Welcome to the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah Official Website

Best wishes and welcome to the official website of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sabah . Our Royal Family with our four sons and two daughters namely HRH Prince Ezzarhaddon A. Kiram -- Crown Prince of Sabah (Prince of Kota Kinabalu), HRH Prince Al-Mezzheer A. Kiram -- Crown Prince of Sulu (Prince of Jolo), HRH Prince Fuad A. Kiram -- Prince of Sandakan, HRH Prince Mohammad Ismail A. Kiram -- Prince of Maimbung, with HRH Princess Leila Mae Kiram and HRH Princess Maryam Jaya Kiram, offer you also their warm greetings.

Law of Succession of the Sultanate of Sulu & Sabah

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 Sultan of Sulu and Sabah . There are three (3) sacred and vital provisions of this Law of Succession, i.e.:

1) That the most capable and most suitable among the male heirs and direct descendants (sons or grandsons) of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947 to 1973) must ascend the throne, and;

2) That the Proclamation of the Royal Datus and the Sharifs (descendants of Prophet Mohammed) of Sulu and Sabah must be secured as to who is the Sultan among the male heirs and direct descendants of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (as members of the Royal Kiram blood line of succession), and;

3) That the successor must have at least five (5) ancestors who were consecutive Sultans of Sulu and Sabah.

Proclaimed by the Royal Datus, the Sharifs & the MNLF

We were proclaimed the 35th Sultan by the Royal Datus and the Sharifs of Sulu and Sabah and the Moro National Liberation (MNLF) the freedom fighter organization representing the people. We are the last surviving son of HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I, our beloved departed father, who wrote the power of attorney to recover Sabah from Malaysia in 1962 and 1969 in favor of the Republic of the Philippines, and our rights as lawful and legitimate landowners of Sabah remained intact and the same since 1658 up to this day.

Royal Kiram Sultans Great Ancestor

Our great forefather and ancestor HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1823 to 1844), was the first Kiram Sultan plus his son and grandchildren then my father together made seven (7) Kiram Sultans of Sulu and Sabah 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 landowners 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$100 billion to develop and assist our people in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Zamboanga and Palawan, to build schools, roads, drinking water supply systems, telecommunications, hospitals and medical health services, refuge for the orphans, widows, elderly, destitute and underprivileged. 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 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 or joint venture is also offered to all the Royal Sultans of the Federation of Malaysia to be the joint venture partners of the Sultanate of Sulu to resolve the Sabah issues.

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

Our grave concern and our beloved Tausug people now only numbering over 3 million scattered in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, Zamboanga peninsula and Sabah, that the Muslim Tausug people being a minority group in 90 million Philippine Christian dominated population, and we fear our centuries old arts and culture, our Tausug language, identity and values as a people, now being eroded may be lost forever to the 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 Soumi people in Finland to protect their own identity, arts and culture, customs and traditions and the Aland’s language.

Aland Soumi Autonomy/ Protectorate

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, accepts aid and foreign direct investments, issues passports to its citizens with Soumi 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 guarantees their rights as a minority under the League of Nations that became the United Nations.

Please browse and share our pride in our customs and traditions, our system of government that started since 1405 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 and their customs and traditions that persisted for over 600 years.

ABOUT US

We are in the service of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sabah under the benevolent auspices of HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I, The Sultan of Sulu & The Sultan of Sabah, the 35th Sultan, 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 Sulu and Sabah . The Kingdom of Sulu was founded in 1405 but became the Sultanate of Sulu in 1457 while the Sultanate of Sabah, including Palawan, were annexed in 1658 as the gifts 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 .

Rajah Lapu-Lapu, a Muslim royal prince, killed Spain ’s explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 on Mactan island.

Rajah Suleiman (raja muda, crown prince of Brunei and son of the Brunei Sultan), Muslim royal ruler of Manila with his Bruneian and Tausug warriors, defended valiantly the Manila invasion of Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1570 (first Spanish governor general) but Rajah/ Datu/ Pengiran Suleiman was heavily wounded and the Manila Muslim capital of Luzon fell to the superior firepower and cannons of de Legazpi.

Sultans of Sulu & Sabah Fought Spain Alone from 1690 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.

The Unconquered Kingdom Signed Treaties as Sovereign & Powerful State

The 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 was never subjugated by the Japanese during their march in Asia in World War II, as Sulu is a kingdom of warriors, all consecrated in the defense of their beloved kingdom and their beloved Sultan.

The sovereign Kingdom of Sulu founded in 1405 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, 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 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.

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 by the Sultanate becoming a joint Philippine and U.S. Protectorate.

Malaysia Illegally Occupied Sabah From 1963 to This Day

Sabah and the island of Palawan were gifts 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 Sultanate of Sulu and its beloved people 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. These fake sultans want to make money out of the Sabah issue and to 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 male heirs and direct descendants of and are not lawful successors to the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (33rd Sultan of Sulu and Sabah 1947 to 1973) and they are never proclaimed as Sultan by the Royal Datus and the Sharifs of Sulu and Sabah.

To be the Sultan of the Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah, the successor must belong to the Royal Kiram blood line of succession as male heir and direct descendant of the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I, and that the Proclamation of the Royal Datus and the Sharifs of Sulu and Sabah as “Sultan” must be fulfilled and secured. 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 three (3) sacred, vital and necessary requirements of the Royal Law of Succession of the Kingly Family of Sulu and Sabah.

In 2008, the Sultanate of Sulu is 603 years old, and for 185 years the Sultan of Sulu and Sabah since 1823 was a direct heir of the Kiram Royal Sultans from the time HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram I ascended to the throne of Sulu and Sabah (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 of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah that exists to this day).

Official Policy: Reject Terrorism & Peaceful Co-Existence

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 through Peace, Unity, Harmony and Stability in the Sultanate, the Philippines and other parts of the world.”

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 & Sabah, 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.

GENEALOGY & SUCCESSION BASED ON LAW OF SUCCESSION OF THE KINGLY FAMILY OF THE ROYAL HASHEMITE SULTANS OF SULU & SABAH: HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I is the most capable and most suitable member of the Royal blood line as per Law of Succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah and is the legitimate and lawful Royal Hashemite Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad A. Kiram I is the brother of the late HM Sultan Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram (Sultan 1974-1986) and son of the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan 1947-1973), who gave the power of attorney to Philippine Pres. Diosdado Macapagal in 1962 then to Philippine Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1969 for the Philippine Government to recover Sabah. His grandfather was HM Sultan Mawallil Wasit Kiram, successor to his brother HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram II (Sultan 1893-1936), childless, who died of poisoning. HM Sultan Mawallil Wasit Kiram ruled only for six (6) months due to death by poisoning in 1936, whereupon the throne was inherited by his first-born son HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I. The father of HM Jamalul Kiram II was HM Sultan Jamalul Ahlam Kiram who leased North Borneo (Sabah) to a British Company in 1878. HRH Prince Ezzarhaddon A. Kiram is the Crown Prince of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sabah and is known as the Prince of Kota Kinabalu while his brother HRH Prince Al-mezzheer A. Kiram is the Crown Prince of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and is known as the Prince of Jolo.