Nur Misuari

Nur Misuari (Bahasa Sūg: Nūr Miswāri, born Nurallaj Misuari on March 3, 1939 in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines) is a Moro revolutionary, politician, founder and former leader of the Moro National Liberation Front.

Early Life and Education
Nur Misuari was born in Jolo, Sulu on March 3, 1939. Nur was the fourth child among a family of ten children. Nur's parents were Tausug Sama coming from Kabinga-an, Tapul Island. His parents worked as fishers. Nur's family experience financial difficulties and could not send Nur to college. Nur's teacher assisted Nur in acquiring a scholarship from the Commission on National Integration.

Nur went to the University of the Philippines Manila as a scholar in 1958 and took a degree in political science. Nur became active in many of the universities extra-curricular activities particularly in debate. After Nur graduated in the University of the Philippines, Nur entered law school but he dropped his law studies in his second year. He finished a Master's degree on Asian studies in 1966.

In 1964, Nur Misuari founded a radical student group called the Bagong Asya (New Asia). Misuari, together with Jose Maria Sison also founded the Kabataan Makabayan (Patriotic Youth).

Career
Through Dr. Cesar Adib Majul, Misuari became a lecturer at the University of the Philippines in political science. In the 1960s, he established the Mindanao Independence Movement which aimed to organize an independent state in southern Philippines. The Mindanao Independence Movement formed the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that sought political reforms from the Government of the Philippines. Unable to gain reforms, the MNLF engaged in military conflict against the Philippine vernment and its supporters between 1972 to 1976 under the leadership of Misuari. The military resistance to the government of former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos did not produce autonomy for the Moro people. He departed to Saudi Arabia in exile. He returned to the Philippines after Marcos was removed from office during the People Power Revolution in 1986.

Misuari justified the MNLF armed struggle on the non-implementation of the Tripoli Agreement, originally signed by Ferdinand Marcos and later included and accepted in the peace agreement signed by former Philippine president Fidel Ramos in the 1990s. This agreement established an autonomous region for Moros with Misuari as governor. He was removed from his office when Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became president in 2001 and was arrested in 2007 on charges of terrorism. On December 20, 2007 he was denied a petition for bail and remained under house arrest in Manila. The Philippine court however, granted the bail petition of Misuari's seven co-accused, at 100,000 pesos. On April 25, 2008, he was allowed to post bail, upon the instructions of the Cabinet security cluster. On September 9, 2013, Nur Misuari was underleaded and pledged his army for attacking Filipino and foreign civilians, wherein, the MNLF walked down to the city of Zamboanga and planned to ambush and kill the civilians, according to one of the MNLF members, who is legibly surrendered and arrested ( September 10, 2013 ), and planned to stop the crisis war, for him and to the Philippine government, also President Benigno Aquino III. But otherwise fails to have ceasefire, due to continuously attacking the rebels, until it was stopped in September 28, 2013. Since the Philippine agency wisely evident to him that he's the chairman of MNLF and should be arrested, but not taking him onto a custody and keeping him calm. He would apologize to his de-facto war crisis that he didn't solve.

Publications
The Autobiography of Nur. P. Misuari