Dr. Ahmad Domocao Alonto
King Faisal Prize in Service to Islam 1988 Laureate
Instilling Islamic consciousness and awareness in a country considered as the bastion of Christianity in the whole of Southeast Asia is not an easy task, and the obstacle facing the Muslim minority is only one of these difficulties
Ahmad Alonto obtained a Fellowship in Arts, a B.A., and Doctorate degrees in Law from the University of the Philippines.
Dr. Alonto was a prominent Islamic figure in the Philippines and was considered one of the world’s greatest Islamic leaders of the 20th Century. He led the Islamic movement in his country for over 30 years and strove to unite Filipino Muslims, improve their living conditions, and secure their rights. At the same time, he was a preacher of non-violence and peaceful co-existence between Filipino Muslims and Christians. In the 1950s, he was the only Muslim elected to the Filipino House of Representatives and subsequently the Senate.
Dr. Alonto founded the Mindanao Islamic University, the second largest state university in the Philippines and one of the legacies of Dr. Alonto. That university provides education for both Muslim and Christian students. In addition, he founded the Mindanao Mosque and Islamic Center, the largest of its kind in the Philippines, and sponsored the translation of the Holy Quran to the Moro language. He was a member of the Makkah-based World Muslim League, the Executive Council of the World Islamic Congress, and the Central Council of the International Organization of Islamic Universities, in addition to the head of several Islamic organizations in the Philippines.
Dr. Alonto authored or translated numerous books and articles explaining the fundamental principles of Islam and promoting its values among his countrymen.
This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.
Dr. Ahmad Domocao Alonto passed away in Marawi, the Philippines on 11/12/2002.