Western media is very powerful, and often the main driver is money rather than values based on sound moral principles and with their roots in religion. This essay deals with this topic in an objective manner to throw some light on this issue and thereby, perhaps, give some confused teenagers a clearer perspective of the choices that they can make.
1.Sex Education
1- Young adults are being infected with the HIV virus at an alarming rate. South Africa has one of the fastest growing number of infected people in the world; HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in this country. The age group that is mainly targeted is teenagers and young adults.
2- A devout mother, loyal to her husband, suddenly develops a sexually transmitted disease (such as syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, or even HIV/AIDS); how did this happen? STDs have reached epidemic proportions in America, where 40 million people are infected with some form of STD.
3- Teenage pregnancy is on the increase; girls as young as 11 are getting pregnant-a child is pregnant with a child. Many teenagers are having abortions, which leads to emotional, physical, and mental side effects.
4- Girls as young as 10-12 are having unprotected sex, with devastating consequences. When questioned, these young children say, "No one told me that it is wrong."
5- Wonderful homes break up and end in divorce because the husband (or wife) was having an adulterous relationship; the main victims in this scenario are the children.
6- Females as young as 2 and as old as 80 are being raped.
7- Homosexuality is on the increase; acts of sodomy that were once considered an abomination against humanity, are now considered normal to the extent that gay marriages are being allowed in some parts of the world.
8- More and more relationships end up in hurt, depression, unhappiness, conflict, and regret.
2.Adultery
1- Marriage is a sacred relationship between a husband and wife. When either spouse has a sexual relationship outside this relationship, this is usually done secretly; thus there is breakdown of trust in the relationship.
2- The guilty party may contract a sexually transmitted disease, which can then be transmitted to the innocent victim.
3- The victim is usually the female. She has two options, either stay and ignore what the father of her children is doing, or ask for a divorce. If the woman does not have a source of income, she either has to return to her parents and thus be a burden on them, or eke out a living and thus raise her children in poverty.
4- Children are the innocent victims in divorce. They bear the brunt of the constant fights between their parents and grow up with emotional and psychological scars.
3.Fornication
Fornication (zina) means to have sex with anyone while not yet married; there are two types of fornication:
1- An unmarried person who has sex with another unmarried person
2- An unmarried person who has sex with a married person; in this case, it is fornication for the unmarried person but adultery for the married person
4.Marriage
5.Sex and Hygiene
6.Prevalence of Illegal Sex
In simple terms, the Islamic requirement is as follows:
1- Boys and girls should not have sex before they are married
2- Sex is only permissible between legally married partners
3- Within the arena of the marriage contract, sex is a sacred, private, and personal act between the married couple only; this means that the husband and wife should guard their "bedroom secrets" from all prying ears and eyes.
4- Neither of the partners is allowed to have sex with anyone else. This means that neither the husband nor the wife can indulge in the un-Islamic practices of wife swapping parties, visiting prostitutes, or having sex with another married or single person.
5- If the husband is legally married to more than one wife (up to a maximum of four) then he is legally allowed to have sex with all four wives provided that he treats all of them equally.
6- When in doubt about anything, use the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to give clarity on any matter.
7.Role of Parents
a.Advice to a Preteen Daughter
b.Advice to a Preteen Son
8.Conclusion
Allah Most High has given mankind free will. We all have to make choices in life. However, life offers us a whole banquet of choices and delicacies that sometimes lead to a state of utter confusion or paralysis. What is the right decision?
Whom should I please?
What is fashionable?
Will my decision open me to ridicule?
Finally, a new generation of preteens is developing. It is our collective responsibility, as a community and a nation, to give clear guidelines to our youth. Our youth is our future and our destiny. May Allah Most High, Most Gracious, worthy of all praise, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, guide us, and our youth to a path that is straight.
Western media is very powerful, and often the main driver is money rather than values based on sound moral principles and with their roots in religion. This essay deals with this topic in an objective manner to throw some light on this issue and thereby, perhaps, give some confused teenagers a clearer perspective of the choices that they can make.
1.Sex Education
1- Young adults are being infected with the HIV virus at an alarming rate. South Africa has one of the fastest growing number of infected people in the world; HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in this country. The age group that is mainly targeted is teenagers and young adults.
2- A devout mother, loyal to her husband, suddenly develops a sexually transmitted disease (such as syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, or even HIV/AIDS); how did this happen? STDs have reached epidemic proportions in America, where 40 million people are infected with some form of STD.
3- Teenage pregnancy is on the increase; girls as young as 11 are getting pregnant-a child is pregnant with a child. Many teenagers are having abortions, which leads to emotional, physical, and mental side effects.
4- Girls as young as 10-12 are having unprotected sex, with devastating consequences. When questioned, these young children say, "No one told me that it is wrong."
5- Wonderful homes break up and end in divorce because the husband (or wife) was having an adulterous relationship; the main victims in this scenario are the children.
6- Females as young as 2 and as old as 80 are being raped.
7- Homosexuality is on the increase; acts of sodomy that were once considered an abomination against humanity, are now considered normal to the extent that gay marriages are being allowed in some parts of the world.
8- More and more relationships end up in hurt, depression, unhappiness, conflict, and regret.
2.Adultery
1- Marriage is a sacred relationship between a husband and wife. When either spouse has a sexual relationship outside this relationship, this is usually done secretly; thus there is breakdown of trust in the relationship.
2- The guilty party may contract a sexually transmitted disease, which can then be transmitted to the innocent victim.
3- The victim is usually the female. She has two options, either stay and ignore what the father of her children is doing, or ask for a divorce. If the woman does not have a source of income, she either has to return to her parents and thus be a burden on them, or eke out a living and thus raise her children in poverty.
4- Children are the innocent victims in divorce. They bear the brunt of the constant fights between their parents and grow up with emotional and psychological scars.
3.Fornication
Fornication (zina) means to have sex with anyone while not yet married; there are two types of fornication:
1- An unmarried person who has sex with another unmarried person
2- An unmarried person who has sex with a married person; in this case, it is fornication for the unmarried person but adultery for the married person
4.Marriage
5.Sex and Hygiene
6.Prevalence of Illegal Sex
In simple terms, the Islamic requirement is as follows:
1- Boys and girls should not have sex before they are married
2- Sex is only permissible between legally married partners
3- Within the arena of the marriage contract, sex is a sacred, private, and personal act between the married couple only; this means that the husband and wife should guard their "bedroom secrets" from all prying ears and eyes.
4- Neither of the partners is allowed to have sex with anyone else. This means that neither the husband nor the wife can indulge in the un-Islamic practices of wife swapping parties, visiting prostitutes, or having sex with another married or single person.
5- If the husband is legally married to more than one wife (up to a maximum of four) then he is legally allowed to have sex with all four wives provided that he treats all of them equally.
6- When in doubt about anything, use the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to give clarity on any matter.
7.Role of Parents
a.Advice to a Preteen Daughter
b.Advice to a Preteen Son
8.Conclusion
Allah Most High has given mankind free will. We all have to make choices in life. However, life offers us a whole banquet of choices and delicacies that sometimes lead to a state of utter confusion or paralysis. What is the right decision?
Whom should I please?
What is fashionable?
Will my decision open me to ridicule?
Finally, a new generation of preteens is developing. It is our collective responsibility, as a community and a nation, to give clear guidelines to our youth. Our youth is our future and our destiny. May Allah Most High, Most Gracious, worthy of all praise, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, guide us, and our youth to a path that is straight.