HIS MAJESTY SULTAN MUHAMMAD FUAD A. KIRAM I

 HIS MAJESTY SULTAN MUHAMMAD FUAD A. KIRAM I

The Sultan of Sulu and The Sultan of Sabah

Head of Islam and Head of Sultanate

The 35th Reigning Sultan

TO BE SULTAN IS BY BLOOD AS PER LAW OF SUCCESSION 

This rationale presented as proof absolute is the basis of legitimacy of His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I as the true Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. His basis as Sultan is by blood and primogeniture. 
The matter of Royal Succession to be true Sultan or King is based on one Law – namely the Ancient Global Law of Royalty or Law of Succession that is founded on Primogeniture. It started as a law in 4,745 BC in Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, China, Greece, Rome, etc. 

Primogeniture: The ancient and medieval custom of allowing the first born legitimate son down to the youngest son to inherit all of his father's properties, estates, wealth, and titles upon the father's death. This law still exists in our modern age. Primogeniture was and is the key issue in determining succession to the royal throne. 
That is why, in royal sultanates and kingdoms globally, in Sulu and Sabah, Bahrain, Brunei, Jogjakarta Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Muscat & Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or emirates and principalities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah including the kingdoms of Cambodia and Thailand or Empire of Japan and in European kingdoms -- the Law of Succession was and is always the same, FATHER to FIRST BORN SON and the next son down the line. 
No person, family, group, institution or government can change this Law. This is non-negotiable! 
In fact, the High Court of San Marino stated in its judgment on Royalty: ”No act of any government, whether republican or not, including its court of laws can pass any act, law, edict or pass judgment on functions of Royalty, even when some governments assumed their lands or territories in many places today, Royalty and functions of Royalty still exist because Royalty was ahead of any of our governments in the world today, thus Royalty, its laws and its functions or customs could not be extinguished.” 
Royalty was and is based on primogeniture – Father to Son. 
And if Father had no Son, then the next Brother. If the son is excluded as in the Royal House of Sulu by any “Haram” act that eliminates him from the succession or if he abdicates the next Brother or Uncle is eligible to ascend the throne who is also a son of the Sultan or King. This is clear and this is the Law. No one can create a Sultan or King without the basis of primogeniture. 
Any man claiming to be Sultan but not son of the Sultan is an impostor, bogus and fake. 
Once and for all, we are here to bring to light who His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram the First is and why he is the Sultan of Sulu & Sabah. His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I also called HM Sultan Fuad the First is The Sultan of Sulu & The Sultan of Sabah. 
He became Sultan based on the ancient global law of royalty and the law of succession – by blood and by primogeniture, being SON of the SULTAN! 
He is not the First-Born Son but he is the "LAST SURVIVING SON" of the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947-1973) and the "last surviving Royal Datu and brother" of the deceased HM Sultan Mahakuttah A. Kiram (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1974-1986). Therefore, he is in the direct line of the Royal Kiram bloodline and succession. With this fact alone, his lawful position as Sultan is proved and explained. As the last surviving Royal Datu or Prince Royal being the last son of the Sultan he possesses the rights as “Heir” to inherit the crown and throne of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah. 
He is gifted by God with a pure and kind heart who has enduring courage, love and concern for his people in the dominions of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, Zamboanga and the Tausugs who live in Sabah which consist of over 70% of the Sabah population today. He is well-loved by his supporters who are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Shintos and others due to his tenet of peace, brotherhood, friendship, harmony, understanding and solidarity with all religions. 

HM Sultan Fuad the First believes that the selfish motives of the Haram occupation of Sabah and Spratlys by Malaysia since 1963 to this day, of the false and bogus sultans, with their abuses, will come to an end because falsehood has no foundation in the eyes of God and men. Eventually, he prays, with the support of all patriots globally, Sabah and Spratly islands will be returned to the Royal Sultanate of Sulu that will lead to peace and prosperity for the Tausugs and Filipinos. 
Again, to be the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah is not by appointment of a group or groups, not by vote, not by proclamation, self-claim or personal assertion. They do not matter at all, not one iota. What matter is primogeniture. 
To be the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah is mainly BY BLOOD through primogeniture as the foundation of the ancient law of royalty and law of succession of father to son practised in the Royal Sultanate of Sulu, Asian kingdoms, other European and Islamic kingdoms, sultanates, principalities and emirates for centuries. 
By primogeniture, HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram the First is the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah by the grace of Allah, God Almighty, being son of the Sultan and for all the reasons stated above. God Defend the Right. 



Law of Succession of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah 

The Law of Succession states, whether in Sulu and Sabah, Bahrain, Brunei, Jogjakarta Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Muscat & Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) or emirates and principalities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah including the kingdoms of Cambodia and Thailand or Empire of Japan and in European kingdoms -- the Law of Succession was and is always the same, FATHER to FIRST BORN SON and the next son down the line and to repeat that the son of the Sultan, King or Emperor must become Sultan, King or Emperor and, in this case, in the Royal House of Sulu & Sabah only the sons and male heirs of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1947 to 1973) must ascend the throne as Sultan. NO ONE ELSE.

Any one claiming to be Sultan and not the son or male heir of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I is a usurper, bogus, impostor and a fake sultan.

This Law rejects the fabricated claims of Jamalul, Ismail (changed to Esmail) and Aghbimuddin including Rodinood and Kudar Julaspi, Aranan, Pabila, Mamay Abdurajak, Akjan and other usurpers and fake sultans like them because they are not sons of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I. With this Law of father to son based on primogeniture, all of the claimants, who today claimed the title of Sultan are impostors, bogus and fake sultans because they are not sons of our father HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I.

We have fulfilled the Law of Succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah (the Royal House of Kiram) when we were crowned on 3rd June 2006, as the 35th Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah being the last remaining son of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I.

Proclaimed by the Royal Datus, the Sharifs & the MNLF 

We were proclaimed and recognized as the 35th Reigning Sultan by the RoyalDatus and the Sharifs of Royal Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah including the Moro National Liberation (MNLF) the freedom fighter organization representing the Tausug people. We are the last surviving son of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I, our beloved departed father, who transferred the Sabah sovereignty from the Sultanate of Sulu to the Philippines in 1962 and signed the power of attorney to recover Sabah from Malaysia in 1969 to President Ferdinand E. Marcos in favor of the Republic of the Philippines, and our rights as lawful and legitimate landowner of our Sabah sovereign patrimony remained intact and the same since 1658 up to this day.

Please read the full revelations of a Manila Times Tausug correspondent on the March 03, 2013 issue on who is the true and legitimate Sultan of Sulu:

DARUL JAMBANGAN, MAIMBUNG, SULU: The position of true and legitimate monarch in the Royal Sultanate of Sulu is claimed by several, up to three, claimants of the throne.

They are all relatives of the original Sultan of Sulu—and later Sultan of Sulu and Sabah (North Borneo) when the Sultan of Brunei gave Sabah to the Sulu monarch in gratitude for his help against a cousin’s rebellious forces.

The 35th ruling monarch, His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram 1st, or Sultan Fuad Kiram for short, is the true Sultan of Sulu and Sabah.

My family in Sulu and I have been witnesses from the start of the peaceful conflict among the Kiram cousins. My father was a Maharajah to the late father of Sultan Fuad Kiram, His Majesty Sultan Esmael E. Kiram 1st, who reigned from 1947 until 1973. 

This Special Report is not meant to downgrade nor besmirch anyone’s reputation. I write it to clear many doubts about who the true and legitimate Sultan is. It will also help the complete stranger to Sulu understand the complex situation in the Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo (Sabah) in the wake of the recent standoff in Lahad Datu, Sabah.

The first and foremost issue to consider is the “Law of Succession” in the sultanate. This monarchy’s law of succession dictates that “only those direct descendants from the Sultan can inherit all the titles, properties, rights, responsibilities, and privileges of the Sultans.”

Therefore to be Sultan of Sulu “the legitimate claimant must be the son of the Sultan only.” This has been the law of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu since 1457 and, prior to that, in 1390 succession in the Kingdom of Sulu was always the same from father to son only.
This is also the ancient law in other sultanates, kingdoms and principalities the world over.

“To be Sultan is from father to son only. No one can be Sultan if the father was not the Sultan.”

This is the law in Sulu, in Brunei, Malaysia, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Muscat and Oman, other sultanates, kingdoms and emirates in the Middle East and other nations.

Hence, Sultan Fuad Kiram, just like his late brother, Sultan Mahakuttah Kiram who succeeded his father Sultan Esmael Kiram in 1974 and was the reigning Sultan until 1986.

The pages of history tell us that Sultan Esmael Kiram has a half-brother named Datu Punjungan Kiram. Because of the urgency to complete his Royal Cabinet, the Sultan named his half-brother Rajah Mudah or heir apparent.

In 1947 Datu Mahakuttah Kiram, Sultan Esmael’s son, was a young boy of six and therefore not yet “aqil balegh” or equipped with the comprehension of an adult. He was note named Rajah Mudah and his place his uncle, Datu Punjungan Kiram, became the Rajah Mudah.

Datu Punjungan and his family — one of his sons was a playmate of mine as we were neighbors in Asturias, Jolo— left for Sabah in 1971, prior to President Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972.

In 1973 Sultan Esmael E. Kiram 1st died. Before his death he made in a public announcement for all to hear (he used a public address system when he gave his speech on the occasion of Mauludin Nabi (birthday of Prophet Mohammad pbuh)) in Buwaloh Kanjal, Maimbung, that in the event of his death, his successor would be his son Datu Mahakuttah. Therefore, not the named heir apparent, Datu Punjungan Kiram. 

So in 1974, Datu Mahakuttah was crowned as the next Sultan of Sulu & Sabah. The enthronement was a public event in Plaza Tulay in downtown Jolo. No less than President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared his tacit recognition of Sultan Mahakuttah A. Kiram as the legitimate ruler of the Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo (Sabah).
Contested by cousin Datu Jamalul Kiram
But this enthronement was contested by his cousin Datu Jamalul Kiram, then a radio announcer at the dxSM radio station in Camp Asturias, Jolo. Jamalul Kiram then had himself crowned also as Sultan of Sulu.

Datu Jamalul believes the Sultan’s crown should belong to him despite the many who are are also of the belief that his ascension to the throne was not in accordance with the Law of Succession. 

Nevertheless Sultan Mahakuttah served as the reigning Sultan of Sulu & Sabah until his death in 1986.

With the demise of Sultan Mahakuttah Kiram, his cousin Jamalul Dalus Kiram now got to occupy the throne as Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. However, when the Law of Succession is applied, one may question his legitimacy, no matter how much he believes that he is the rightful Sultan.

At this juncture, Jamalul who is now known as “Sultan Jamalul Kiram III” and who has been based in Maharlika Village in Taguig City (not in Sulu) for many years, designated his brother Datu Esmail Dalus Kiram, who was based in Jolo, Sulu, as his Rajah Mudah (heir apparent.)

For clarity, we shall call them by their first names but this is no disrespect for their position, as they prefer to be called as “sultan, datu or prince.”

However, Datu Esmail who wants to be Sultan also — though his brother is still alive — had called himself “Sultan Bantilan” or caretaker of the Sultanate (since Jamalul does not stay Sulu and is remote from us Tausugs of Sulu). That there was now two Sultans led to the confusion of many Tausugs. For time immemorial, there has only been one Sultan of Sulu and legitimate ruling monarch.

Esmail or Sultan Bantilan appointed his brother Datu Agbimuddin— known as Datu Puing who is based in Tubig Indangan Simunul, Tawi-Tawi —as his own Rajah Mudah. Datu Agbimuddin the same person who courageously led the people of the Sulu Sultanate to go to Lahad Datu, Sabah, and has been in the news every day for two weeks now.

Be that as it may, Sultan Fuad Kiram who at first declined to comment on the Law of Succession, for anything he says might be construed as self-serving, volunteered to relate a piece of history to this writer that will put to rest the question of who is really the real Sultan of Sulu and who is therefore the legitimate one.
Sultan Fuad’s historical narrative
According to Sultan Fuad Kiram his uncle, the Sabah-based Datu Punjungan Kiram, was not able to assume the throne as Sultan of Sulu & North Borneo upon his father’s death. Based on this premise, therefore, both his two sons Jamalul and Esmail are not sons of the Sultan, if their father failed to assume the throne of Sultan of Sulu & Sabah.

One who is not son of the Sultan have no rights to be Sultan.

With this ongoing Sabah standoff, media people (including The Manila Times) refer to Jamalul as Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Anybody has his own right to be called by what title he prefers to be called. But a problem may arise when there is a law of succession that must be strictly followed. 

Jamalul and his brother Esmail (who was born “Ismail” but he accordingly changed it to Esmail) were both installed by their supporters and claimed to be Sultan at the same time. In Sulu or anywhere, we cannot have two Sultans at the same time. Only one or one at a time, but not together. 

Again Jamalul and Esmail if the law of succession is to be followed and strictly observed could not be Sultan because their father was “Datu Punjungan” (half-brother of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I, the Sultan from 1947 to 1973). Sultan Esmail was first son from the “first wife” of the Sultan, while Datu Punjungan was son from “second wife” of the Sultan.

Hence, based on historical facts, Datu Punjungan was not the Sultan – but Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I. So the two sons of Datu Punjungan namely Jamalul and Esmail were “half-nephews” of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram 1st.
Sultan Fuad Kiram, the legitimate Sultan
Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st is the last son of Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I, so Sultan Fuad for all intents and purposes and based on the royalty law of succession is the most suitable and legitimate Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo:

Sultan Esmail E. Kiram 1st is the father of Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st, now the current 35th Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. Thus, by law of primogeniture of father to son and by the law of succession, Sultan Fuad is the Sultan because he inherited the ranks, titles and positions of his royal father, Sultan Esmail E. Kiram I.
Who proclaimed Sultan Fuad?
The legitimate claimant must be recognized by the Royal Datus and Sharifs:

His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I was proclaimed and recognized by the Council of Royal Datus as the Sultan of Sulu & North Borneo on 3 June 2006. Also on 3 June 2006 His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I was recognized and proclaimed by the Sharifs of Sulu (descendants of Prophet Mohammad) as the Sultan.

Likewise, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Central Committee headed by MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari recognized and accepted His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I as the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah on 15 January 2008.
Being haram disqualifies any claimant to be Sultan
There is also a strict law for claimants of the Sultanate’s throne. The son must not have physical deformity or disability and must be pure and clean and has not committted any “haram or forbidden act” such as assault upon a woman, child assault, child abuse or any capital offense such as killing, murder, drug addiction, robbery or any crime that is forbidden by Islam as haram.

The Sultan of Sulu is the “Head of Islam and Protector of Islam” so this law to be clean and pure is a quality that the heir of the Sultan must adhere to strictly.
Sultan must be above politics
The Sultan, King or Queen must be above politics and should not be involved in politics so as not to divide but to unite his or her people. Politics though full of good intentions divide people. That is the nature of politics. Being involved in politics is a disqualification of any claimant for the 
throne.

Ustadz Abdulbaki Abubakar, a Tausug and a graduate of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, who is the Grand Mufti (chief religious scholar and explainer of the law) of Region 9, issued a legal opinion that anyone claiming the throne of the Sultanate of Sulu is deemed disqualified if he seeks an elective post in government.

Hence, based on this legal opinion it declared Jamalul, Esmail and Muedzul-lail as disqualified to be Sultan for being involved in politics. The latter is the son of the late Sultan Mahakuttah Kiram who is a nephew of Sultan Fuad Kiram. Muedzul-lail, popularly known as Butch, had himself crowned also as Sultan of Sulu. The declaration of Mufti Abdulbaki is supported by Imams and Islamic scholars.

Therefore, Mufti Abdulbaki’s legal opinion renders Jamalul, Esmail and Muedzul-lail to be disqualified and bereft of legitimacy to be Sultan because they all ran for public office.

Jamalul ran for Senator in 2007 as one of the administration candidates of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but lost in that election.
Many years back, Esmail ran in 1992 for Sulu provincial board member and he also lost. 

Muedzul-lail ran in 2007 for “Barangay Kagawad” or village councilor (the lowest public position in Philippine local government) in his home village of San Raymundo, Jolo, Sulu, and he also lost because his constituents did not vote for him.

Thus, based on primogeniture (blood line of father to son) and law of succession of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu, and based on undeniable proof and evidence, His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st is the true and legitimate Sultan — no one else.

The Moro National Liberation Front and the Tausug people of Sulu and Sabah or North Borneo today recognize His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st as the Sultan.
Sultan Fuad’s words of condolence to Lahad Datu standoff victims
The government-recognized and legitimate Sultan of Sulu & Sabah, His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st, through his Royal Protocol officer, issued these words of condolence to the family of the victims of Lahad Datu standoff in Sabah.

“His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram 1st, the Sultan of Sulu & the Sultan of Sabah and Head of Islam, with the Royal Family, Royal Cabinet and our beloved Tausug people, along with all members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), headed by MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari, together with our global supporters the noble patriots, offer our deepest sorrow and heartfelt condolences to the families and relatives of the slain and we sadly mourn the loss of life of our 12 Tausug men in the encounter in Lahad Datu, Sabah, with Malaysian forces with 2 dead and 3 wounded as per media reports.
Reaffirmation of Philippine ownership of Sabah
“We repeat our call to all parties to exercise restraint, calm and sobriety so that this issue is resolved by peaceful means. As we always stated before and we repeat once more, Sabah is owned by the Royal Sultanate of Sulu since 1658 to this day and co-equally owned by the Philippines and all Filipinos by virtue of the Sabah sovereignty transfer signed by our royal father His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram 1st (Sultan 1947 to 1973) from the Royal Sultanate of Sulu to the Republic of the Philippines on September 13, 1962 during the incumbency of His Excellency President Diosdado Macapagal.”

Royal Kiram Sultans Great Ancestor 

Our great forefather and ancestor HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1823 to 1844), who first used the surname “Kiram” as before him the Sultans of Sulu had no surname and he was the first Kiram Sultan plus his son and grandchildren then our father together made seven (7) Kiram Sultans of Sulu and Sabah from 1823 up to 1973, whereupon our late eldest brother HM Sultan Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram became Sultan of Sulu and Sabah from 1974 to 1986. 

Policy to Recover Sabah from Illegal Occupation of Malaysia 

Our policy as Sabah landowner supported by the MNLF is to recover Sabah from the illegal occupation of Malaysia and to use the resources of Sabah with an annual gross domestic product of over US$60 billion to develop and assist our people in Sabah, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Zamboanga and Palawan, to provide free hospitals, free education and assisted free housing, drinking water supply systems, refuge for the orphans, widows, elderly, destitute and underprivileged and other much needed infrastructures for our people. 

Sad to say, these services and infrastructures are non-existent in the dominions of the Sultanate of Sulu. We urge Malaysia to pay the correct amount of rent based on the current market value of Sabah amounting to US$6 billion per year rental fee corresponding to 10% of Sabah’s annual GDP of over US$60 billion and/ or agree to a “joint administration” of Sabah and split the income derived between the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysia. 

This offer of joint administration is also offered to all the Sultans of the Federation of Malaysia to be the joint venture partners of the Sultanate of Sulu to resolve the Sabah issues. If these two proposals are not acceptable then Malaysia must vacate Sabah and return Sabah to the Sultanate of Sulu. 

Sulu Sabah Genuine Autonomous Region (“SSGAR”) 

To reunite the Tausugs of Sulu dominions and the Tausugs of Sabah who for centuries were together as one people we propose the creation of the Sulu Sabah Genuine Autonomous Region (“SSGAR”) as part of the Philippines with taxes, resources and riches sharing between the Philippines and our SSGAR, with a Parliamentary Monarchy with us and our heirs and successors as the Reigning Sultan in our dominions of Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and Sabah as the SSGAR territories similar to Aland Suomi autonomy of Finland enjoyed by over 65,000 Alanders since 1921 that has its own parliament, own government administering services to its people, own police force, own law courts, own passport (with Sulu and Sabah on top and Philippines below), own flag, own symbol, and can accept foreign direct investment (“FDI”), as well as being a member of ASEAN and other regional groupings of nations similar to Aland Suomi as member of Nordic Council and a veto on international agreements of the Philippines that can impact on the welfare and well-being of Sulu and Sabah people and finally the SSGAR is guaranteed by the Philippines and the United Nations (like Aland Suomi guaranteed by Finland’s Constitution and U.N.), and provided however that the SSGAR shall enshrine the Royal Commission Against Corruption (“RCAC”) to guard against the “improper and corrupt conduct of any government personnel to assure that the taxes of our people are used solely for the their intended services and well-being of our people of Sulu and Sabah.” 

Free and Independent Sabah

Concomitantly, if the SSGAR is not feasible for whatsoever reason we give our support for a Free and Independent Sabah to emerge in Sabah -- whereby the people of Sabah will be the masters of their own destiny -- with a Parliamentary Monarchy and the members of our Sabah Parliament elected by our people on a 4 year period, with us and our heirs and successors as the Reigning Sultan, and with the RCAC also as one provisions and a Parliament that will administer laws and services to our Sabah people to determine how, when and where the over US$60 billion Sabah yearly Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”) from oil and gas, agriculture, tourism and other industries will be spent to benefit our Sabah people. Since our own beloved father His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947 to 1973) transferred the Sabah sovereignty to the Philippines from the Royal Sultanate of Sulu on 12 September 1962, then we as his last son and heir and the Reigning Sultan solely and singularly can determine the Sabah sovereignty and no one else for the benefits of our people.

Free hospitals, free education and assisted free housing will be the core of government policies of our SSGAR and an Independent Sabah. 

MNLF as our Royal Police Force 

Central to our SSGAR and a Free and Independent Sabah policy is for the MNLF to become a political party with other political parties to be formed that will commit to administer services to all our people for us to build our peaceful society under a Parliament elected by our people on a 4 year term wherein the party with more seats in Parliament shall form the government under the reign of HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I and his heirs and successors according to law as the Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. We also envisage that the MNLF troops shall be our Royal Police Force in the SSGAR and Independent Sabah. 

Tausugs Seek Help of the United Nations & International Community to Protect Their Right as a Minority

Our grave concern and our beloved Tausug people numbering over 9 million scattered in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, Zamboanga peninsula and Sabah, that the Tausug people being a minority group in over 90 million Christian dominated population, that our centuries old arts and culture, Tausug language, identity and values as a people, now being eroded may be lost forever to our Tausug future generations. 

The Tausugs are the Indigenous People of the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah

We and our Tausug people seek protection of the United Nations and the international community to protect our rights as a minority group in the Philippines. 

This plea of protection to the United Nations has a precedent when the League of Nations in 1921 granted protection to Aland Suomi people in Finland to protect their own identity, arts and culture, customs and traditions and the Aland’s language. 

Aland Suomi Autonomy/ Protectorate in Finland 
Aland islands as an autonomy/ protectorate state though part of Finland has its own parliament, administration and own government providing services to its people, flag, national anthem, police force, army, collects taxes, accepts aid and foreign direct investments, issues passports to its citizens with Suomi Aland and Finland symbols and names in equal sizes. Aland’s official language is Swedish while the rest of Finland is Finnish. 

Aland is a member of the Nordic Council (regional grouping of Nordic nations) and can veto any international agreement that will affect Aland and its people. The Aland’s parliament had to ratify the decision of Finland to join the European Union before Finland joined the EU. 

Aland is an example of autonomy/ protectorate that works well for the Alanders and guaranteed their rights as a minority under the League of Nations since 1921 that became the United Nations. 

We favor a Sulu Sabah Genuine Autonomous Region with a Protectorate Status patterned and similar to Aland Suomi of Finland in the Royal Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah to re-unite our beloved Tausug people again with a Parliamentary Monarchy and Members of Parliament elected by our people to pursue peace, harmony, stability and prosperity in our beloved Sultanate. 

This Autonomy/ Protectorate Status can also be the template in all Royal Sultanates of Mindanao or Southern Philippines like Maguindanao and Buayan that will respect the customs and traditions, religion, languages, arts, and cultures of Muslim Filipinos. This will result in peace in Mindanao that evaded the Philippines for more than 50 years. This will also stop clandestine operations of Malaysia and other foreign nations in the internal affairs of the Philippines and Mindanao. 

Please browse and share our pride in our customs and traditions, our system of government that started since 1390 and existing to this day. Also, please note that the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah is an “Unconquered Kingdom” of warriors, brave and courageous, dedicated to the defense of their beloved kingdom, people, Tausug language and their customs and traditions that persisted for over 600 years today. 

ABOUT US

We are in the service of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sabah under the benevolent reign of HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I, The Sultan of Sulu & The Sultan of Sabah, the 35th Sultan, Head of Islam and Head of Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah, after his late brother HM Sultan Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram, 34th Sultan (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1974-1986), and his late father HM Sultan Muhammad E. Kiram I, 33rd Sultan (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947-1973).

Our primary duty and concern are to present to the world the undeniable truth and facts about the Royal Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah . The Kingdom of Sulu was founded in 1390 but became the Sultanate of Sulu in 1457 while Sabah, Palawan including Spratly islands, were annexed in 1658 as the gifts eternal of the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu bestowing lawful ownership to the Sultan of Sulu and the Sultanate of Sulu to this day.

Royal House of Sulu & Sabah and Royal House of Brunei, One Family that Fought Invasion of Spain for Centuries

The Royal House of Sulu and Sabah and the Royal House of Brunei are related by blood as one family. From 1521 to 1690, the Sultans of Sulu and Sultans of Brunei fought jointly the invasion and conquest of Spain in their dominions in Muslim Philippines to claw back Muslim territories conquered by force by Spain leading to the Muslim people being displaced, dispossessed and ejected from their lands and properties in the Philippines, till the Muslims only occupy a very small portion of Mindanao to this modern day.

From the beginning, Rajah Lapu-Lapu or Kaliph Pulaka (a Muslim royal prince in the Visayas), killed Spain’s explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 on Mactan island near Cebu. Rajah Suleiman (raja muda, crown prince of Brunei and son of the Brunei Sultan), Muslim royal ruler of Manila with his brave and courageous Bruneian and Tausug warriors, defended valiantly the Manila invasion of Don Miguel Lopez Dux de Legazpi on 3 June 1571 (first Spanish governor general) but Rajah/ Datu/ Pengiran Suleiman -- the son and crown prince of the Brunei Sultan was heavily wounded and the Manila Muslim capital of Luzon fell to the superior firepower and cannons of de Legazpi.

Whereupon de Legazpi built his fortress called "Intramoros" as he used the Muslim captives as slaves to build it that became Intramuros and so began the more than 300 years of Spanish conquest that was resisted by the Royal Sultanate of Sulu to the bitter end in 1898.

Sultans of Sulu & Sabah Fought Spain Alone from 1691 to 1898
From 1691 to 1898, the Sultans of Sulu with his brave and courageous Tausug warriors fought singularly the Spanish conquest and invasion in the Philippines till Spain lost to the U.S.A. in the Spanish American War in Cuba in 1898.

Spain did not conquer.  USA Two Massacres of Muslims in 1906 & 1913, Japan Failed to Conquer in World War II

The Royal Sultanate of Sulu is known to the world as the “Unconquered Kingdom” as it was never conquered by the Spaniards ever since they arrived in the Philippines in 1521 (up to their departure in 1898) and it defied the USA occupation from 1898 to 1946 that resulted in massacres of tens of thousands of Muslim Tausugs by the US Army in Bud Dajo 1906 carried out by the troops commanded by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood called the Butcher of Bud Dajo and by the Exterminator of Bud Bagsak -- Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing who commanded the US Army killing of thousands of Muslim Tausugs that included helpless women and children. The USA through its US Army as a new world power that replaced Spain will be remembered for its brutal policies of killing thousands of Muslim Tausugs on its first major incursion in the Muslim world.

The Japanese also failed to conquer the Royal Sultanate as its first invasion force was killed one by one by the Tausugs during their march in Asia in World War II, till the Japanese Army withdrew ifs forces in Sulu and never returned, but they conquered the Philippines, because Sulu is a kingdom of warriors all consecrated in the defense of their beloved kingdom and their beloved Sultan.

The Unconquered Kingdom Signed Treaties as Sovereign & Powerful State

The sovereign Kingdom of Sulu founded in 1390 was transformed into the Sultanate of Sulu in 1457 to this day. As proof of its sovereign status as a powerful Kingdom and Sultanate it signed treaties and was recognized by China in 1417, U.S.A. on 5th February 1842, France on 20th February 1845, U.S.A. again on 20th August 1899 entitled the Bates Treaty and also other treaties with Portugal, Holland, Great Britain and Spain.

The Americans occupied the Sultanate with disastrous consequences as a result of the 1898 Treaty of Paris as enumerated below:

• Spain Fraudulently Included the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah in the 1898 Treaty of Paris

Spain unlawfully included the Sultanate of Sulu as part of the Philippines when Spain signed the 1898 Treaty of Paris, that was a treaty of surrender by Spain to the U.S.A., as Spain lost the Spanish American War in Cuba in 1898. Spain ceded/ sold its possessions of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines . Spain did not conquer and did not own the Sultanate of Sulu unlike the Philippines, so Spain had no right to sell it to the U.S.A.

The Americans, misled by Spain and worried on the inclusion of the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah in the 1898 Treaty of Paris, compelled HM Sultan Haji Mohammad Jamalul Kiram II (Sultan 1893-1936, brother of the grandfather of Sultan Fuad I), to sign the Bates Treaty on 20th August 1899. The Bates Treaty was proof absolute that the 1898 Treaty of Paris was unlawful and questionable in relation to the Article ceding the Sultanate to the U.S.A.

• The 1899 Bates Treaty Guaranteed Sovereignty & Protection of the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah by the Americans

The 20 August 1899 Bates Treaty stipulated the guaranteed and continued sovereignty and enshrined the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah as a United States Protectorate.

However, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt singularly abrogated and terminated the 1899 Bates Treaty on 2nd March 1904, without informing and without the consent of the Sultan of Sulu & Sabah, making the said termination of the U.S.A. null and void and not valid because, as per Law of Treaties and based on International Law, no one party can terminate a treaty without the knowledge and consent of the other party.

Therefore, based on the Law of Treaties under International Law, the 20th August 1899 Bates Treaty signed by the U.S.A. will show and point to the truth that the Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah is still a sovereign state and a United States Protectorate today.

But Sultan Fuad I and the Royal Cabinet favor an Autonomy/ Protectorate Status similar to Aland Suomi Islands of Finland.

Sultan Fuad I respects the actual view of the international community of nations and the Philippine government that the sovereignty of Sulu archipelago and Sabah is vested to the Republic of the Philippines (without consent by the people of the Sultanate). However, due to historical facts and aforementioned legal evidence, he does not agree with this view and he and his committed supporters work for the full restoration of sovereignty of the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah by peaceful means. Sovereignty, as we see it, can be achieved initially by the Royal Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah having an Autonomy/ Protectorate Status like Aland Suomi of Finland.

Malaysia Illegally Occupied Sabah From 1963 to This Day & Our Policy to Recover Sabah

Sabah and the island of Palawan plus Spratlys were gifts eternal by the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu in 1658 that became the properties of the Sultan of Sulu and the Sultanate of Sulu in 1658 to this day. Sabah was illegally and unlawfully occupied by Malaysia since 1963 without the consent of the lawful owners namely the Sultan of Sulu and the good people of the Sultanate of Sulu.
It is the stated policy of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and its beloved people and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) a Permanent Observer Member of the OIC to recover Sabah from the illegal occupation of Malaysia.

Fake Sultans & Impostors
Since the death of the 34th Sultan, HM Sultan Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram in 1986, many impostors and fake sultans of Sulu and Sabah without rights installed themselves “sultans” because of greed and personal vested interests. Many of them are funded by Malaysia to confuse people and stop the Sabah recovery efforts of HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I and the MNLF along with many thousands Patriots to Recover Sabah from Malaysia, globally. These fake sultans are not sons of His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan 1947 to 1973), thus they are bogus, impostors and fake sultans.  They just want to make money out of the Sabah issue and/or claim the deposited assets of the late Sultan of Sulu and Sabah in foreign banks.
We are duty-bound to expose these fake sultans to right the wrong, as these impostors are not related to the Royal Kiram blood line of succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah and/ or the Royal Kiram Sultans, as they are not the sons and are not lawful successors to the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (33rd Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1947 to 1973).
To be the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah, the successor must be the son of the Sultan because to be Sultan is from father to son only as prescribed by law of primogeniture.  By primogeniture the son of the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I is his last son His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah.  Also as a vital part of the Law of Succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah that the successor must have at least five (5) ancestors who were consecutive Sultans of Sulu and Sabah.

HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I, the True & Legitimate Sultan
Only HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I, the 35th Sultan, fulfilled these sacred, vital and necessary requirements of the Royal Law of Succession of the Royal Family of Sulu and Sabah.
In 2012, the Sultanate of Sulu is 622 years old. Forr 189 years, the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah since 1823, was a direct heir and direct blood line of the Kiram Royal Sultans from the time HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram I ascended to the throne of Sulu and Sabah and first used the surname of "Kiram" (he was the great ancestor of HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I and the primogenitor of the unbroken lineage of the Royal Kiram Family dynasty of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah that exists to this day).

OFFICIAL POLICY:

"Reject Terrorism & Friendship with all Religions"
The Vision and Official Policy of HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I wherein all activities of the Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah are based: “We Reject Terrorism and Pursue Peaceful Co-Existence with others and all religions of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism, Jewism, etc., through Peace, Unity, Brotherhood, Understanding, Harmony, and Stability in the Sultanate, the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region.”
This website will help clear the many misconceptions and problems created by the stolen sovereignty of and the arbitrary annexation without people’s consent of the Sultanate of Sulu, by the many impostors and fake sultans, and the illegal occupation of Sabah by Malaysia. Please browse through all the information presented and do not forget to inform your family members and friends to visit us also.