The Islamic City of Marawi- Grappling with Sanctitiy in the Midst of Temporality

This paper would focus on the contemporaneity of Islamism in one of the cities in southern Philippines on the discourse of cultural heterogeneity or multiculturalism in an age of globalization. This would proceed from a narrative on how Marawi City acquired its title `Islamic City'; the context from which the title is supposed to be interpreted and the socio-political-economic realities such an identity has to grapple with. Within this historical framework, `sacredness' or sanctity is meant the involvement of religious authorities- the imams, the Islamic strictures that they impose and compliance of the Moslem adherents.
Based on data gathered through testimonies of selected residents, transients and former residents of Marawi City, both written (documentary) and oral (interviews), and within limits provided by time and resourcess, this author would attempt to answere the following questions;
1)How do Maranaos (native residents) of Marawi perceive their city as `Islamic'? 2)What practices support this perceived sacredness or their city? And 3)How do they respond to the challenges of multiculturalism and economic growth in this age of globalization?