"Relations, however, are smoother today."

An islamic city in the Philippines, with a small Christian population, showcases it's tolerance and pluralism. Of course, the Christians cannot display the cross in public, must wear muslim clothes, and are not allowed to eat pork, open karaoke bars out of "respect" to their muslim neighbours masters. Reuters

MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - Father Teresito Soganub doesn't look like a Catholic priest and, from the outside, his cathedral doesn't look like a church.

In his parish, tucked away in Marawi, the only Islamic city in the Philippines, it's easier that way.

"To avoid arguments and to avoid further misunderstandings we just plant the cross deep in our hearts," said the 47-year-old priest, who doesn't wear a crucifix or a clerical collar and sports a beard out of respect for his Muslim neighbors.

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Unique to Marawi, Muslim moral rules are part of the city code.

Alcohol and gambling are banned, Muslim women must cover their heads, the sale of pork is forbidden and karaoke clubs, the beating heart of village life across the archipelago including other Muslim regions, are a no-no.

"At home with the family we can do karaoke but we do not allow it in public," said Camid Gandamra, one of the province's numerous sultans and also secretary of transport and communications in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), a homeland for Muslims established in 1989.

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The city was the scene of fighting in a Muslim-Christian struggle in the 1970s and Catholic priests have been targeted by kidnappers, including one Irish cleric who was shot dead by would-be captors in 2001.

Relations, however, are smoother today.

Father Soganub says local Muslim leaders include him in community discussions and he is constantly having to dissuade locals from trying to find him a wife.

But his modest Santa Maria Auxiliadora Cathedral, with its corrugated iron roof, has no cross outside to show that it is a Christian church.

"People here don't want a large symbol. The residents don't want that," he said.

Catholics account for around 1 percent of Marawi's 160,000 population and Soganub is lucky if he gets 8 weddings a year.

Most celebrants prefer to get married elsewhere so they can feast on lechon, or roast pig, a staple at celebrations in Catholic parts of the country.