Please, Stop! It Hurts!

Today's children are tomorrow's adults. Sorry for the pun, but it is true that those young people whom we call children today do hold the key to the future - the future of our nation and all nations for that matter.

That's why it's such a grave tragedy that in this age and time when humanity is making such great efforts for the betterment of the future there's a cancerous disease spreading like wildfire in our societies. When we are busily inventing new technologies and finding cures for previously incurable diseases our children are falling prey to sexual predators by the day, and no matter what we do we seem to be failing to stop or reduce the spread of this phenomena. What more, it seems that the advancements in communication technologies are actually helping the predators find their prey.

What's even more unfortunate is the deafening silence with which this issue seems to be addressed by many Muslims, Muslim scholars, and Islamic institutions. Is it a result of pure shock? Or is it that Muslims find it easier to live in a bubble, blind to the realities of the world around them?

If it's shock, it's about time they got over it, because being incredulous is not to going to help us solve the problem. If it is that they want to live in their own perfect little worlds within their own heads, they should realise that Islam wasn't sent to keep a perfect world on its perfection. Islam was sent to perfect a world filled with imperfections. The main goal the Shariah has set out to achieve is the prevention of harm and ensurement of benefits for the individual and for society as a whole. It is every Muslim's duty to work to achieve this goal.

This being the case, it's nothing less than an utter wrong for Muslims, whether affiliated with organisations or working individually, to disconnect themselves from society to such a great extent that they fail to address such a great issue within the society. It's even worse when Muslim scholars choose to be silent about an issue because it gives the impression that, 'Look, look! Islam doesn't prohibit child abuse either. Those stupid pedophilia-condonists!'

But that's untrue. Islam has prohibited all kinds of abuse. Even the abuse of animals is prohibited in Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) narrated the story of the woman who caged a cat without feeding it until it died. He informs that Allah has destined her to Hell for this act of cruelty towards an animal. Such being the stand of Islam towards the abuse of animals, do you seriously think that Islam will possibly condone the abuse of children?

The Prophet (PBUH) has paid great attention to informing the Ummah of the value of children in front of Allah. He being the perfect example showered his own children with love and care. Even after Fatimah, his daughter, got married and moved in with her husband, the Prophet (PBUH) showed great concern for her affairs. He gave the same treatment to the children of his companions (may Allah be pleased with them). He further instructed his companions to show love and care for the children who have lost one or both parents and thus become orphans.

Muslims are to follow the instructions of the Prophet. The instructions of the Prophet (PBUH) for Muslims to offer kindness to children are so great in number that they can only constitute the act as compulsory for Muslim. Under Islamic law, failing to do an act that is compulsory, and doing an act that is prohibited is what constitutes a crime.

Is the parent who beats up his own child to death in the name of punishing the child for being mischievous showing the kindness which is compulsory for him to give his child? Is the man, any man, who forcefully takes away the innocence of a child being kind to that child? Are the people who force children into slavery showing kindness to those children? Or are they acting in contravention to the many instructions by the Prophet (PBUH) for Muslims to treat children with love, care, and due respect? If they are acting in contravention to the Prophet's instructions, their act constitutes nothing but a crime.

The recent judgment delivered by a Saudi court to sentence a couple to death for abusing and killing a child over time is most noteworthy. Perhaps, for once other Muslim countries should in fact follow the Saudi lead and strengthen their laws to prevent child abuse.

But the Saudi court's judgment is not cause enough for celebration. In a time when people of different ideologies all over the world are addressing the issue of child abuse by various methods, the majority of Muslim scholars remain silent about the issue. The silence heard from the scholars is nothing short of shameful.

I refuse to take part in the shameful silence. I choose to raise my voice!