Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram (born 28 August 1966)
is the head of the
Royal House of Sulu, a position which he has held since 16 February 1986. As the eldest son of the former Sultan
Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram (who reigned 1974–1986), he is the legitimate heir claimant to the throne of the
Sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Kasultanan sin Sūg'', كاسولتانن سين سوڬ; malay language, Malay: ''Kesultanan Sulu''; fil, Sultanato ng Sulu; Chavacano: ''Sultanato de Sulu/Joló''; ar, سلطنة سولك) ...
.
He is a
pretender
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...
to the throne as the 35th Sultan of Sulu.
Personal life
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram was born on 28 August 1966 on the island of Jolo in present-day Philippines, the eldest son of Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram, 34th Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo and his first wife Dayang-Dayang Farida Tan-Kiram.
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram studied at
Universidad de Zamboanga
Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) is a private nonsectarian coeducational higher education institution in Zamboanga City, Philippines, founded on October 12, 1948, by Engr. Arturo Eustaquio, Sr. It was formerly known as Zamboanga A.E. Colleges unti ...
in
Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...
where he got his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
Between 1995 and 1996, he continued his higher studies in Islam in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
As of 2016, he lives on the island of
Jolo
Jolo ( tsg, Sūg) is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has ...
.
Currently, he is also involved as a local civic leader on the island and
Sulu
Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamor ...
in general, regularly meeting with the local population.
He is married to Ampun Dayang Babai Mellany S. Kiram and has seven children:
# Raja Muda Moh. Ehsn S. Kiram
# Datu Nizamuddin S. Kiram
# Dayang-Dayang Rahela S. Kiram
# Datu Jihad S. Kiram
# Datu Mujahid S. Kiram
# Dayang-Dayang Redha S. Kiram
# Datu Mahakuttah S. Kiram
Coronation
Datu Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram was crowned as Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Sulu on 24 May 1974 beside his father in Sulu, under Memorandum Order No. 427, which was issued by President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
, President of Philippines.
The ceremony was held in Jolo, Sulu.
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram is the last recognised Raja Muda (Crown Prince) by the
Philippine government
The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...
. When his father died in 1986, Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram could not take the crown because of his age, which led to relatives trying to claim the crown for themselves.
Raja Muda Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram was crowned Sultan in a coronation event on the island of Jolo on 16 September 2012.
Acceptance
The
Mindanao Examiner
The ''Mindanao Examiner'' is an independent regional newspaper published and edited every week with general circulation in Mindanao, Philippines.
It is located at the Unit 15, 3F Fairland Bldg., Mayor Vitaliano Agan Avenue, Zamboanga City
Za ...
recognizes Sultan Kiram as the "legitimate Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo."
Sultan Kiram is acknowledged as the Sultan of Sulu by the former Chairman of the
Mindanao Development Authority
The Mindanao Development Authority (Filipino: ''Pangasiwaang Pangkaunlaran ng Mindanao'', abbreviated MinDA) is a government agency of the Philippines created through Republic Act 9996 or the Mindanao Development Authority Act of 2010. The office ...
,
Emmanuel Piñol.
Nikkei Asia
''Nikkei Asia'', known as ''Nikkei Asian Review'' between 2013 and 2020, is a major Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine focussed on the Asian continent, although it also covers broader international developments. It is headquartered ...
identifies him as the "reigning sultan" of Sulu.
The
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
describes Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram as the "living sultan of Sulu".
A leading broadsheet in the Philippines, the
Daily Tribune constantly publishes Sultan Muedzul Kiram as the Sultan of Sulu.
On his official Twitter account,
Teodoro Locsin Jr., former
Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Philippines)
The secretary of foreign affairs ( Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Ugnayang Panlabas'') is the Cabinet of the Philippines member in charge of implementing foreign policy for the government of the Philippines as the head of the Department of Foreign Affa ...
acknowledged a letter addressed to him from Sultan Kiram.
Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl
Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram awards the
Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl as a formal Royal Honour.
Notable members of the Order include
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
awardee and
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
Lech Walesa
Lech may refer to:
People
* Lech (name), a name of Polish origin
* Lech, Czech, and Rus, Lech, the legendary founder of Poland
* Lech (Bohemian prince)
Products and organizations
* Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Po ...
. The Philippine government has officially recognized the continued existence of the Sultanate of Sulu as recorded on the
Philippine Gazette in 1957 and 1962.
Regnal name
Kiram's full regnal name is ''His Royal Majesty Paduka Mahasari Al-
Maulana Ampun Sultan Hadji Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram ibni Almarhum Sultan Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram, The 35th Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo.''
Honours and awards
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram has received honours from a number of Royal Houses and other awards:
*
Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
,
Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Georgia)
*
Grand Cordon,
Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam
The Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam (, , ; french: Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam, Ordre du Dragon Vert) was created in 1886 in the city of Huế, by Emperor Đồng Khánh of the Imperial House of Annam, upon the "recommendation" of t ...
(Vietnam)
*
Grand Cordon, Order of the Ethiopian Lion
*
Royal Order of the Engabu (Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara - Uganda)
*
Honorary Cross,
Royal and merciful Society of Belgium
* US President's Lifetime Achievement Award
* Grand Cross of the Royal Confraternity Of Saint Teotonio
*Accademico d'Onore Classe Speciale - Real Academia Sancti Ambrosii Martyris Italia
2013 Lahad Datu standoff
Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram clearly and emphatically decried these actions led by
Jamalul Kiram III
Jamalul ibni Punjungan Kiram III (16 July 1938 – 20 October 2013) was a former self-proclaimed Sultan of the Sulu Sultanate who claimed to be "the poorest sultan in the world". He was known as an unsuccessful candidate for senator in the Ph ...
, a self-proclaimed pretender to the throne in a press release and on a
Malaysiakini
''Malaysiakini'' (meaning in English: "Malaysia Now") is an online news portal published in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil. Malaysiakini receives over 2.3 million page-views per day on desktop and mobile. Alexa ranked ''malaysiakini.com'' ...
TV interview.
Genealogy
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram is the grandson of Sultan Mohammed Esmail Kiram (1950–1973) while Sultan Muwallil Wasit II (1936) was his great-grandfather and Sultan Jamalul Kiram II (1893–1936) was his great-granduncle. He is a direct male descendant and the legitimate heir to throne of the Sultanate of Sulu.
Ancestry
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram's
patriline
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
is the line from which he is descended father to son.
;House of Kiram
# Sultan Alimud Din I
# Sultan Sharapud Din
# Sultan Alimud Din II
# Sultan Jamalul Kiram I
# Sultan Mohammed Polalun Kiram
# Sultan Jamalul Alam
# Sultan Mawallil Wasit Kiram
# Sultan Mohammed Esmail Kiram
# Sultan Mohammed Mahakuttah Kiram
# Raja Muda Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram
References
External links
Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl of SuluThe official website of Royal House of Sulu
Line of succession of the Sultans of Sulu of the Modern Erafrom the Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiram, Muedzul Lail Tan
1966 births
Filipino people of Chinese descent
People from Sulu
Filipino datus, rajas and sultans
Filipino Muslims
Claimants of the Sultanate of Sulu throne
Living people
Tausūg people