The Philippine archipelago
جزائر الفيلبين
A Pacific archipelago of about 1,200 islands. In Arslan's commentary on Stoddard, Islam reached the southern islands, Mindanao and Sulu, through contact with northern Borneo. Under Spanish rule most of the population became Catholic; a revolt in 1896 followed, and the Ottoman government sent an envoy to support the Muslims, who had little education 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Colonial Era
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
The Philippines is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, with about 1,200 islands. Shakib Arslan, in his commentary on the book "The Present State of the Islamic World" (Hadir al-Alam al-Islami), mentions that Islam spread to the southern islands such as Mindanao and Sulu, because of their proximity to the Muslims of north Borneo. 2
The book describes the conversion of most of the population to Catholicism under Spanish colonial rule, and then the revolution of 1896 against the Spanish. It mentions that the Ottoman state tried to send an envoy to look after the Muslims of the islands. 2
This comes from a single source written by Arslan in the 1920s. An additional source is needed, especially for population ratios, figures of the Spanish period and the 1896 revolution.
Sources
- Stoddard, Hadir al-ʿalam al-islami (Arabic translation with Arslan's commentary), vol. 1, scan pp. 375–378
- Stoddard, Hadir al-ʿalam al-islami (Arabic translation with Arslan's commentary)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Philippine archipelago”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/philippines/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.