Islam in the Philippines
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- This article is concerned with the religion of Islam in the Philippines. For ethnicity and culture, please see Moro people.
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Islam is one of the oldest organized religions to be established in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines in the 14th century with the arrival of Indian, Malay and Javanese merchants, and Arab missionaries from various Muslim Sultanate in the Malay Archipelago, although the Islamization of the Philippines is due to the strength of Muslim India. India brought Islam to Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia and Indonesia, and in turn the latter two brought Islam to the Philippines. Filipino Muslims form 5% of the country's population, while the rest of the general population are mostly Roman Catholic (84%) and Protestant (8%). Filipino Muslims are unique for speaking a second Philippine language, Maguindanaon, which is a lingua franca of Mindanao and different Muslim ethnic groups.
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[edit] History
In 1380, Karim ul' Makhdum, the first Islamic missionary to reach the Sulu Archipelago and Jolo, brought Islam to what is now the Philippines. Subsequent visits by Arab Muslim missionaries from the now Islamicized Malaysia and Indonesia, helped strengthen the Islamic faith in the Philippines, mostly in the south but as far north as Manila. Vast sultanates were established, comprised of the Sultanate of Maguindanao and the Sultanate of Sulu. Since the first people who established themselves as sultans in various parts of the Malay Archipelago — Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines — were usually of Arab descent, most people of royal lineage claim Arab descent, some going as far as claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammad himself.
The world resurgence of Islam after World War II gave Muslims in the Philippines a stronger sense of unity as a religious community than they had in the past. Since the early 1970s, the number of Muslim teachers visiting the country and Filipino Muslims traveling abroad — either on the hajj or on scholarships — has increased to unprecedented levels. As a result, Muslims have built many new mosques and religious schools, where students (male and female) learn the basic rituals and principles of Islam and learn to read the Qur'an in Arabic. A number of Muslim institutions of higher learning, such as the Jamiatul Philippine al-Islamia in Marawi, also offer advanced courses in Islamic studies.
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[edit] Modern Practices
Every year, many Filipino Muslims go on a pilgrimage (hajj) to the holy city of Mecca; upon returning men are bestowed with the honorific title "hajji" and women the honorific "hajja". In most Muslim communities, there is at least one mosque from which the muezzin call the faithful to prayer five times a day. Those who respond to the call to public prayer follow Muslim custom in removing their shoes before entering the Mosque, aligning themselves in straight rows before the minbar (niche), and offering prayers in the direction of Mecca. An Imam, or prayer leader, leads the recitation in Arabic verses from the Qur'an, following the practices of the Sunni sect of Islam common to most of the world. Moros have (this is debatable) often neglected to perform the ritual prayer and have not strictly abided by the fast (no food or drink in daylight hours) during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, or performed the duty of almsgiving. They do, however, scrupulously observe other rituals and practices and celebrate Islamic festivals such as the end of Ramadan (Eid ul-Fitr); Muhammad's birthday; the night of his ascension to heaven; and the start of the Muslim New Year, the first day of the month of Muharram.
[edit] Practices
Circumcision is practised due to the influence of Islam. A strong Islamic legacy has been left behind in the Philippines in the custom to circumcise (pagtutuli or, simply tuli) young boys. (Note: Circumcision is not mentioned in the Koran, but is mentioned in Hadith and condsidered an important Sunnah.) When the Spaniards arrived, circumcision was justified as being Christian. To this day, being uncircumcised is stigmatized in Philippine society. To non-Muslim Filipinos, it is considered effeminate to be uncircumcised (supot), and one isn't considered a "full man" unless he is circumcised.[citation needed]
Along with Catholicism, Islam in the Philippines has absorbed indigenous elements. Moros, in particular, make offerings to spirits (diwatas), malevolent or benign, believing that such spirits can and will have an effect on one's health, family, and crops. They also include pre-Islamic customs in ceremonies marking rites of passage — birth, marriage, and death. Moros share the essentials of Islam, but specific practices vary from one Moro group to another.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] Other religions
- Buddhism in the Philippines
- Hinduism in the Philippines
- Protestants in the Philippines
- Roman Catholicism in the Philippines
- Judaism in the Philippines
[edit] References
- This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.
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