Download File - Student Teaching Portfolio

Multiculturalism in a
Closed Minded World
Turnar Kist
Content

Religions to be examined

Hinduism
 Background
 Beliefs
 Holy days

Sikhism
 Background
 Beliefs
 Holy days

Islam
 Background
 Beliefs
 Holy days

How to modify

Conclusion

Questions
Religions
 Hinduism
 Sikhism
 Islam
Hinduism
Hinduism
 Majority of people in India and Nepal are Hindu
 Over 900 million members worldwide
 No single founder, no single scripture and no commonly
agreed set of teachings
 Derived from river complex known as the Sindhu.
Cultural, political and geographical origins.
 Of recent origin, yet its roots and formation go back
thousands of years
 Henotheistic-one god, many representations.
 Ganges is holiest river.
Hinduism- Beliefs
 3 gods make up the Hindu triumvirate. Brahma (creator
of universe), Shiva (destroyer of the universe) and
Vishnu (protector and preserver of the universe)
 Atman- Eternal self. Real self beyond ego or false self.
Often referred to as spirit or soul.
 Dharma- duty, virtue, morality and the power which
upholds the universe and society.
Hinduism-Beliefs
 Karma- Law that every action has an equal reaction
either immediately or in the future. Both good and bad
actions have reactions
 Samsara- Continuous cycle in which the soul is reborn
over and over again according to the law of action and
reaction-also called reincarnation
 Purushartha- Life has different goals according to a
person’s stage in life and position in society.
Hinduism-Beliefs
 The Vedas-sacred texts. Introduced by the Aryans
 Samhitas- Most ancient part consisting of hymns of praise
to god. –similar to Psalms
 Brahmanas- Rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their
duties.
 Aranyakas- Worship and meditation
 Upanishads- Mystical and philosophical teachings of
hinduism.
Hinduism-Worship
 Individual rather than communal. Involves making
personal offerings to deity.
 Majority of homes have a shrine to one of the gods
 Does occur at temples-Central shrine is heart of
worshipper and the tower represents the flight of the
spirit to heaven.
Hinduism-Worship
 3 rites:
 Nitya- Performed daily and are offerings to the deities.
 Naimittika- Celebrations and festivals.
 Kamya- Highly desirable, but optional-pilgrimage.
 Kumbh Mela- Once every 12 years up to 10 million
people bathe at Allahabad where the Ganges and Jumna
combine.
Hinduism-Holy days
 Diwali
 Festival of lights
 Most popular of South Asian festivals
 Celebrates victory of good over evil, light over darkness,
and knowledge over ignorance.
 Fireworks are a big part of the festival.
Sikhism
Sikhism- Background
 Founded over 500 years ago.
 World’s fifth largest religion with over 20 million
followers
 Founded by Guru Nanak and based on his teachings and
of the 9 gurus who followed him
Sikhism-Beliefs
 Monotheistic
 Stresses importance of doing good actions, rather than
merely carrying out rituals
 Way to lead a good life is:
 Keep God in heart and mind at all times
 Live honestly and work hard
 Treat everyone equally
 Be generous to less fortunate
 Serve others
 People in the faith are members of the Khalsa.
Sikhism-Beliefs
 Five vices:
 Lust
 Greed
 Worldly attachment
 Anger
 Pride
 The 5 Ks
 Kesh- uncut hair
 Kara- steel bracelet
 Kanga- Wooden comb
 Kaccha- Cotton underwear
 Kirpan- Steel sword
Sikhism-Beliefs
 Kesh- Holiness and strength. Adoption of simple life and
denial of pride in one’s appearance.
 Kara- Symbol of restraint and gentility. Symbol of god
having no beginning or end.
 Kanga- Clean mind and body
 Kaccha- Symbol of chastity
 Kirpan- Can be anything from a few inches to three feet
long. Symbolizes spirituality, defence of good, defence of
weak, and the struggle against injustice.
Sikhism- Beliefs
 Amrit Ceremony
 Similar to baptism.
 Take new names and wear the 5 Ks.
 Occurs as soon as they are old enough to understand the
full commitment
 Gurdwara
 Place where Sikhs go for congregational worship.
 Presence of the Guru Granth Sahib which are the scriptures.
 No idols, statues, candles, or ritualistic devices
 Focus on reverence of scripture.
 All visitors must remove shoes and cover their heads before
entering.
Sikhism- Holy days
 Diwali
 Celebrates the release from prison of the 6th guru, Guru
Hargobind.
 Festival of lights just as in Hinduism
 Gurpurbs
 Festivals that are associate with the lives of the Gurus.
 Important ones are birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru
Gobind Singh. Also important are martyrdoms of Guru Arjan
and Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Islam
Islam- Background
 Means ‘submission to the will of God’.
 Second largest religion in the world-over 1 billion
followers.
 Monotheistic- Allah
 Began over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia.
 Gained many followers due to the accepting nature of
the religion.
 Main 2 sects are Sunni and Shia.
 Split occurred because of the disagreement on who was
supposed to be main leader after death of Muhammad.
Islam- Beliefs
 Angels, holy books, prophets.
 Main prophets are Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final prophet.
 Belief in Day of judgment and in predestination.
 Heart of the faith is obedience to Allah’s will.
 A believer can talk to Allah by praying and by reciting
the Qur’an.
 Qur’an is the Muslim Holy Book.
Islam- Beliefs
 Jihad- Struggle or effort. Is the inner struggle to live out the
Muslim faith as well as possible. Struggle to defend Islam,
with force if necessary
 Hijab- Means barrier or partition. Is the principle of modesty
and includes behaviour as well as dress for men and women
 Most visible form is the head covering that women wear.
 In one school of thought, it refers to the complete covering of
everything except the hands, face, and feet.
 A woman that wears a Hijab is called Muhaajaba.
 Niqab- Different than Hijab. Used to refer to the piece of
cloth which covers the face. Women who wear it usually
cover their hands as well. Other ways to cover oneself are
the Burka, Al-Amira, Shayla, Khimar and Chador.
Islam- Beliefs
 5 Pillars:
 Shahadah- Sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith
 Salat- Performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times
each day
 Zakat- Paying an alms tax to benefit the poor and needy
 Sawm- Fasting during month of Ramadan
 Hajj- Pilgrimage to Mecca
 Important because Islam regards it pointless to live life
without putting that faith into action and practice.
Proves they are putting their faith first.
Islam- Beliefs
 Sharia:
 Comes from the Qur’an, Hadith (sayings and conduct of the
prophet Muhammad), and fatwas (the ruling of Islamic
scholars).
 Literally translates as a path to be followed.
 Muslims must believe in Allah. Strive for traits like humility
and kindness. Actions must be related to the 5 pillars.
Islam-Beliefs (Salaat)
 Allaahu Akbar (4x)
Ashhadu an la ilaaha illaLah (2x)
Ash Hadu anna
Muhamadar rasuulullah
(2x)
Hayya’ alas Salaah (2x)
Hayya’ ala Falaah (2x)
[Fajr only: A-Salaatu
Khayrun Mina-Naum
(2x)]
Qad qaamitis Salaah (2x)
Allaahu Akbar (2x)
Laa ilaaha illa-Lah
 God is the most great.
I bear witness that there
are not gods but God.
I bear witness that
Muhammad is the
Messenger of God.
Come to prayer.
Come to felicity.
[Prayer is better than
sleep]
Our prayers are now
ready. Our prayers are
now ready.
God is the most great.
There is no deity save
God.
Islam- Beliefs
 Worship occurs in a mosque
 Masjid is other word-means place of prostration
 No pictures or statues in the religion or the mosque.
 Women sit separately from the men out of modesty and
to prevent any distraction.
Islam- Holy Days
 Only 2 Muslim festivals set in Islamic Law:
 Eid ul Fitr (end of fasting and thanking Allah for help and
strength throughout Ramadan)
 Eid ul Adha (4 days long. Remembers Abraham’s willingness
to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to).
Islam- Holy Days
 Ramadan
 Ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims fast
during daylight hours
 Important because Qur’an was first revealed during this
month, gates of Heaven are open, gates of Hell are closed.
 Fasting in all areas-food, sleeping, sex and use of time.
 Taraweeh Prayers- Long night prayers that usually last for
one and a half to two hours.
 I’tikaf- Going into seclusion during the last ten nights while
praying and reading the Qur’an.
How to modify for: Hinduism
 Be sure to assist students in doing good deeds for good
Karma.
 Let them show their faith.
 Incorporate Hinduism into the lesson if it fits-example
would be through a world religion class.
How to modify for: Sikhism
 Modify rules so hair length and facial hair are not an
issue.
 Although security is a major concern, the Kirpan is
usually smaller when it is a younger Sikh, so it should
not be an issue. Being kept in backpack can always be a
modification
How to modify for: Islam
 Allow for prayer time (my Catholic High School allowed
the Muslim students to use the chapel to do their daily
prayers)
 Allow students to wear their religious articles of clothing
 Ensure I know when Ramadan is to help the students
commit to fasting and to be able to aid them during the
month.
How to modify for: All 3
 Learn when religious days are-students will be excused if
proper communication due to importance of these Holy
Days
 Give opportunities for service
 Incorporate the histories and ideals into my lessons
 World religions classes
So how do we fix this?!
EDUCATE!!!
 We live in a culturally diverse world that is full of ignorance.
If education does not occur, the ignorance will grow and so
will the racism and lack of acceptance. I grew up in a
diverse country and have experienced how little the
differences actually are. We are all human beings, and we
must learn to accept others for who they are and what they
believe, and the best way to do this is learn about others
and their religions.
Resources
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/
 http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/branches
 Brittanica- Hinduism
 Britannica- Sikhism
Questions?