The Moro conflict is not one story.

It is a layered struggle over land, identity, memory, migration, and power. Christian actors appear on both sides of that story: some deepened fear and violence, others built spaces for dialogue and relief.

Enter the timeline
16th c.

Colonial roots of the divide

1960s-70s

Militia violence and communal rupture

1990s+

Interfaith peace platforms gain force

Migration
Land regimes
Militia terror
Dialogue networks

Read the conflict by pressure point

Tap a force to see what keeps the conflict alive

Timeline

Five turning points that reshape Mindanao

Split roles

Christian actors did not move in one direction

Escalation

Settler fear + militia force

Christian settler politics often framed Moro claims as threats. Groups like Ilaga translated that fear into anti-Muslim violence.

  • Land and office became communal battlegrounds
  • Religion hardened into a security identity
  • Violence fed further armed mobilization

De-escalation

Church networks + interfaith work

Other Christian actors used public authority, relief work, and dialogue to lower mistrust and make coexistence visible.

  • Bishops-Ulama Conference modeled public cooperation
  • NCCP-linked work focused on rights and displacement
  • Peacebuilding addressed social mistrust, not only treaties

Escalation loop

Why local fear kept reproducing conflict

Peace architecture

Open a case to see how de-escalation actually worked

Takeaway

The key question is not whether Christians were involved, but how

Identity

Religion could be used to mark belonging, exclusion, or solidarity.

Interests

Land, security, status, and public legitimacy shaped behavior.

Change over time

Visible Christian action shifts from coercion-heavy to peace-facing forms.

Limits

Dialogue matters, but it cannot replace structural political settlement.

Sources used in the project

Selected references from the paper

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