Lecture 10 : Issues of Social Ills  Like infectious diseases social ills also spread quickly.  Piety needs nourishment and proper environment, not only for growth but also for survival.  Social environment is responsible for nurturing both healthy and unhealthy human nature.

Problems of Young People  Bullying: Parents should prepare their child to be assertive and confident to face this challenge. Parents should make sure that a trust is built with their child during his early years so that he does not fail to inform about bullying if it occurs to him.  Delinquency: It is considered as a symptom of the rebelliousness of puberty. Muslim parents need to be conscious about what is going on in their child’s world and discuss the issue with him so that he grows with positive attitude towards life and shuns away from anti-social behavior.

 Racism: Muslim parents should educate their child with the Qur’anic teaching of man’s diversity for a divine purpose (al- Qur’an 49:13). It is a disease to be fought hard and Muslim adolescents must not give in to it.  Religious Discrimination: A Muslim adolescent should be equipped with a holistic understanding of Islam in order to make an impact on the others. Ignorance is the root cause of misunderstanding and eventual unequal treatment of one by the other.

 Family Disintegration: Materialism and individualism of western world, the root causes behind the family disintegration are also affecting Muslim families at an alarming rate.  Addiction: Drug, sex and violence are intertwined. Muslim parents have to be very cautious to protect their children from this epidemical problem.

 Sex and Sexuality: The three-letter word, SEX, is now a determining factor in modern western life. The media world is awash with this subject. Sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), homosexuality, pornography etc. are the byproducts of this widespread social ills.

 Pedophilia: Young people are vulnerable. Like plants they need nurturing, not misuse and abuse. Muslim parents need to be alert on this issue.  Laissez Faire Morality: In today’s society morality has often become selective and double standard has virtually taken over international decision making. This has given rise to permissiveness. A Muslim child growing in this environment needs to be protected from this confusion.

Fighting the Ills  The challenge of fighting the social ills is enormous, especially in the context of weaker Muslim position in the West.  As an important line of defense, the Muslim parents should try to create a protective shield around their young children through various means.  At the same time, they need to widen their struggle and forge close links with the moral majority in the societies they live in.