A PORTFOLIO IN MULTICULTURAL TEACHING

A PORTFOLIO IN MULTICULTURAL TEACHING

  

Presented to the College of Education and Liberal Arts

Davao Central College

In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

Ed. Sem. Subject

Submitted to:

Warlita C. Canque, Ed. D.

Submitted by:

CATEGORY B

October 29, 2013

INTRODUCTION

 Multicultural Education is an idea which has reached its time. Carrying the legacy of the 1960's and 1970's, a period of profound social change when the people of the United States were forced to reexamine their cultural heritage, multicultural education has emerged in the 1990's to address the educational needs of a society that continues to struggle with the realization that it is not mono-cultural, but is an amalgamation of many cultures.

Multicultural education is a field of study and an emerging discipline whose major aim is to create equal educational opportunities for students from diverse racial, social- class, and cultural groups. Its goal is to help all students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to function well in a democratic society. It helps students to interact and communicate with people from other groups. It facilitates the learners to understand and appreciate cultural similarities and differences from other races.

On the global news with relation to culture, Saudi Arabia has also been angered by a rapprochement between Iran, its old regional foe, and the United States, which has taken root since President Barack Obama spoke by telephone to the new Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, in the highest-level contact between the two countries in more than three decades.

Citing the Security Council's failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, take steps to end Syria's civil war and to stop nuclear proliferation in the region, Riyadh said the body had instead perpetuated conflicts and grievances.

 The Philippines is a nation of different races, cultures, traditions, and religion. Of its one thousand one hundred seven islands, people within speak different dialects. There are those who speak Tagalog, Ilocano, Ibanag, Ilonggo, Chavacano, but, all are called Filipinos. Indeed, there is diversity in the Philippines in terms of its race, ethnicity, social– class, and cultural groups. Philippine education comprises students from different races. In an averageclassroom with fifty students, several of which came from the Tagalog region, theIlocano region, and some from the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Yet in some cases like in Mindanao, still there are unsettled matters with regards to the matter of territory and culture. An arousal of war here in Mindanao came in where some of our Muslim brothers broke in war and engage several innocent people and some those victims died. The happening in Zamboanga City, on October 8, 2013 was alarming for many people abandoned the place due to so many bombings and scarcity of food, water and shelter. However, the said matter was finished and was already been settled for a while.

Multicultural teaching plays a vital role in making children understand that race, beliefs, religion and culture must not affect the harmony of people. It serves as bridge to enlighten and clearly define that many people are different in their own natural unique ways.

SUMMARY

A. Muslim Culture and Heritage

A.1. Sociopolitical Life

The introduction of Islam gave way to a social and political order not completely different from the existing structure known to the early settlers of southern Philippines. It produced an “Islamic variant” of the barangay where the pre-Islamic timuways evolved into datus of Muslim Filipinos.  On the other hand, datus of large barangays became sultans.

Under Islam, the datu was ordained as God’s viceregent or deputy whose power was sacred. He was assisted by the pandita (one learned in religious matters), and he administered justice according to the law of Islam and adat.

Foreign Muslim missionaries like Sharif Abu Bakr in Sulu and Sharif Kabungsuwan in Mindanao became leaders of communities they Islamized. They eventually married local women and adapted to the exisiting social order. With more coordination and skill than the native datus, they increased their power, which enabled their descendants to control a large following in an extensive territory. Thus, the emergence of the early Muslim Filipino sultanates in the present-day Moro society, sultans still have considerable influence and social prestige. 

A.2 Courtship and Marriage

Muslim Filipinos observe traditional courtship and marriage practices just like other Filipino groups. Because marriage is considered an alliance of families, relatives on both sides have a say on the union. Major Moro groups expect the man to court and marry a woman who comes from the same status of his family. Arranged marriage is mainly due to prestige and the parents’ wish to enable their children to enjoy a better social and economic life.

A bride-gift is an essential part of any proposed union. It is meant to compensate the bride’s family for the loss of a woman-member and to reimburse the cost of her upbringing.

A.3. Child Rearing

A ceremonial preparation of the child for adulthood called pag-islam(meaning, what Islam has required) or circumcision follows Islamic rites. It may be a simple or elaborate ceremony done by an imam or another religious personality who performs prayers and chants. 

Today’s modern medical facilities, however, make it easier for families to have their son’s circumcision done by a doctor at a hospital. Prayers are done at home and the boy is taught his responsibilities as a member of the family and the Islamic community. Islam regards an uncircumcised male adult as infidel.

Another ceremony marking a boy’s intellectual initiation is called pag-tammat  (referring to “ending” study of the Qur’an). This is an occasion which is disappearing because most parents send their children to madaris(religious schools).

A.3. Food

Each Moro group has its own distinct dishes. For the Tausugs, tiyula sugis beef cooked in water with roasted coconut wheat and a mixture of salt, garlic and flavoring herbs called pamapa. The Maguindanaoans have pizinena which is goat meat fried in coconut oil and spices. 

For the Maranaos, the well-known kiyoning or yellow rice is made by mixing rice, coconut milk and powdered kalawag (turmeric). They are proud of two kinds of Maranao desserts. Tiyateg is made of rice flour, coconut oil and brown sugar. It is strained for thinness, dropped in hot oil and rolled or folded. It is eaten with the fingers. Tiyateg looks like shredded wheat of the Westerners.  Another dessert is doldol, a thick pudding made of coconut milk, rice flour and dark sugar cooked for three hours. It is served cut into small pieces.

Food is generally eaten with bare hands while sitting on the floor. On special occasions, the floor is covered with woven colorful mats, and food is served on brass trays called talam or tabak.

A.4. Clothes

The most prominent traditional wear is the malong, a large, colorful woven cloth wrapped around the body. One common way women wear it is around the waist with its folds draped over the left arm. Men wrap it around the waist like a skirt.

The malong has many uses depending on the need of the wearer. It can be used as a cape, coat, blanket or umbrella. Maranao or Maguindanao women wear the malong over a blouse called arbita. Also, they wear a turban called kombong made of muslin fabric. White is used as kombongwhen the wearer has been to Mecca. 

In Sulu, patadyong is the people’s version of malong. It is smaller and resembles a sarong worn by people in Indonesia and Malaysia. Sawal orkantyu is loose baggy pants made of soft cloth and worn by both men and women.  Men wear the sawal with a polo shirt, while women wear it with asambra, a collarless, V-neck blouse with short sleeves. Women also wear it with a sablay, a long-sleeved blouse that reaches the hips. 

Tausug women also wear a biyatawi which is a blouse with a tight-fitting bodice that flares at the waist. It has a deep neckline that usually goes with a pendant. A dressy biyatawi has gold buttons on the sleeves, neckline and the front opening.

The men’s traditional headwear is called tobao by the Maguindanao and Maranao. In Tausug, it is called ppis. This headwear is a cloth with geometric or floral designs or Arabic calligraphy. Another common headgear is called kopiya, which is similar to the songkok used in Indonesia and Malaysia. Men who have gone to Mecca wear a white cap called kadi.

A.5. Amusement and Leisure Activities

Color, excitement and various activities mark the Maranao festival calledkalilang. It is usually held to welcome Mecca pilgrims home or to celebrate the coronation of a new sultan. It can go on the whole day or last for several days. Now a rare event, kalilang begins with the parade of dignitaries and their retinue and  members of royalty with their  colorful and bejeweled parasols (payong-a-diyakatan). They walk to the beat of drums and gongs. The event is marked with fireworks and games such as kang-galawanga (patintero), kapeso (horse racing) and sipa-salama (kicking a rattan ball with the right foot).

A.6. Literature

Moro literature embraces the whole range of oral and written expression of Moro culture, including religious and ritual literature, folk literature such as legends, myths, epics and folktales, and the symbolic speech of courtship, proverbs, and riddles. Poems, songs, and ballads are also included. Islamic religious and ritual literature includes the adhan (call to prayer),salat (ritual prayer), and du’a (supplicatory prayer) which are universal in Islam. It also includes handbooks on prayer, basic beliefs, khutbah(sermons), tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), and tasawwuf (literature focusing on the Prophet Mohammad).  

Hadis is Tausug religious oral literature on locally produced commentaries on specific items of Muslim tradition and jurisprudence.

Darangen (epic poetry) may be the best known poetic narrative of the Maranao. It consists of 25 episodes about Prince Bantugen, a godlike hero embodying physical prowess, beauty and intelligence.

Tarsila (also called salsila, sarsila or salasila, meaning “link”) is a written genealogy of an aristocratic family who claims to have descended fromsultans and datus from the time of Prophet Muhammad. Although its scope is limited, the tarsila is considered the principal source of information on the early history of the Moros. 

Stories and symbolic speeches such as riddles, proverbs, courtship dialogues and love spells are part of the literary expression of some Moro groups. Stories, like “The Red Star of Islam,” seek to edify Muslims as they remember fellow Muslims suffering in communist Russia. Proverbs and other symbolic speeches are used in the instruction of children, formal negotiations for marriage, and courtship, among others.

A notable Muslim Filipino fiction writer is Ibrahim Jubaira who has been respected and admired in the national and international communities. His stories have provided Christians a look into the lives, hearts and dreams of Mulsim Filipinos.

A.7. Music

Music is another important part of the culture. However, it should be noted that there is a distinction between music for rituals, which is basically vocal without instruments, and music for entertainment. 

Kulintang (brass gongs), kagandang (war drums), ceremonial dances andkambaioka (singers or chanters of improvised poetic compositions) are played on various occasions.  The gabbang is similar to a xylophone, whilesuling and saunay are wind instruments. The biyula is a string instrument, and the kulintangan is an ensemble of gongs and drums. The kudyapi is a two-stringed lute plucked to make beautiful sounds. The kubing  (jew’s harp) is made of bamboo and believed to make words and tell stories, if the audience could understand the language of music.

Moro musicality is also seen in songs and dances. For the Tausug, there are songs called kissa which tell about the love of datus and princesses, while heroic songs are contained in parang sibil. The Maranao kandidiagaois a melodious lament over the dead.

 There are five major types of songs for the Maranao. The kambaiok is the free rhythmic rendering of the baiok, which is improvised poetry.Kandarangen is accompanied by a gong or other similar instruments.Kadikir is sung by singers in slow, free rhythm and speaks of verses from the Qur’an and Maranao compositions with topics on Islam, morals, life, and death. Kandomana is a combination of styles of Kandarangen andKadikir. Lastly, kapranon is a song of private sentimentality sung softly.

A.8. Dance

Most Moro dances relate to pre-Islamic history. Pagipat (7 days) andpangubad (3 days) are animistic rituals for healing, while sagaian is a war dance. The most popular dance common to the Maguindanao and Maranao is singkil which has been interpreted by dance troupes over time.

The Maranao version of singkil is a female dance solo, as Maranao custom does not allow men and women to dance together. The dance speaks of a princess trying to escape from an earthquake by running and leaping on shaking stones and trying not to get her feet caught. The Maguindanao version shows a prince and princess in a contest in relation to his proposal for marriage.

Other dances are kapagasik, a graceful dance of beautiful maidens; kaganat sa darangen, a song and dance that shows ways of wearing themalong; and kapiil sa musala, a handkerchief dance usually performed by girls.

B. Christian Culture

As alternative culture pattern can be detected even in the realms of religion. He fanatics, the devotees, visitors and clergymen are leaning and teaching the rudiments of Christian practices and rituals. They are doing these as parts of traditions from their forefathers, parents and relatives. These are those members in a sect or denominations as ascribed by birth of their parents were already members before they were born. Some are voluntary chosen or affiliates who choose to transfer from one congregation to another. There is the freedom of religion anyway and it is reflected in our Constitution and Bylaws of the Republic of the Philippines.

            A Christian woman with such a strong faith, Pat Harrison, declared in her book “The Great Balancing Act”, that “she is a woman by birth, a wife by choice and a mother by blessings”. Her declaration was a picture of a woman of sufferings and agony in life yet experienced a blissful happiness.

Christians believed that there is one God and that is Christ Jesus. The people who truly claimed they are Christians did not only proclaim it by mouth but by deeds and testimonies. The writers of different books in the Holy Bible (Old and New Testament), were guided by the Holy Spirit as most of the people in. These books are still printed distributed, and read until today. Nobody of whatever power in the world was able to block its circulation anywhere on earth.

C. Culture of the Philippines

Filipinos, the term by which people of the Philippines are generally known, descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who came in droves over a thousand years ago from South East Asia. There are various ethno-linguistic groups these Filipinos are divided into. The three major groups are the Visayans, the Tagalogs, and the Ilocanos. They are genetically close to the Taiwanese aborigines, Malays of Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Polynesians.

Then there are Filipino mestizos, a term employed to refer to those who are of mixed indigenous heritage and Spanish or other foreign ancestry form. They are in minority but form an economically and politically important minority.

Linguistically speaking, the nation is amazingly diverse with more than 170 languages. Nearly all of these languages belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian language group of the Austronesian language family. The 1987 Constitution confers the status of official language to both Filipino and English. Additionally, there are twelve major regional languages with over one million speakers of each. These are Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Tausug. Also, Spanish and Arabic are used as auxiliary languages.

Around 92 percent of the Filipinos are Christians making it the world's third-largest Christian nation. Among the Christians, 83 percent belong to the Roman Catholic Church, 2 percent to the Philippine Independent Church, and 10 percent to various Protestant denominations. Some 5 percent of the Filipinos are Muslim and live primarily in parts of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.

Filipino culture blends the indigenous traditions of the Philippines with the Hispanic and American cultures, and also have distinct cultural traits of the Chinese, the Indonesians and the Indians.

The Hispanic influences come largely from the cultural influence of Spain and Mexico. The Hispanic influence stands visible in the religious festivals of the Roman Catholic Church. Filipinos hold major festivities known as barrio fiestas to commemorate their patron saints. However, what strikes one right away is the prevalence of Spanish surnames among the Filipinos. However, this was a result of a colonial decree for the systematic distribution of family names and implementation of the Spanish naming system amongst the Filipinos. So, a Spanish surname does not necessarily imply a Hispanic heritage.

Besides, some of the Chinese traits are also found in Filipino culture, particularly in the cuisine. Noodles, for instance, are known locally as mami and are a standing testament of the Chinese cuisine. Linguistic borrowings is the other way by which the Chinese culture has seeped into the Philippines.

So far as the American legacy is concerned, English stands head and shoulder above everything else that Americans might have given to the Filipino way of life. Basketball is very popular another American trait. America seems to have influenced the Philippines in much the same way as it has influenced the rest of the world– through its fast-food revolution. Fast-food joints are ubiquitous in the Philippines. McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, you just name it! Much of what is typically American can be found in the Philippines. Filipinos listen and dance to American music, throng the theaters to watch American movies, and paste the posters of American actors and actresses on their bedroom walls. Asian trends too are now making their presence felt.

However, despite all the influences, the native moral codes are still intact. The respect for the family, veneration of elders, and friendliness continue to mark a Filipino's social life. Among the national heroes, José Rizal tops the list. He was a Spanish-speaking reformist visionary whose writings influenced the sense of national identity and awareness and is a respected name still.

COMPARATIVE REPORT

Truly, the heritage and the culture of our Muslim brothers and sisters varies enormously to Christians as well as Christians to Muslims in terms of sociopolitical life, food, music, dance, child rearing, literature, amusement and leisure activities and most of all beliefs. However, the fact won’t change that even in so many differences among culture the very core of unity is because they both need each other to depend and survive.

Once, Thomas Carlyle said, “The great law of culture is: Let each become all that he was created capable of becoming”, it is clear that culture defines and sets something apart from everything else. It makes something unique, and therefore, meaningful, not only to itself but also to the diversity of the world. It brings awe and inspiration as well as interest and curiosity.

 “Christianity” is a Greek word meaning Messiah, a believer in Christ. But the word “Islam”, in the Arabic language, means “surrender” or “submission”—submission to the will of God. A follower of Christianity is called a Christian while a follower of Islam is called a Muslim. Christianity was founded by Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth at the middle period of the 1^st century, much earlier than the founding of Islam which was created by Muhammad in the early 7^th century.

Jerusalem had been the center of the Christian movement at least until its destruction by Roman armies in ad 70, and it was from this center that Christianity radiated to other cities and towns in Palestine and beyond. Islam, however, was originated in the Arabian Peninsula and gradually spread into Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain to the west, and into Persia, India, and, by the end of the 10th century, beyond to the east.  Their development and percentage of the world’s population as followers, has been pointed out by most religion theorists that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world.

Today about 1 billion Muslims are spread over 40 predominantly Muslim countries and 5 continents, and their numbers are growing at a rate unmatched by that of any other religion in the world. Despite the political and ethnic diversity of Muslim countries, a core set of beliefs continues to provide the basis for a shared identity and affinity among Muslims. According to some rough statistical calculation, the percentage of the world’s population Muslims take is up to 33% or so while Christianity occupies merely 20%. What’s more, it has been noticed that numbers of Christians have remained quite steady for decades while Muslims keep increasing with a growth rate of about 0.6% per year. And it is estimated that Islam, rather than Christianity, is to become the most popular world religion in the near future.

Most Christians believe in the Trinity—three persons in one Godhead, namely Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Muslims, however, insist that there is only one all-powerful, all-knowing God, indivisible, who created the universe. They call it Allah. This rigorous monotheism, as well as the Islamic teaching that all Muslims are equal before God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends class, race, nationality, and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, irrespective of their ethnic or national background. Christians generally consider Yeshua to be the Son of God, part of the Trinity, and worship him as God. But Yeshua is very highly respected as the second-last prophet.

Both Muslims and the Conservative Christians insist on Yeshua’s virgin birth while the liberal Christians maintain his normal birth. As for his death, Christians believed that Yeshua was executed by Roman Army and eventually ascended to Heaven while Muslims held that Yeshua was neither killed nor crucified nor suffered death but he just ascended alive into Paradise.

Adam and Eve fall from Paradise as a result of disobeying God’s prohibition, and all of humanity is cast out of Paradise as punishment. In Christians’ eyes, man is born with such an original sin and it’s Jesus Christ who came to redeem humans from this original sin so that humankind can return to God at the end of time. In contrast, the Muslims maintain that Adam and Eve were free from all major sins and faults. After their initial disobedience, Adam and Eve repented and were forgiven by God. Consequently, the descent by Adam and Eve to earth from Paradise was not a fall, but an honor bestowed on them by God. Adam and his progeny were appointed as God's messengers and vice regents, and were entrusted by God with the guardianship of the earth.

The Holy book embraced by Christians is the Bible which the Conservatives consider to be the inerrant word of God while the Liberals look upon as a historical spiritual document. Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek are all its original languages. Muslims’ Holy book is Qu’ran which is regarded as the timeless word of God, “the like of which no human can produce”, originally written in Arabic.

Christians hold that a baby is born with a sin nature, separated from God. And God needs to give him grace so that he may be saved. In Muslims’ view, however, a baby is born in a pure state of submission to Islam. A Christian always confesses his sins to either God or a priest while a Muslim would do to Allah.

The worship center for Christians is called church or cathedral while that for Muslims is called Mosque. The Christians practice their worship on Sundays while the Muslims do it on Fridays.

For Christianity, church and state are largely considered to be separated from each other. Thus, we can find that most Christian countries are democracies. On the contrary, as of Islam, church and state are invariably integrated. And we can therefore discover that most Muslim countries are dictatorships. To Christians, their law is generally restricted to legal matters and the legislation lays strong emphasis on the prerogative of the people. But to Muslims, their law covers both moral and legal matters and the legislation stresses the prerogative of God. Statues are quite common in some denominations in Christian communities while statues are absolutely forbidden in Muslim communities. Conservative and Liberal Christians differ greatly in their attitudes towards women. But in Muslim countries, women are always severely oppressed, due to strong influence by cultural traditions.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, inter-faith marriages are practiced. But within Conservative Christianity, marriages between conservative Christians and others are allowed. The case in Muslim countries is more or less the same as that in the Eastern Orthodox. A Muslim woman may not be married to a non-Muslim man.

Historically, Christians practiced prolonged and widespread anti-Judaism, anti-Semitism, oppression and mass murder to Jewish people while Muslims showed general tolerance to them apart from the additional taxation. But recently, changes in their attitudes have taken place. Christians have lessened their anti-Semitism from historical levels and gradually showed support of Israel, particularly since the Second World War. Muslims, however, have turned their tolerance into massive opposition, discrimination and physical attacks since the creation of the State of Israel and the occupation of Palestine.

Relatively speaking, Islam is much more open to new members than Christianity. Children born to Muslim parents are automatically considered Muslim. And at any time, a non-Muslim can convert to Islam by declaring himself or herself to be a Muslim. A person’s declaration of faith is sufficient evidence of conversion to Islam and need not be confirmed by others or by religious authorities. And this openness to new members may partly account for the faster growth of the Muslim community.

Despite of differences of Muslims and Christians within its religion itself and their norms and beliefs there are still some similarities of these two cultures. Firstly, the origination for both religions has a lot to do with the class conflict and oppression. They both came into being in response to people’s eagerness for peace and stabilization. Secondly, both religions profess monotheism, holding belief in a single God. Thirdly, they both have internal divisions, with various wings of unique beliefs and practices. Christianity has many more wings, such as Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, the Anglican, the Protestant and many others. As for Islam, there’re three main wings, namely Shi’ite (conservative), Sunni (moderate) and Sufi (mystical). Fourthly, they both believe in life after death, maintaining that people will go to either Heaven or Hell according to their deeds, good or evil. Fifthly, both religions show the same reaction to apostasy, practicing execution to apostates. Finally, both religions have substantial representation in all the populated continents.

CONCLUSION

All in all, as the world’s major religions, Christianity and Islam do have some features in common, such as the cause for their creation, their internal divisibility into various wings, their belief in monotheism and life after death, their reaction to apostasy and so on. But we should admit that a lot more differences regarding different aspects lie between the two religions, which probably become the main origin of many current religious conflicts. And it must be pointed out that owing to our superficial knowledge on religion and the scarcity of relevant materials on hand, such a comparative study of the two religions must necessarily be somewhat simplistic and lacking in precision.

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