Zamboanga History - Moro Pirates

from the page of:

ZAMBOANGA CITY HISTORY

..."Moro Pirates":

During the time of Alimud Din, the Spaniards forfeited all claim to sympathy in the conduct of their feud with the Moros. The Mohammedans of Mindanao and Sulu have indeed proved to be barbarians of the first order. However, history does not elaborate which ones of the handful of Malayan tribes that made up this part of the southern Philippines their new home accountable for the attacks on the other islands' residents, and are usually described as plain "Moros." For the purpose of historical and descriptive accuracy, "Moro Pirates" will be used to describe the actual band of people who committed the acts of piracy and not the Moro People in general, just as Nazi Germans did not represent the German people. The Moro Pirates have been historically known by most of the ship traders and island residents of the Southeast Asia region to be constant in their way of life for over 500 years. Historical accounts show that the Moro Pirates have been practicing their way of life almost 100 years before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines- it was their nature. In contrast, the Spaniards also had their share of barbarism against their Filipino captives and willing subjects.²