetted if not aggravated by

religions, flaring up in open armed conflicts and bloody repression as in Indonesia

between Muslims and Christians; the bloody civil war between the Sinhalese

Buddhist majority and the Tamil Hindu minority since 1983 in Sri Lanka; the

communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in India; and, recently in Southern

Thailand between its military and Muslim militants. In my own Philippine context we

too have our share of open armed conflicts and bloody repression. The conflicts

in Mindanao have been portrayed as Christian-Muslim conflicts.

The challenge now is how to build a sense of community that goes beyond the

traditional boundaries of clan, tribe, status, class, region and religion. A community

with which each member and group can identify themselves, in which different

groups feel responsible for resolving disputes and solving problems through joint

action and dialogue and whose destiny, therefore, each can regard as its own.

One of the steps to overcome the deadly and violent inter-religious conflicts is to

know the root causes of these conflicts. In the Philippine context only three root

causes of conflicts between Christians and Muslims will be mentioned namely:

Colonization, Marginalization of the Minority and Violent Religious Traditions.

 Introduction

It is difficult to imagine a time in history at which there is greater need

for serious interfaith engagement than now. We need to understand better the

history of Muslim-Christian relations so as to give context to current “hot spots” of

Muslim-Christian conflict in the Philippines. It is also important to understand the

ways in which members of the two communities experience each other in specific

areas of the Philippines today. We need to understand and learn their different

perspective in their communities for us to have a peaceful surrounding. Racially,

Christian Filipinos and Muslim Moros. in the Philippines are one people. The cultural

and economic, differences that have created so much enmity and misunderstanding

as to cause Christians and Muslims to regard themselves as separate peoples have

their roots in our colonial history

The Christian-Muslim conflicts in the Philippines could be traced in the history of

colonization which begun in the 16th century when Spanish colonizers arrived in

1521. At the time of, Spanish conquest, the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulu had

already attained a higher level of social organization than the small, scattered

communities of Visayas and Luzon. For this reason, it was relatively easy for the

Spaniards to subdue and Christianize ‘the inhabitants of Luzon and Visayas. The

defeated of Rajah Solayman by Spanish conquistadors sent by Legaspi in the Battle

of Bangkusay (Tondo) on June 3, 1571 marked the end of the Islamic influence

in Luzon and the Visayas. Whereas the Moros if Mindanao continued to defy the

Spanish Conquistadores.In the four (4) centuries that followed, the Spanish

colonizers successfully stopped the influence of Islam in the Northern and Central
parts of the archipelago. Culturally, pacification was abetted by the Christianization

of the islands to oppose to the continued influence of Islam. The Spanish colonizers

molded the minds and hearts of the natives or indios into their own image as part of

their pacification campaign. Thus a good native or indio is a good Hispanized

Catholic. Ideologically the natives began to internalize the biases of the Spanish

colonizers against the Muslims such as that Moros are traitors, dirty, enemies of the

Church, etc.

In addition the Spaniards conscripted Christianized indios. as auxiliary troops to help

in the pacification campaign. Thousands of Christian indios were brought into the

battles. The Moros, on the other hand, raided Spanish held territories especially the

coastal resettlements populated by Christianized native. The war and raids planted

the seed of animosity and distrust. The conflict brought by the Spanish colonizers led

Muslims Moros and Christian Filipinos to see each other as enemy.

But the Spaniards were never completely successful in dislodging Islamic influence.

In the southern region of the archipelago, the island of Mindanao which was most

protected by its proximity to the source of the older influence -- the culture of Islam --

the efforts were futile. History books tell us that it was only after 300 years in the

1800’s that the Spanish were able to harbor enough strength in Mindanao to set up

military garrisons in the Sulu areas, but they continued to struggle in establishing

political hegemony over the Island.Although the Muslims were able to maintain their

independence, centuries of fighting off Spanish military expeditions were a drain on

their society’s material and human resources. Moreover, the Spaniards succeeded in

isolating them and preventing them from engaging in trade ‘with neighboring

‘countries which had ‘been the foundation of their prosperity in the past. The Muslim

communities stagnated and even regressed.”

 History of the topic

The roots of conflict between Christians and Muslims in the Philippines can

be traced back to the advent of Spanish Colonization. Spanish colonization used

religion as an instrument for conquest. long before the Spaniards set foot in the

shores of what is now known as the Philippine Republic, the Muslims of the

archipelago had already established a stable and prosperous society. The Spaniards

used new Christian convert natives to fight against the Muslims in the name of the

cross. This conquest was portrayed as a crusade of good--the Christians, against

evil--the Muslims. It was the Spanish colonizers who coined the term Moro, extracted

from the term 'Moors', as the collective name of the Muslims of the Philippines. The

Spaniards used the term Moro with derogatory connotations, depicting them as a

barbaric, piratical and uncivilized people. This event in the history of Philippines

planted the seeds of the continuing prejudices and biases between and amongst the

Muslim and Christian populace.Then followed a string of colonizations; from the

Spaniards came the Americans then the Japanese. One event led to another before

the Philippines eventually became a modern nation state, a Republic having a

Christian majority population. In fact, the Philippines is the only predominantly

Catholic country in Southeast Asia. The once proud Muslim or Moro Nation has now

been reduced to the status of a national minority.In order to gain support and control

over the majority population, the powers that be in the Philippines have never failed

to utilize the age-old tactic of divide and rule, pitting the Christians against the

Muslims, in the process rekindling historical animosities and further widening the gap

between the two faith communities.

History had witnessed how the Marcos dictatorship in 1970's created and used

Christian vigilantes to fight and sow terror against Muslim communities in Mindanao.

Today, we have reason to believe that such tactics are still being practiced, albeit

covertly. At the height of the Estrada administration's all out war in Mindanao two

years ago, Christian fringe and vigilante groups who were rabidly anti-Muslim had

resurfaced. These groups still continue to exist and from time to time issue

statements agitating the Christian population to wage war against the Muslims. For

the powers that be, the utilization of such tactics proved to be an effective instrument

to maintain political hegemony over the majority population. With this situation, the

Moro, minoritized and marginalized, continue to be at the losing end.

Conclusion
 Reference

 Kalilintad.tripod.com. (2018). Muslim-Christian Dialogue: In the Present

Philippine Realities. [online] Available at:

http://kalilintad.tripod.com/FMCSStatement.htm [Accessed 14 Oct. 2018]

 Iiipeace.org. (2018). Causes of Conflict between Christians and Muslims in

the Philippines].