THE RELIGION OF ISLAM AND EDUCATION CHERYL SHORE AND JULIA
BERARDELLI ECE 7513
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FACTS ABOUT THE ISLAM RELIGION The literal translation of the
word Islam is submission or to surrender Developed in the Middle
East in the 7th century C.E. Founded on the teachings of the
Prophet Muhammad as an expression of surrender to the will of
Allah, the creator and sustainer of the world. The sacred text of
Islam, The Quran, contains the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
The teachings were revealed to him from Allah. Essential to Islam
is the belief that Allah is the one and true God with no partner or
equal. Islam has several branches and much variety within those
branches. The two divisions within the tradition are the Sunni and
Shi'a. . The Muslim name for God is Allah, which is simply Arabic
for "the (al) God (Ilah)." The term is related to Elohim, the
Hebrew word for God.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ISLAM RELIGION Many Muslims are
characterized by their commitment to praying to Allah five times a
day. One of the defining characteristics of Islam is the primacy of
sacred places including Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Muslims
gather at mosques to worship Allah, pray, and study scripture.
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BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF THE ISLAM RELIGION Muslim doctrine is
often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith." To be a Muslim one
must believe in: One God; The angels of God; The books of God,
especially the Qur'an; The prophets of God, especially Muhammad;
The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife); and The supremacy of God's
will (or predestination). Muslims believe that God is the
all-powerful Creator of a perfect, ordered universe. He is
transcendent and not a part of his creation, and is most often
referred to in terms and with names that emphasize his majesty and
superiority. Among the 99 Beautiful Names of God (Asma al-Husna) in
the Qur'an are: the Creator, the Fashioner, the Life-Giver, the
Provider, the Opener, the Bestower, the Prevailer, the Reckoner,
the Recorder, the King of Kingship and the Lord of the Worlds.
Despite God's transcendence and ultimate unknowability, however,
the Qur'an does not teach that God does not know us, nor that he
remains aloof in some distant heaven. Quite the contrary: He is
present everywhere and "as close to a man as the vein in his
neck.
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BELIEFS AND PRACTICES CONTINUED 1 Along with Judaism and
Christianity, Islam belongs to the religious category of "ethical
monotheism." Allah is a God of justice, who expects righteous
behavior and submission to the divine will (the word Islam means
"submission," and a Muslim is literally "one who submits") and
punishes unrighteousness. Traditionally, five prophets are
recognized by Islam as having been sent by God (known as ulul azmi,
"the Resolute"). Noah (Nuh) Abraham (Ibrahim) Moses (Musa) Jesus
(Isa) Muhammad For a Muslim, the purpose of life is to live in a
way that is pleasing to Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is
believed that at puberty, an account of each person's deeds is
opened, and this will be used at the Day of Judgment to determine
his eternal fate. The Qur'an also suggests a doctrine of divine
predestination. Like Christianity, Islam teaches the continued
existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after
death. Muslims believe there will be a day of judgment when all
humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise
and Hell.
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BELIEFS AND PRACTICES CONTINUED 2 A central doctrine of the
Qur'an is the Last Day, on which the world will be destroyed and
Allah will raise all people and jinn from the dead to be
judged.Qur'anAllah Until the Day of Judgment, deceased souls remain
in their graves awaiting the resurrection. However, they begin to
feel immediately a taste of their destiny to come. Those bound for
hell will suffer in their graves, while those bound for heaven will
be in peace until that time. On the Last Day, resurrected humans
and jinn will be judged by Allah according to their deeds. One's
eternal destination depends on balance of good to bad deeds in
life. They are either granted admission to Paradise, where they
will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever, or condemned
to Hell to suffer spiritual and physical torment for eternity. The
day of judgment is described as passing over Hell on a narrow
bridge in order to enter Paradise. Those who fall, weighted by
their bad deeds, will remain in Hell forever. The Qur'an specifies
two exceptions to this general rule: Warriors who die fighting in
the cause of God are ushered immediately to God's presence (2:159
and 3:169); and "Enemies of Islam" are sentenced immediately to
Hell upon death.
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BELIEFS AND PRACTICES CONTINUED 3 Paradise (firdaws), also
called "The Garden" (Janna), is a place of physical and spiritual
pleasure, with lofty mansions, delicious food and drink, and virgin
companions called houris. There are seven heavens. Hell, or
Jahannam (Greek gehenna), is mentioned frequently in the Qur'an and
the Sunnah using a variety of imagery. It has seven doors (Qur'an
39:71; 15:43) leading to a fiery crater of various levels, the
lowest of which contains the tree Zaqqum and a cauldron of boiling
pitch. The level of hell depends on the degree of offenses.
Suffering is both physical and spiritual.Qur'anSunnah Being a
Muslim does not keep one out of Hell, but it is not clear whether
Muslims remain in Hell forever. Non-Muslims (kafir), however, will
be punished eternally. A Muslim author on IslamOnline.net explains
it this way:kafir One might say that Muslims have a well-defined
tradition, common, religious references (e.g. Quran and Muhammad),
common ritualized practice (e.g. hajj and fasting) and
ethical-political concepts (e.g. shariah, umma).
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WHAT SHOULD TEACHERS KNOW ABOUT THE ISLAM RELIGION? There are
organized and non-organized muslims depending on the and legal
environment, the number and composition of the Muslim population,
the form and character of Muslim activities. Consequently, we
cannot determine the extent to which a Muslim is organized or not,
but we can identify some characteristic attitudes of certain
Muslims to organizations. It is important to understand the
background of Muslims interpretation and use of Islam and to
Studying Muslims and constructing Islamic identity is an important
prerequisite for understanding the development of Muslim identity.
A major challenge for Muslims has to do with the expectations of
the surrounding community. They must reflect both their original
culture and the new culture they are becoming part of. Some of them
are trying to be authentic (as Muslims) and accepted/recognized by
the majority. They feel they have to be like the others (preferably
assimilated) but still organized as Muslims and thus different from
the others. Many Muslims, however, are already well integrated but
without being organized as Muslims. They are the Muslims who do not
consider themselves as part of the Muslim minority.
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FAMILY TRADITIONS AND ROLES Women do not have equal rights to
make independent decisions about choice of (marriage) partner,
getting a divorce and custody of their children. Women are often
expected to be obedient wives and mothers staying within the family
environment and men are expected to be protectors and caretakers of
the family. Islam places great emphasis on the family. Each person
in the family has a set role with a purpose and function. According
to Allah, each family member is protected from harm and will live
in a safe, supportive family where work is shared. Also, each
family member has privileges and rights. Fathers and mothers take
care of the children and give them Islamic upbringing. Children
listen, obey, and respect fathers and mothers. Disrespecting
parents is a major sin in Islam, unless the parents commands
conflict with Allah. Children are to be hugged, kissed, played
with, and treated equally. The children are also required to take
care of the parents when they get older.
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FAMILY TRADITIONS AND ROLES CONTINUED Unborn children have a
right to life. If a child dies before it is born, or is stillborn,
it should be washed, wrapped in funeral clothes, have a prayer said
for them, and buried. Immediately after a baby is born, the words
of adhan (call to prayer) should be whispered in the babys right
ear. This signifies enjoining the Oneness of Allah. The baby should
be given a beautiful name, preferably on the seventh day after the
birth. Ageeqa should be held, preferably on the seventh day after
the birth. It is a feast to celebrate the birth involving the
sacrifice of an animal or two. The babys head should be shaved on
the seventh day after the birth. The weight of the shaven hair in
silver will be given to charity. The babys head should be anointed
with saffron.
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WAYS TO ACCOMMODATE, SUPPORT AND AVOID BIAS TOWARDS MUSLIM
STUDENTS AND FAMILIES Increasing educational level might result in
a better understanding of various religions, including Islam as
more educated people have more positive attitudes toward Muslims
and are less Islamophobic. Training to increase teachers
understanding of Islam and Muslim students. Increase the number of
Muslim teachers or teachers with a university diploma. Muslim
students should be able to wear modest clothing or refrain from
attending social activities without violating school policies
Several state and local districts with large Muslim populations
have placed Muslim holidays alongside other religious holidays on
the school calendars for teachers' information and planning. Many
schools have excusal policies that allow students to opt out of
limited portions of the curriculum that offend their religious
beliefs. Label food and provide a variety of selections in an
effort to accommodate the health, dietary, and in some cases,
religious needs of their students.
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ACCOMMODATIONS CONTINUED 1 Baby boys should be circumcised.
This is seen as a way Allah blesses those who follow him by
allowing them to differentiate themselves from those who do not
believe in Allah. By 7, the child should observe Salah (prayer). By
10, children should be reprimanded for not observing Salah. When
children hit puberty, they are required to dress modestly by
Islamic requirements, pay zakat (alms tax, and fast during Ramadan.
Children who die before they reach the age of account will go to
Paradise. If parents lose children before adulthood, the children
will wait at the gates of Paradise for their parents and not enter
without them.
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ACCOMMODATIONS CONTINUED 2 Create a supportive atmosphere of
tolerance and respect for freedom of individual choice Teachers
should provide Muslim students who are conscientious about
observing their prayers with an unused area for a few minutes
during lunchtime or afternoon break for this purpose. Allow
students to conduct their daily prayers in an empty room on campus
during lunchtime and/or breaks. Allow students to perform the
Friday worship (Jumah) in an empty room on campus during lunchtime.
Allow students to be excused for the time required to attend a
local masjid and to make up any missed work. Muslim students can be
asked to bring halal meat dishes for parties, picnics, and
potlucks. Vegetarian alternatives can be provided for Muslim
students who only eat meat available directly from Muslim sources.
Baked goods made with vegetable shortening should be requested for
such events in order to avoid products or foods containing lard or
animal shortening. Teachers should be made aware of gelatin as a
source of pork derivatives when they provide treats.
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ACCOMMODATIONS CONTINUED 3 During the Islamic month of Ramadan
(a lunar month of 29 or 30 days), Muslims abstain from all food and
drink from dawn to sunset. This religious duty is known as sawm in
Arabic. Many Muslim students observe the fast. Consequently, they
will be unable to participate in meals or refreshments during the
daylight hours. In addition, they will not be able to engage in
heavy physical exertion often required in physical education
classes during this time. Suggestions: If students eat lunch in a
common cafeteria, Muslim students should be allowed to spend
lunchtime during Ramadan fasting in an alternative location, such
as a study hall or library. Physical education teachers should
provide alternatives to rigorous physical exercise during Ramadan.
During P.E. activities allow female Muslim students to wear long
sleeved T-shirts and sweat pants, instead of tank tops and shorts,
and male students to wear long shorts. Also, Muslim girls who
observe hijab must be allowed to wear appropriate modest attire and
head covering in mixed classes. Muslim students should be given
excused absences to participate in the two major religious holidays
in Islam, Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Ending the Fast) is the
celebration that occurs after Ramadan, while Eid al- Adha (Festival
of the Sacrifice) is the celebration that coincides with the end of
Hajj. School officials and teachers are requested not to schedule
standardized testing or exams on these holidays and to allow for
makeup time on important assignments so that Muslim students can
avoid any adverse effects upon their academic efforts.
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REFERENCES 1.)
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam.htmlhttp://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam.html
2.) Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Vol. 31, No. 3, September
2011 Muslim American/American Muslim Identity: Authoring Self in
Post-9/11 America MUNA ALI ISSN 1360-2004 print/ISSN 1469-9591
online/11/030355-27 2011 Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602004.2011.599543 3.)
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs.htm 4.) Ethnic and
Racial Studies Vol. 34 No. 7 July 2011 pp. 1120_1133 Studying
Muslims and constructing Islamic identity 5.) Safet Bectovic (First
submission December 2009; First published January 2011)
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5.) http://www.iris.org.nz/family.php 6.) JOURNAL FOR THE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION Determinants of Attitudes Toward
Muslim Students Among Flemish Teachers: A Research Note Journal for
the Scientific Study of Religion (2012) 51(2):368376 2012 The
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion ORHAN AGIRDAG
Department of Sociology Ghent University PATRICK LOOBUYCK
Department of Philosophy University of Antwerp MIEKE VAN HOUTTE
Department of Sociology Ghent University 7.)
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/IslamicInfo/MuslimRights.html 7.)
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/IslamicInfo/MuslimRights.html Muslim
Students' Needs in Public Schools Can public schools accommodate
the religious needs of students? Charles Haynes Update on
law-Related Education, 22.1, 1998 pp. 17-21 c 1998 American Bar
Association.American Bar Association
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HERE IS A LINK TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO CONTAINING ISLAMIC MUSIC IF
YOU ARE INTERESTED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAvlimEYEpQ
