II.

Family Tree

Felisa Ageas Elino Santiago

Carlos Ellosa Emilia Ombiang Narciso Ageas-Santiago Cristina Sugabo

5 other siblings; 1
4 other siblings;
female & 4 males
1 female and 3
males

Fernando Ombiang-Ellosa Susan Sugabo-Santiago

Mark Fernand Santiago Ellosa Marclee Santiago Ellosa

III. Picture Album

THE MUSLIM CULTURE

There are over a billion Muslims throughout the world, and though they speak hundreds of
different languages and live in dozens of different countries, they still share a common Muslim
culture. This culture is embedded in certain common beliefs that there is no God but Allah and
that Muhammad is His messenger. Muslim customs and traditions include Islamic/Muslim
clothing, food, wedding traditions and other aspects of Islamic life that Muslims have adopted
in their respective countries.
UNDERSTANDING MUSLIM CULTURE

Muslim culture represents the unification of all the cultures influenced by common beliefs and
practices. The guiding religious phenomena and cultural aspects bind its people historically. The
religious practices and beliefs of Muslims are centered around the religion of Islam. The original
Muslim literature is in Arabic, the Prophet’s language. Most of the literature is religious in
nature. It comprises communication and documentation of the belief system from the
Quran, Sira and Hadith. Secular Muslim literature developed in the Umayyad empire. It was
taken by the Arabs to distant lands and became part of a popular culture. In due course of time,
Persian became one of the main languages of the civilization. In the sub-continent, syncretistic
poetry from the Sufis propagated the foundations of Muslim culture.

ISLAM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Islam was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the
Philippines in the 14th century [1][2] with the arrival of Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf,
southern India, and their followers from several sultanate governments in the Malay
Archipelago. The first Muslims to arrive were traders followed by missionaries in the late 14th
and early 15th centuries.[3] They facilitated the formation of Sultanates and conquests in
Mindanao and Sulu.[4] The people who converted to Islam came to be known as the Moros. The
Muslim conquest reached as far as the Tondo which was supplanted by Brunei's vassal-
state Maynila.[5]
Most Muslims in the Philippines live on the island of Mindanao, the Sulu
Archipelago and Palawan. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM) is the region of the Philippines that is composed of all the Philippines' predominantly
Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan (except Isabela City), Lanao del
Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It also comprised the cities of Marawi, Lamitan,
and Cotabato City and the 63 Barangays in North Cotabato who opted to join the autonomous
region. It is the only region that has its own government. The regional capital is at Cotabato
City, which is outside the jurisdiction of the former and defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) but is now part of the Bangsamoro region after the majority of the residents
voted in favor for their inclusion in the autonomous region in the ratification of
the Bangsamoro Organic Law on January 21, 2019.

“This attire is worn by the

Muslims who live. in the southern
part of the Philippines. It features
long skirts for the women,
frequently woven with metallic
threads, and shorter, wrap-around
skirts for the men.”
Marriage (Nikha) among Muslim Filipinos is not only a civil contract but a social institution. Its
nature, consequences and incidents are governed by P.D. 1083 and the Shari'a, and are not
subject to stipulations, except that the marriage settlements may, to a certain extent, fix the
property relations of the spouses (Article 14, P.D. No. 1083).

“And a female Muslim is

allowed to get married when she
reaches puberty stage as long as it
has the consent of the parents or
guardians. In the religion Islam,
uniting two people through
marriage is both a social
agreement and a legal contract.”
Another living Filipino culture is the Kultura ng Pag-uuma at Pag-uukir (Moro or Muslim
Community and Intricate Curvilinear Art). It is all about life living under a sultan, the unity of
religion and the state, and the sophistication of art. The holistic way of life and well-being
continued to prosper.

Their culture is a blend of Islam and adat. Adat is the sum of both pre-Islamic culture and the
philosophical interpretation of the Muslims on the teachings of Islam. It is itself the lasting
contribution of the Philippine Muslims to the country’s national body politic.
 The Filipino Muslim Dance
– While often mistakenly
known by non-Maranaos,
the Singkíl is actually luxurious
in nature, performed by the
Ummah communities of the
Maguindanao and Maranao.
The Filipino Muslim Dance –
The dance derived from a story
of Darangen epic of the
Maranao.
FOOD
A Filipino Muslim chef and
writer has been cooking and
serving the “black” dishes of the
Moros from Muslim-dominated
parts of southern Philippines,
hoping to stir a fascination for
seemingly exotic viands that could
possibly pave a harmonious
“culinary-connect” with Filipinos
nationwide, majority of whom are
Catholics.
This latter school of thought argue that culture is an historical heritage of a nation, people or
society in the fields of art, architecture, dress, cuisine, language, literature and other cultural
norms and pursuits. Islam, on the other hand, consists of beliefs, acts of worship, a code of
conduct and jurisprudence. So long as the culture of a society lies within the parameters of
Islamic beliefs, acts of worship, code of conduct and the shariah, that culture would be
acceptable in Islam. Many an artist, architect, poet, author and chef has, upon acceptance of
Islam, adjusted himself/herself so as conform to the Islamic requirements.