Beyond the Department of Education Order No. 32 Series of 2013 BM Archives The issuance of the DepEd Order No. 32 (Strengthening the Protection of Religious Rights of Students) dated July 13, 2013 created different reactions among the Bangsamoro. Those who don’t favor it said the Order was derived from poor policy analysis and lack of consultation. While those in defensive stance believed that there is nothing wrong with it and even strengthened the earlier policies that guarantee the protection of Muslim rights in Schools. It is good to know what is ALIVE and what is beyond the DepEd order 32 S. 2013. ALIVE is the shortened acronym for Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education. It is a DepEd project that teaches Arabic language and Islamic values to Muslim children. The project integrated the basic Arabic education within the mainstream secular educational system. The project has benefits for Muslims but has also flaws. One of the advantages is that it acknowledges the culture of the Muslims. It also elevated the status of the Asatidz (plural of Ustadz or a learned Muslim) by providing them descent job. But the advantages cannot surmount the disadvantages. While it acknowledges the Muslims’ customs and traditions, mainstreaming it would mean reducing the essence of one’s tradition. It also reduces the support of the Traditional Madrasah because some parents didn’t send their children to Traditional Madrasah anymore. Nevertheless, ALIVE teachers have been playing a vital role in molding the children. Aside from the fact that they are mandated to teach, their influence to the Muslim children is inevitable. This is maybe one of the reasons why DepEd is too apprehensive. Seeing their teachers wearing a Niqab might influence the children to follow the same fashion in the future. What is wrong with Niqab? Wearing Burqas and Niqab have been very controversial worldwide. Many countries like France even banned the use of Niqab. Undeniably, it is a powerful symbol of Islam. Growing numbers of women wearing niqab in the west signal also the rapid growth of Islamic belief worldwide. Thus, the hatred triggers intimidation and even confrontations. This is the rise of the Islamophobia in the west. Islamophobia is prejudice against, hatred towards, or irrational fear of or racism towards Muslims according to Wikipedia. Other social scholars defined it as the "dread or hatred of Islam and therefore, the fear and dislike of all Muslims, stating that it also refers to the practice of discriminating against Muslims by excluding them from the economic, social, and public life of the nation. A perceived trend of increasing Islamophobia and Islamophobic incidents during the 2000s has been attributed by commentators to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, while others associate it with the increased presence of Muslims in the Western world. Is the ALIVE project Islamophobic? Why do we need to preserve the Traditional Madrasah? Why do we need to send our children to Madrasah? It is important to understand that in Islam knowledge was classified into two, the revealed knowledge and acquired knowledge. The former is knowledge of Qur-an and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) while the latter is the scientific knowledge. Learning the revealed knowledge is an individual obligation (Fardu ain). Acquired knowledge on the other hand is a collective obligation (Fardu kifaya) for the Muslims. Collective obligation means a Muslim society is oblige to have at least one Doctor or Engineer or any other expertise in scientific knowledge otherwise all of them will be accountable to Allah (swt). While individual obligation means everyone is oblige to learn it in order not to be punished by Allah (swt) in the hereafter. This is the clear cut between Islamic Education and Secular Education. The concept of Education in Islam clearly promotes both worldly life and eternal life. The very concept of secularism denies the role of religion and only focuses on the worldly life. That is why there is the concept of the separation of the church and the state in the secular world. Many of the the Qur-anic verses and Ahadith substantiate the need to learn our deen Islam. In fact the first revelation to the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is a commandment from Allah (swt) to read. The prophet taught the Muslims also that whoever wants to be successful in this world and in the hereafter needs to acquire knowledge. In other hadith, the prophet said it is obligatory to every Muslim men and women to seek knowledge. This is very true because one cannot cure the diseases without the scientific knowledge. One cannot also worship Allah (swt) without knowing how to perform Salah which is prescribed only within the Qur-an and Hadith. One must consider education as commandment and an obligation because Allah told us that the very essence of creation is to worship or please God. Pleasing God is enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. This is also known as the concept of vicegerency or khilafa. Let us examine ourselves, how many of us who are claiming that we are Muslims have comprehensive knowledge of Islam? The Traditional Madrasah is very important undoubtedly. It is referred as traditional because it has been long practice by the Muslims in the Philippines and become part of their culture and belief. The traditional Madrasah is much broader and include subjects like Tawheed, Fiq, and other Islamic fundamental knowledge. ALIVE curriculum is bounded only on basic knowledge on Arabic language and Muslim etiquette. If we deprive our children to go to Madrasah we also deprive them to learn the comprehensive knowledge of Islam which is available only in Madrasah. How many of us now felt obligated to send their children to Madrasah the way we felt obligated to send our children to School. Is it difficult to fulfill our obligation to our deen while we fulfill our social obligations? One of the tricks with the ALIVE project is employing the learned Muslims or Asatidz whether they have proper secular education or not. One should only go through the screening process to have an opportunity to take the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Each year DepEd opens items to accommodate the ALIVE teachers passed the examination. It sounds good because it creates job. But there seems a problem if the Ustadz is being preoccupied by his job and forgets the traditional Madrasah. Initially, the effect is more at the personal level when the Ustadz confines himself within the ALIVE teaching which is most likely to happen. There is nothing wrong to have a good job but the problem is that Islam is not only Arabic Language and Values Education as being emphasized earlier. Technically the project pulls away the Asatidz from the Traditional Madrasah in exchange of a much payable job. Is the ALIVE acceptable within the concept Education in Islam? Isn’t the DepEd Order 32 S. 2013 an anticipation of possible unintended consequences of integrating Islamic Education within the mainstream secular education? It is clear that ALIVE is one of the government development programs that are not based on proper reading of the problem. It is not only duplication but it causes the decline of the Traditional Madrasah program whether it is intentionally or unintentionally. It may suggest that it really tries to combat Madrasah or Islamic education through the ALIVE project. We might not know the real intention but obviously the government created their own nightmare by trying to secularized Islamic education in the Philippines.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 07:11:19 +0000
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