MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION, THE FRAME OF LEARNING ISLAMIC STUDIES TOWARDS ISLAMIC RELIGION TEACHERS BILINGUALLY

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Unity in Diversity as Indonesian motto turns into a saying which unifies the nation. Indonesia proudly presents many islands, races, ethnic groups, cultures, and also traditional languages. This symbolizes multiculturalism that has survived in the motherland. Generally, an Indonesian applies traditional and Indonesian languages in daily life and learns English at school or course. Some have practiced other foreign languages such as Arabic as well since it becomes the language of Al-Qur’an. However, English is usually taught as the compulsory subject in every level of disciplines. English belongs to any states of the world. In learning Islam, human being needs to learn and use English. Most references of Islamic studies are written particularly in Arabic and globally in English. Dealing with this issue, a teacher, in this case an Islamic religion teacher as a figure who educates students, should learn Islamic terms in bilingual versions beside his/her own competence. The teacher is expected to have not only multi-skills but also multicultural education. Having diverse students from multiethnic society probably occurs. Afterward, multicultural education nowadays is being a part of the school curriculum and made a compulsory school subject. It offers the prospect for both the teacher and students to learn inclusion materials that contain fundamental principles, such as democracy, humanism, and pluralism or inclusive religious values. All of those principles could be handed in Islamic Education Material Development Based Multicultural in order to build an inclusive religion at school. The materials are as follows (Salamah, 2011): First, the material of the Koran, in determining the choice of verses. Second, the jurisprudence material, can be extended to study fiqh siyasa (government). Third, the material character of the studies focus on the good-bad behavior against God, Apostle, fellow humans, ourselves, as well as the environment, critical to laying the foundations of nationhood. Lastly, SKI material, material that is rooted in historical fact and reality. Furthermore, a kind of TV program is also possibly to be a medium to introduce multicultural education to children. They as one of cartoon mania on TV, for instance, know how to enjoy watching their favorite cartoon series (Upin & Ipin) while unconsciously learning the multicultural education in their early ages. Otherwise, Darwis Dance (collaboration of a Turkish dance and Javanese Gamelans) grows to be one more alternative approach in learning Islam and multicultural education. Keywords: Multicultural education, Islamic Religion Teachers, Bilingual Islamic Studies