The Manili massacre refers to the

mass murder Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...

of 70 Moro Muslims, including women and children, committed in a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in Manili, Carmen, North Cotabato,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

on June 19, 1971. The Muslim residents of the town had gathered in their mosque to participate in a supposed peace talk with

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

groups when a group of armed men dressed in uniforms similar to those worn by members of the Philippine Constabulary opened fire on them. It was suspected that the Ilaga militant group were the attack's perpetrators, but there were also allegations that the Philippine Constabulary had collaborated with the Ilaga. No one was found culpable for the incident; Feliciano Lucas, also known as "Commander Toothpick", the Ilaga leader who was the prime suspect in the crime, was released after he "surrendered" to

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

at the Malacañang Palace. The incident resulted in increased hostilities between Moro Muslims and Christians. In response to the incident, former Libyan leader

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

provided military aid to the secessionist group Moro National Liberation Front.

References

{{Moro conflict 1970s in Islam Mosque massacres in Asia Massacres in the Philippines History of Cotabato Massacres in 1971 Attacks on buildings and structures in 1971 Attacks on religious buildings and structures in the Philippines 20th-century mass murder in the Philippines Massacres under the Marcos dictatorship Mosque shootings Persecution of Muslims by Christians 1971 murders in the Philippines June 1971 in Asia 1971 mass shootings in Asia Mass shootings in the Philippines Libya–Philippines relations Crime in Mindanao 20th-century attacks on mosques

See also

References