Main Traditions Practiced in South Africa. MCED Group Ice Task 4 Content Page Traditional African Islamic Religion Jewish Religion H i n d u i s m Muslim Religion P a r t 0 4 Islamic Tradition Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter (sura) of the Qur'an, and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used expressly for this purpose (see image 24, Metmuseum (2021). The Islamic philosophy of education stresses that both the teacher and student are equally responsible for the teachinglearning process, schoolsweb (2007). • According to au.reachout(2018), "Developing your understanding of other cultures, or 'cultural awareness', lets you have more meaningful interactions with those around you." Jewish Religion The Jewish people practice Judaism, the first of the three major monotheistic religion, as their religion and way of life. The religion and way of life of the Jewish people are based on Judaism, the earliest and oldest of the three major monotheistic religions (Israel, 2020). Jewish religion practice is largely orientated in the family. This includes the three times a day that prayers are recited, in the morning, in the afternoon and just before dusk. A synagogue, a Jewish centre of worship and study, is often where congregational prayers are held. Hebrew readings from the Torah and the Prophets are part of the synagogue service on Mondays, Thursdays, the Sabbath, holidays and High Holy days (Israel, 2020). Jews for the majority of their history up until the late 18th century, educated their children in their own institutions and discussed educational issues in their own languages. Jews have improved not just their own education but also the education of the entire world. Educators now acknowledge that Jewish education in the past anticipated modern education and undoubtedly had a small but significant influence on it (Jewish Virtual Library, 2023). Jewish Religion By starting with the most general and straightforward topic about various religions and progressively moving to the more particular and difficult topics, teachers can teach students about many religions. Teacher can have respectful conversations with learners or learners engage amongst themselves, read different religious books and watch videos on YouTube. Include hands on activities like a role-playing a wedding ceremony in which learners can take part. When religious holidays like Hanukkah occur, learn about customs associated with them. Invite a religious community’s speaker as a special guest, make a visit to a church or temple or another place of worship. The importance of understanding different religions is to increase cultural awareness so individuals can discussions about the value of freedom, religious expression and people’s rights to pursue their beliefs regardless of their religion or denominated affiliation (Israel, 2023). Figure 1: OSM Carto. 2023. Ulef Ifansasti/Getty Images Muslim Religion The Five Pillars of Islam, which comprise the duties of prayer, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and fasting, are a summary of the religious obligations of all Muslims. The Shariah, or Islamic law, which encompasses the entire manner of life prescribed by God, is the core idea of Islam. Observant Muslims offer five prayers a day and participate in Friday congregational prayers at the mosque, which are presided over by the imam. Except for those who are physically incapable or live in poverty, every believer must make a pilgrimage to Mecca, the city of worship, at least once in their lives. Ramadan is the designated fasting month. Always prohibited are gambling, usury, fraud, defamation, alcohol, pork, and the creation of pictures (Britannica, 2021). Like the family, the church community contributes to the advancement of educational attainment. A child's access to resources, particularly if they come from a large family, can be supplemented by the strong social ties that exist among religious communities, enabling them to attain greater levels of schooling. Children in all communities, regardless of income level, gain from participation in church activities, but children in low income neighborhoods benefit the most. According to black college students who participated in interviews, their religious communities encouraged academic success by offering mentors and role models. Higher grades are associated with increased religious attendance. In one study, it was discovered that students who regularly attended religious events had a GPA that was 14.4% higher than those who never did. Math and reading exam scores for students who regularly attended religious services were 2.32 points higher than those of their less religious counterparts (Marripedia, 2022). Muslim Religion When I am designing my learning unit I need to keep in mind the different religions I have in my classroom use a primary source to plan and come out with valid facts and avoid negative statement from the learners and use raw or concrete materials of the history. Materials like documents or object things that were made back then and use them as my resources. And make it a point my learners respect each other’s religions. For me it is very important for us to understand the different religions because it helps us to understand to have an idea of the many religions around us and it also increase your understanding about these different religions in south Africa. Traditional African Traditional African religion emphasizes the importance of belonging to a community, sharing memories and traditions, and fostering morality through the guidance of the spirits of their forefathers (SAHO,2018). In the majority of traditional African religions, spiritual leaders in the form of priests or pastors are present. The community's survival on a spiritual and religious level depends on this individual. Mystics or sangomas, a form of fortune telling and counseling, are in charge of healing and "divining" in the Zulu society. Ancestors must summon these conventional healers. They go through rigorous training and pick up a variety of skills, such as how to employ herbs for healing, as well as other, more esoteric abilities, including the ability to locate a hidden object without knowing where it is (SAHO,2018). The African Tradition religion affects teaching and learning because a person’s calling can start as early as 5 years old. That learner might have difficulty in learning as she might have visions and hallucinations which will result in her not focusing in class and missing school. They will fall behind which will result in them failing to answer when assessed on what they are expected to know. The learner will distract or scare others when they have their hallucinations in the classroom this will affect you as a teacher with carrying on with your lesson as planned. Traditional African Teaching learners about the different religions that are in South Africa will need to be backed up by pictures to visually illustrate to the learners what exactly you are talking about. That is why using videos, story books and music will help enhance understanding, after the learners have listened to the story or watched the video the teacher can open a discussion by asking the learners what their religions are and what happens in their religions. This will spark interest in the learners as they will be receiving knowledge from their peers. By doing this learners will listen to one onther and understand the different religions and respect them. The teacher can then assess the knowledge the learners received from one another by making them play a Kahoot. It is of utmost vitality for learners to learn about the different religions in South Africa because Learners acquire respect for other people's behaviors and choices when given an insider's perspective of religion and how it operates in our society. Hinduism 1. About 80 % of South-Africans are Christian, 15% have no religious affiliation and 5% are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or of other faiths. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution.( Springfield College, 2022) 2. Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4000 years. Today with 1 billion followers Hinduism is the third largest religion behind Christianity and Islam. ( South African Embassy, 2021) 3. Hinduism believes in the doctrines of samsara (The continues cycle of life, death and recreation) and karma ( the universal law of cause and affect). Key thoughts of Hindu is atman or the belief in soul. They believe there are 4 goals in human life which is Kama, Artha , Dharma and Moksha. Their values are truth, right conduct, love, peace, compassion and non-violence. All Hindu ceremonies, rituals and worships end with a prayer for peace and harmony. This religion practice through worship, fire rituals, devotion, fasting, chanting and meditation. Hinduism education is an important means to achieve the 4 aims of life. Education is the means by which an individual can gain right knowledge, control his desires and learn to perform his obligatory duties with a sense of detachment and devotion to God so that he can overcome the impurities of egoism, attachment and delusion and achieve liberation. In Hindu tradition an illiterate person is considered to be equal to an animal , because without education he will not be able to rise above his physical self. (History, 2017) Hinduism 4. Divide learners of different religions into groups to work together on activities to develop their understanding of the different religions in SouthAfrica. Through religious education children will learn about different religions and their traditions, practices and beliefs. 5. If you understand different religions you increase your understanding of global complexity. Reference List List of figures Figure 1- (Dube,2018) Shutterstock. (n.d.). 13,257 Muslim Boy Praying Images, Stock Photos & Vectors. [online] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/search/muslim-boy-praying [Accessed 17 May 2023]. au.reachout.com. (n.d.). Understanding a different culture. [online] Available at: https://au.reachout.com/articles/understanding-a-different-culture#:~:text=Developing%20your%20understanding%20of%20other. Britannica.com. 2021. Islam summary Learn about the beliefs, practices, and history of Islam. 21September 2022. [Online]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/summary/Islam#:~:text=Observant%20Muslims%20pray%20five%20times,is%20set%20aside%20for%20fasting.[ Accessed 12 May 2023]. Dube A ,2023. Mzantsi’s oldest sangoma, DailySun [Image] available@ https://www.snl24.com/dailysun/news/traditional-healer-93-loves-chocolate-cake-20230327 (accessed 16 May 2023) History. 2017. Hinduism, 6 October 2017. [Online]. Available at: https://www.history.com/ Israel. 2020. About the Jewish Religion, 16 September 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://embassies.gov.il/london/AboutIsrael/people/Pages/Jewish-Religion.aspx# [Accessed 16 May 2023]. Jewish Virtual Library. 2023. Education, 23 January 2023. [Online]. Available at: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/education [Accessed 16 May 2023]. Marripedia. 2022. Effects of Religious Practice on Education. 17 June 2022. [ Online]. Available at: https://marripedia.org/effects_of_religious_practice_on_education#:~:text=The%20strong%20social%20bonds%20of,achieve%20higher%20levels%20of%20education.[Accessed 12 May 2023]. Metmuseum.org. (2021). The Five Pillars of Islam. [online] Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-five-pillars-ofislam#:~:text=Muslims%20pray%20facing%20Mecca%20five. SAHO, 2018.African Traditional Religion. South African History Online. available @https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/african-traditional-religion (accessed 16 May 2023). schoolsweb.buckscc.gov.uk. (n.d.). The Importance of Religious Education | SchoolsWeb. [online] Available at: https://schoolsweb.buckscc.gov.uk/school-improvement-and-equalities/buckinghamshire-agreed-syllabus-forreligious-education/the-importance-of-religious-education/#:~:text=Religious%20Education South-African Embassy. 2021. Arts and Culture: Religion , 18 October 2021. [Online]. Available at: https://zuidafrika.nl/ Springfield College. 2022. Top Five Reasons to Study Religion at Springfield College, 6 June 2022. [Online]. Available at: https://www.springfield.edu/programs/religion/ THANK YOU Yolanda Msindwana ST10085046 Phumelela Yoli ST10084883 Jannique Rooifontein – ST10117585 Andisiwe Teyisi ST10084869 Salizwa Ngcauzele ST10085748 Nangamso Ngqakaqha St10085572 Wilma Witbooi
