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94 INTERMINGLING OF CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITYintention of creating an independent “Moro Nation.” Thisled to the Islamic insurgency in the Philippines. Seekingan end to the hostilities, the Philippine governmentdecided to hold peace talks in 1976. Unfortunately, bothsides were unable to settle on an agreement so hostilitiescontinued for the next two decades. As the hostilitiescontinued, the group began to suffer from internalfactionalism. Disagreements between moderates andconservatives arose after the reluctance of the MNLF tohold a violent insurgency. The more conservative MoroIslamic Liberation Front (MILF) was formed in 1981when Salamat Hashem and his followers broke off fromthe MNLF. The basic difference between MNLF andMILF is that MNLF is more opened, nationalist orientedwhile MILF is less opened, Islamist oriented and stillstrongly believe in the struggle of an independent BangsaMoro. For further study on these groups see Gowing(1979), Gutierrez (1999) and Jubair (1997).3Sharia (Islamic Law) is the body of Islamic religious law. Theterm means “way or path to the water source.” The sourceof Islamic law is al-Quran and Hadits (Muhammadantradition). Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-daylife, including politics, economics, banking, business,contracts, family, sexuality, hygiene, and social issues.4Mawlid Nabi is an Arabic term for the “Birth of the Prophet.It is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthdayof the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi’al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.5Shi’a is the second largest denomination of Islam, after SunniIslam. Shi’a Muslims, though a minority in the Muslimworld, constitute the majority of the populations in Iran,Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq, as well as a plurality inLebanon. The Shi’a adheres to the Qur’an and teachingsof the final Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and in contrastto Sunni Muslims, believe that the prophet’s family, theAhl al-Bayt (the People of the House), including hisdescendants known as Imams, have special spiritual andpolitical rule over the community.REFERENCESBrace Jovanovich, 1984.Gans, Herbert. Urbanism as Ways of Life: Reevaluation ofDefinitions in Neighborhood, City, and Metropolis. RobertGutman and David Popenoe. Eds. New York: RandomHouse, 1970.Gellner, Ernest. Postmodernism, Reason and Religion. London:Routledge, 1992.Gowing, Peter Gordon. Muslim Filipinos: Heritage andHorizon. Quezon City: New Day Publisher, 1979.Gutierrez, Eric. “The Re-Imagination of Bangsamoro.” Rebels,Warlords, and Ulama: A Reader on Muslim Separatism andthe War in the Southern Philippines. Kristina Gaerlan andMara Stankovitch. Eds. Quezon City: Institute for PopularDemocracy, 1999: 312.Jubair, Saleh. A Nation under Endless Tyranny. Lahore: IslamicResearch Academy Mansoorah, 1997.Kurzman, Charles. Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook. London:Oxford Univ. Press, 1998.Mousolli, Ahmad. Ed. Islamic Fundamentalism: Myths andRealities. London: Ithaca Press, 1998.Salvatore, Armando. “Discursive Contentions in Islamic Terms:Fundamentalism versus Liberalism?” Islamic Fundamentalism:Myths and Realities. Ahmad Mousolli. Ed. London: IthacaPress, 1998.Simmel, George. “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” Reader inUrban Sociology. Paul Hatt and Albert Reiss, Jr. Eds. Illinois:The Free Press, 1951.Toennies, Ferdinand. Community and Society. 1887. NewYork: Harper & Row, 1963.Wirth, Louis. “Urbanism as a Way of Life.” Reader in UrbanSociology. Paul Hatt and Albert Reiss, Jr. Eds. Illinois: TheFree Press, 1951: 195.Armstrong, Karen. The Battle for God. New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 2000.Berger, Peter. Heretical Imperative: Contemporary Possibilitiesof Religious Affirmation. New York: Anchor Press, 1979.Durkheim, Emile. The Division Labor in Society. 1893. NewYork: Free Press, 1964.Fischer, Claude. The Urban Experience. New York: HarcourtAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows