A STUDY OF AWARENESS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES IN UNDERSTANDING THE

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF MUSLIMS

Background of the Problem

According to some estimate, there are approximately 4,200 religions around the

world. One of the popular religions is Islam which took up 1.8 billion believers that is

estimated to be 24.1% of the world population. Islam is an Arabic word which means the

submission or surrender to the will of God. It is the second largest religion in the world

today.

Islam was revealed all the way back to the 7th century through divine revelation to

the last Prophet, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The

mission of spreading the religion was carried on by the Prophet’s successors, who

brought Islam to the four corners of the world (Mingren, 2019).

Badawi J. (2015, February 15) explained clearly that commonly believed on the

word Allah is used exclusively by Muslims to describe their God but it is not actually

true. Allah is an Arabic word which means God. Allah is the only one who worship by

Muslims and they recognize Him as their God.

According to Ali, M. (2016, January 10), over 124,000 prophets were sent by Allah

but 25 only are chosen. Prophets were sent to guide mankind to worship to Allah. We do

not know the exact number or all their names as only Allah has that knowledge. Some
prophets are mentioned in the Quran. Adam was the first Prophet and Muhammad was

the last of the Prophets.

Moreover,there are five pillars of Islam that includes shahada, salah, zakat, sawm,

and Hajj. These pillars are the basic rule and obligated by Muslims. Shahādah is the

declaration of faith on the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad. Salah is the

Islamic prayers. Salah consists of five daily prayers. The names of prayers are according

to the prayer times: Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon), Aṣr (afternoon), Maghrib (evening), and

Isha (night). Zakat is the practice of charitable giving based on accumulated wealth. The

word zakāt can be defined as purification and growth because it allows an individual to

achieve balance and encourages new growth. Sawm is an obligatory act during the

month of Ramadan. Muslims must abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk during

this month and are to be especially mindful of other sins. Hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs

during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah to the holy city of Mecca.

The Quran is the holy book which Muslims recite and turn to for guidance in all

aspects of their life. It is the last testament in a series of divine revelations from God. It

comprises the unaltered and direct words of God, revealed through the Angel Gabriel to

the final Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) 1400 years ago. Islam is a continuation of the

teachings of previous Prophets, such as Noah, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus (peace

be upon them all), some of whom were also given divine books.

Shariah is Islamic law derived from the teachings of the Quran and of Muhammad.

It is not a list of rules but rather a set of principles on aspects of life, including marriage,

divorce, finance and rituals such as fasting and prayer.

 All Prophets taught about life after death and gave glad tidings of paradise for those

who obey God, but warned of punishment in hell for those who choose to disobey Him.

Knowing there are 7 billion people in the world with different perspectives, mind

sets, and understandings, some people tend to misunderstood some of the practices of

Muslims. Therefore, the researcher would like to find out the social awareness of senior

high school (SHS) students in Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Islam to

help raise awareness and information with regards to Muslim’s practices. The researcher

wants to examine the acceptability of the existence of Muslims at the said university.

Research wants to know the perceptions of SHS students in Islam. This study aims to

analyze the involvement of Muslims in the non-Muslim community from the perspective

of Islam.

Definition of Terms

ISLAM Is a religion by the believers who worshiped Allah.

ALLAH Is an Armaniac word which means God, and worshiped by

Muslims.

MUSLIMS They are the believers of Allah.

PRACTICES Is an action or verbal doings that is obliged to do by Muslims.

PROPHETS Are the messengers of Allah.

Theoretical Framework
Cognitive Theory of Consciousness

by Bernard J. Baars

Bernard Baars suggests a way to specify empirical constraints on a theory of

consciousness by contrasting well-established conscious phenomena - such as stimulus

representations known to be attended, perceptual, and informative - with closely

comparable unconscious ones - such as stimulus representations known to be

preperceptual, unattended, or habituated.

Adducing data to show that consciousness is associated with a kind of global workplace

in the nervous system, and that several brain structures are known to behave in

accordance with his theory, Baars helps to clarify many difficult problems. Consciousness

refers to your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings,

sensations, and environment.

Freud’s Model of the Human Mind (3 Levels of Awareness)

Freud delineated the mind in the distinct levels, each with their own roles and functions:

• The pre-conscious consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the

conscious mind.

• The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of

which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing

that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not
always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.

• The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that

outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are

unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.

Freud likened the three levels of mind to an iceberg. The top of the iceberg that

you can see above the water represents the conscious mind. The part of the iceberg that

is submerged below the water but is still visible is the preconscious. The bulk of the

iceberg that lies unseen beneath the waterline represents the unconscious.

Social Awareness Theory

According to Greenspan (1981a), “the term social awareness may be defined as

the individual’s ability to understand people, social events, and the processes involved in

regulating social events. The emphasis on interpersonal understanding as the core

operation in social awareness indicates that this construct is a cognitive component of

human competence” (p. 18).

Social awareness is a multidimensional hierarchical construct that includes: social

sensitivity (which subsumes the subdomains of role-taking and social inference); social

insight (subdomains of social comprehension, psychological insight, and moral

 judgment); and social communication (subdomains of referential communication and

social problem- solving).

Social awareness is one component of a larger all-encompassing model of

personal competence that also includes emotional competence, physical competence,

conceptual intelligence, and practical intelligence.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1.

Awareness in
Understanding the Beliefs
and Practices of Muslims

Cognitive Theory of
Consciousness
Grade 12 SHS
Collecting Data Conclusion
Gender Freud’s Model of the Data Analysis
Human Mind
Age
Religion
Social Awareness Theory
Hypothesis

The researchers assume that:

1. The level of awareness of senior high school students in Polytechnic University of the

Philippines in understanding the beliefs and practices of Muslims is moderately.

2a. Students’ gender has a significant effect on the awareness in understanding the

beliefs and practices of Muslim.

2a. Students’ age has a significant effect on the awareness in understanding the beliefs

and practices of Muslim.

2a. Students’ religion has a significant effect on the awareness in understanding the

beliefs and practices of Muslim.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer the following questions:

1.) Profiles of the respondents in terms of

a. Name

b. Gender

c. Age

d. Religion

e. Grade Level

f. Academic strand
2.) What is the level of awareness of the senior high school students of Polytechnic

University of the Philippines in understanding on the practices of Muslim?

3.) Is there is a significant effect between the demographic variables (gender, age,

religion) on the awareness of PUP-SHS students towards the Islam and practices of

Muslims?

a. Does student’s gender has a significant effect on the awareness in

understanding the beliefs and practices of Muslim?

b. Does student’s age has a significant effect on the awareness in understanding

the beliefs and practices of Muslim?

c. Does student’s religion has a significant effect on the awareness in

understanding beliefs and practices of Muslim?

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focused on the awareness, perceptions, involvement and acceptability of

the respondents in understanding the Islam. The respondents of this study will be from

selected Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) academic strands students of

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Accountancy and

Business Management (ABM).

Importance of the Study

The researchers conducted this study to give importance to the following;

Students these will help to them to be aware about the existence of Muslim in

community.

Parents to impart proper guidance and education to their children before they make

judgments and throw opinions.

Instructors/Educators to raise awareness and to teach the students with regards to

the existence of Muslims.

University To be aware on how to adjust on the practices of Muslims inside the

facility.
 Chapter 2

Review Related Literature and Studies

Meaning of Islam

Foreign Literature

It is important to remember that any religion is at risk of being exploited by

extremists among its followers. Muslims have no more propensities toward fanaticism or

violence in the name of the faith they strive to follow than do Christians, Jews, or any

others.

Islam is regarded as one of the three central Abraham faiths along with Judaism

and Christianity. Islam's followers are Muslims, or those who "submit" to God's will. Islam

is a universal religion that teaches that God is merciful and compassionate, and that

promises the faithful worldly peace and equality and entrance to a sublime eternity.

(“Global Ministry,” 2019).

Christians and Americans who value freedom, we must not succumb to the

tendency to stereotype and scapegoat the other-especially another religion and all its

followers-for the actions of some. We should learn as much as we can about those of

other faiths to know when what one claims to do in the name of God, no God would

rightfully condone.

Islam is a manner that expresses the historical and human phenomenon that is

Islam in its plenitude and complexity of meaning. A meaningful conceptualization of

“Islam” as theoretical object and analytical category must come to terms with indeed be
coherent with the capaciousness, complexity and often outright contradiction that obtains

within the historical phenomenon that has proceeded from the human engagement with

the idea and reality of Divine Communication to Muhammad, the messenger God.

(Lukens-Bull, 1999).

“Islamic refers normally to those philosophers who professed themselves

adherents of Islam the religion” (Marmura 1983. p.89).

Islam is unique among the religious traditions for the diversity of peoples that have

embraced it.”(Hodson 1974. P.75 ). It is also helpful to bear in mind that, as a leading

scholar of the concept of civilization has noted, among the major civilization world of pre

modern times, Islamic was no doubt the most emphatically multi-societal.

Foreign Studies

The word "Islam" is an Arabic word which means "submission” or “surrender”

of one's will to the only true God, known in Arabic as "Allah". One who submits his will

to God is termed in Arabic as a "Muslim". This word comes from the same root as the

Arabic word "Isalam", which means "peace".

As the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and

surety of heart, one must submit to Allah and live according to His Divinely revealed Law.

The most important truth that Allah revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine

worthy of being worshiped except for Almighty Allah, thus all human beings should submit

to Him. (Salleh, 2015).

Islam is the fastest growing religion with over 1.6 billion followers all over the globe.

By now you probably heard about Islam through the media, conversations with a friend

or coworker, or perhaps you stumbled upon it while browsing through the web. Although

Islam is the second most followed religion in the world after Christianity, it is also one of

the most misunderstood. “Islam” is an Arabic term which means to

submit one’s will to the will of God. Islam is a monotheistic religion that teaches that there

is only one divine being, one supreme Creator of the universe. Muslims believe that Islam

is the true religion of God revealed to humanity. It is a universal religion that can be

practiced by anyone at any time and in every place. The central concept of this way of life

is total submission to God.

Islam is a complete, holistic way of living that covers every aspect of life. Islam leaves no

stone unturned as it teaches mankind on how to behave in every area of life: individual,

social, material, moral, ethical, legal, cultural, political, economical, and global. ( Assunah,

2019)

The popular association of nomadism with arabia often leads to the assumption of a

pastoral origin for islam, which in fact developed in an urban environment. No less an

observer than the Prophet Muhammad said “ We are an urban people”. This urban

orientation shaped the outlook and nature of islam. Perhaps Islam simplicity accounts for

its acceptance initially in urban and rural Arabia and then across the globe. The

omnipresence and omnipotence of the one God constituted the essence of Islam.

(Bogle, 2001)

Origin of Islam
Foreign literature

FROM one point of view the triumph of Islam in the East in the seventh century A.D. may

be regarded as the judgement of history upon a degenerate Christianity. The

degeneration of the Church may be said to have begun in the fourth century. However

that may be, the result was that when Islam arrived it found both in Syria and in Egypt a

divided Church, embittered feelings which made Christians more eager to triumph over

fellow-Christians whom they regarded as heretics, than to combine against a common

foe, and a Luke warmness on the part of the native population towards a government

which had for long tried alternately to cajole and to force them into acceptance of a hated

doctrine. The sum of the matter seems to be that the Church gained no really independent

footing amongst the Arabs at all. What Harnac says of the first three centuries remains

on the whole true down to the time of Muhammad: " Churches are only to be sought in

those districts in which there were citizens of mixed Arab, Greek, and Roman population,

where a higher form of culture was to be found " Pere Cheikho has lately undertaken to

show that practically the whole of Arabia was Christian in pre Muhammadan times, and

has collected a multitude of references from pre -Islamic poets and statements from

Christian and Moslem historians to show that many tribes were Christianized. (Harnack,

2005)

Muslim Practices

Foreign Studies
The holy book of Muslims is called Qu'ran while their tradition is called Sunna, the practice

of living according to the Examples of life and sayings of Prophet’. These are the two

main resources of Islam (Marranci 2010, p.366). Prayer or Salat is the most important

ritual of Islam wherein all Muslims, wherever they are, are expected to do it five times a

day. It is also important for them to remember Allah and act for his sake (Qur’an 3:15;

referred to in Haleem 2008). Muslims expect to organize their lives according to their

religion and not the other way around because based on them this world is only a

temporary place where people prepare themselves for the hereafter (Qur’an 57:20;

referred to in Haleem 2008). Islam expected its believers to live in an altruistic way when

maintaining individual and social life.

Foreign Literature

Being attached to family is one of the most important feature in Muslim society. They are

usually extended families often spanning three or more generations. In their culture,

respect and esteem increase with age. Elderly parents are respected more in appreciation

of longer life experiences and their hierarchic position within the family unit. The practice

of choosing partners within one's community is still important for young and old. Women,

when in menstruation are exempted from some religious rites like fasting, ritual prayer

and Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca). Islamic law is against the use of contraception but

there seems a trend of smaller families.

Local Studies
There was at least one mosque in Muslim communities from which the muezzin called

the faithful to prayer five times a day. The people who responded to public prayer take off

their shoes before entering the mosque, put themselves in straight row before the minrab

(niche) and say prayers in the direction of Mecca. The prayer leader also known as imam,

led the recitation in Arabic verses from the book Quran, following the practices of the

Sunni sect of Islam which is usual to most of the Muslim world. Moros give offerings to

spirits (diwatas) and other entity with a belief that it has effects on one's health, family and

crops. Muslim Filipino women are required to stay out of the sight of men or at the back

of the mosque for prayers. Compared to other Islam societies, they are more freer in daily

life.

Jihad means struggle is not considered a pillar of Islam but a duty that all Muslims

must do. It is in all forms a call in Quran. It can be expressed in different ways such as

studying Quran sincerely and considering its teaching significant to social change,

passing over personal issues like anger, hatred or pride. It can also be in form of simple

sacrifices like giving up smoking or cleaning the floor of the mosques. Jihad, in some

instance, is participating in Muslim activities, working for social justice and forgiving

people who have caused them pain.

Local Literature

There are five religious duties for Muslim people which they practice faithfully. One is the

declaration of Allah as the only God and Mohammed as His messenger. Second is Sa

also means prayer. Third is the giving of two and a half percent of earnings throughout
the whole year also called as Zakah. Fourth is fasting during the day all throughout

Ramadan month. Ramadan is being celebrate on the ninth month of the Muslim year, a

time of fasting from sunrise until sunset. They are required to fast to be strong in resisting

temptations and will be less occupied with worldly matters. Lastly, is making the

pilgrimage to Mecca and to the temple of Abraham even once in life time if possible.

Islamic Traditions and Beliefs

Teachings in Islam

Islamic Law

Islam in the Philippines

Local Studies

Arab and Gujarati traders and missionaries introduced Islam to the Philippines in

the 14th century. Overtime, Islam became a dominant religion and, in the southern

Philippines the Sultan of Sulu carried the title “The Shadow of God on Earth.”

Sultans also claimed to implement Islamic law and retained the services of Middle

Eastern Muslims as qadis (judges). The Spanish used the term Moro (Moors) in a

derogatory way but in recent times, the word has been imbued with positive meanings by

Philippine Muslims to convey courage, bravery, and self-determination. In the 1970s the

Philippine government launched a labor migration program sending Filipino workers to

the Middle East, especially to Saudi Arabia.

 Many Christian Filipinos have converted to Islam while in Saudi Arabia and on

return to the Philippines have kept the new religion. Today, Islam is still a minority religion

in a country where the population is 85 percent Catholic.

However, there are now Muslim communities in every province, mosques have

become part of the landscape in Christian areas, Islamic schools have been established

in several regions, and the number of converts to Islam is rising. Aside from the earlier

differences based on ethnicity, the Philippine ummah is now a more diverse community

that includes Sunnis, Shias, Jami at Tablighis, and Ahmadiyyas, and a distinction

between “born Muslims” and converts is maintained.

Gowing 1964 is one of the first attempts at bringing together in one volume the

dispersed information on Islam and Muslims in the Philippines. Islam was tied up with

ethnicity in the Philippines so studies like Isidro and Saber 1968 and Orosa 1931 present

religion as an aspect of tribal life rather than as the main focus of study.

Several edited volumes originating from different disciplines include religious,

political, and social aspects of Muslim tribes including Gowing 1978, Madale 1981,

and Jocano 1983. In the last thirty years, much of the literature on Islam and Muslims

focuses on Muslim movements and the continuing negotiations between the government

and various Muslim groups. This focus has led to the neglect of other features of

Philippine Islam and Muslim life and lack of academic writing on Islam as a religion in the

Philippines.

Islam is practiced by roughly 5% of Filipinos from a variety of ethnolinguistic

groups, over half of whom live on the large southern island of Mindanao.
Islam arrived in the Philippines in the late 14th century with Arab and Malay merchants

following Southeast Asian trade networks, propagating Sunni Islam with a variety of Sufi

traditions. Muslims were dubbed “Moros” by the Spanish, a reference to the Muslim

“Moors” encountered in Spain and North Africa whom the Spanish regarded with disdain.

Filipino Moros successfully withstood the Spanish conquest, maintaining

autonomy up until the mid-19th century invention of advanced gunboats made a

permanent Spanish presence in Muslim territory possible. Culturally speaking, the term

“Moro” as it is used among Muslims tends to denote resistance rather than religious

affiliation. This is echoed in the term used by contemporary separatists for their

community, the Bangsamoro (“Moro Nation”).

Local Studies

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organized a series of

seminars across the country that brought together a diverse mix of religious scholar’s

academics, lawyers, students and local civil society groups.

In December 2017, the ICRC held four one-day conferences in the cities of Manila,

Iligan, Cotabato and Zamboanga; all of which were attended by representatives from the

religious, academic and civil society groups, and law practitioners. The main objective of

these events was to review relevant aspects of the Islamic law of armed conflict and the

International Humanitarian Law (IHL) that share the common goal of protecting human

dignity during times of war, and explore possible points of convergences that could help

address the emerging contemporary challenges.

 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Sta. Mesa, Manila

We, the researchers from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) were
conducting a study entitled “A Study of Awareness of Senior High School Students
of Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Understanding the Beliefs and
Practices of Muslims”.
This questionnaire aims to gather data from your answers that will be used as part of
the study and for academic purposes only. Please note that the responses you provide
are completely confidential.

General Instruction: Kindly put a check 
 [ √ ] in the appropriate bullet/box to your

answer. And please fill the blank spaces (if needed).

BACKGROUND DATA

Name: (Optional) ____________________________________

Gender: Male Female
Age: ____________
Religion: ____________________________________
Grade level and Section: 12 - _____

Academic Strand: STEM ABM HUMSS

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES Extremel Moderatel Somewhat Slightl Not at

OF MUSLIMS y Aware y Aware Aware y all
Aware Aware

1. Five Pillars of Islam

These are the five religious

duties expected of every
Muslim.

1a. Shahada

Is the Muslim declaration of

belief in the oneness of God
and in Muhammad as his last
prophet

1b. Salah

It is obligatory to perform five

prayers every day and the
night. These are: Fajr,
Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha

1c. Zakat

It is an obligatory act that a

part of the wealth and
property of Muslims must
pay annually, to help the
poor of their community.

1d. Sawm
During the month of
Ramadan, Muslims are
obligated to do the sawm or
fasting.

1e. Hajj
It is a holy jouyney that
Muslims are expected to
undertake a pilgrimage to
Mecca.

2. The Six Pillars of Faith

They are the framework of the

Muslim life

2a. Belief in God (Allah)

Islam teaches that there is
one Unique God (Allah) who
should be worshipped and
obeyed.

2b. Belief in Mala-eka

(Angels)
Muslims believe that Allah
created unseen creatures
such as Angels

2c. Belief in the Books of

Allah
Muslims believe that Allah
from time to time revealed
books to mankind through
His Prophets.

1) Abraham's Scrolls;
2) Zabur (Psalms)
3) Tawrah (Torah)
4) Injil (Gospel)
5) Quran (Muhammad)

2d. Belief in the Prophets

of Allah
Muslims believe that Allah
sent Prophets to all mankind
as messengers for their
guidance.

2e. Belief in Yawm al-

Qiyama (Day of
Judgement)
Muslims believe that the life
of this world and all that is in
it will come to an end on one
appointed day, when
everything will be
annihilated.

2f. Qada wal-Qada

(Destiny, Divine Decree)
Muslims believe that since
the whole universe is entirely
under the direction and
control of God

3. Clothing in Islam
Muslims requires that they
wear proper, decent, modest,
and clean clothes.

3a. Women’s Clothing

Muslim Women are obligated
to cover their awrat or their
whole body except their face
and hands

3b. Men’s Clothing

Muslim Men are prohibited to
wear gold (e.g. necklace,
ring)