How was the Moro resistance on Mindanao different from the Philippine-American War?

The Moro resistance on Mindanao and the Philippine-American War were distinct conflicts with different motivations and objectives.

• Motivation: While the Philippine-American War was a political struggle for national independence led by Filipino revolutionaries, the Moro Wars were primarily driven by religious reasons. The Moro people sought to preserve their traditional ways and Islamic faith against U.S. policies designed to assimilate them into the Philippine nation and curb practices such as slave trading.12
• Independence vs. Sovereignty: The Filipino revolutionaries fought to establish a sovereign republic following the end of Spanish rule. In contrast, the Moro resistance was largely unconnected to the revolutionary movement; the Moro fought in a futile hope of establishing their own separate sovereignty rather than joining the broader Philippine independence effort.312
• Scope and Coordination: The Philippine-American War was a broad, organized insurrection that spanned the archipelago, particularly in Luzon. The Moro resistance consisted of a series of scattered, sporadic campaigns involving Muslim bands on Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, which continued until 1913, well after the main Philippine-American conflict had subsided.31