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| A Case Against Pornography Shahid Athar MD Question: My wife was taught that God says
sex is something dirty and its only purpose is to bring children into the
world. Is that what the Bible teaches? MH Answer from Billy Graham: No. It is not. God gave sex to the human race and the Bible reminds us, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (Acts 10: 15). However, just like anything else God has given us, we can misuse this gift, twisting it and perverting it into something selfish and evil. But that only underlines our need to commit our sexual drive to God and ask Him to help us control it and recover His purposes for it in our own lives. God meant for the sexual relationship between husband and wife to be a physical sign of their commitment to one another, of their inner joy and oneness. That is one reason why God's purposes for sex can only be fulfilled within the commitment of marriage. (Tribune Media Services. Indianapolis Star August 5, 1995). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has said
about usury, "A time will come when usury will reach the people like
'musk' (perfume). That is to say, "It will reach everyone whether
they want it or not." In the same way, to some extent, nudity and
pornography affects all of us whether we want it or not. Just turn on the
TV to watch the evening news and you will be confronted with a young woman
in a bikini to advertise for one-calorie Pepsi or for feminine hygiene
products or for nutritious cereal. If you want some more action, you can
watch the soap operas or prime time programs like "Full House"
or late night movies. It reaches also in the written media, in magazines,
newspapers and in music programs like MTV and Friday night video, etc. It is not enough to say to Muslim youth that Islam prohibits such things. They ask for the reasoning process behind why it is wrong, what it leads to and so forth. They will not accept, "Don't watch it," when they ask, "Why?" and the answer comes back, "Because I said so." They ask to discuss the pros and cons to arrive at an intelligent answer. The proponents of nudity present the
following argument: 1. It is protected by freedom of speech. The response is that the First
Amendment is misunderstood and misapplied. Yes, we have certain rights and
certain freedoms, but there is a concept of limited freedom. As long as my
freedom does not affect someone else's freedom, it may be okay. If I smoke
in my own closet, dance naked in my own bedroom, I am affecting only
myself, but if I do the same thing outside, I am encroaching on the
freedom of other people. Just like we do not like to get second-hand
smoke, we do not have to accept second-hand nudity and pornography.
Therefore, this is a wrong definition of freedom of expression. 2. It is harmless entertainment as
compared to the violence on TV and in the movies. 3. It is educational. If it is not necessary to teach baby ducks how to swim, why is it necessary for teenagers to be taught the education of sexual techniques before they are expected to engage in them? HARMFUL EFFECTS OF NUDITY AND
PORNOGRAPHY 1. Degradation of women. Women and
their bodies are being used to advertise every product, cosmetic, dress,
perfume and even medication. It is a form of oppression of women and a
form of enslaving them. Many of the exercise videos are using obscene
positions to sell those programs. Many of the unnatural sex acts shown in
some of the x-rated moves are committed by force and under threat. Many of
the tortures that are shown in bondage are against the will of women. 2. Watching nudity desensitizes men
and women to normal sexual stimulus. People get used to it and therefore
this is the most common cause of psychological impotency in this country.
Just by becoming used to these in order to get an arousal, they have to
perform some more weird acts than plain, simple nudity can provide. 3. Nudity and pornography are an
addiction that leads to other crimes including drugs, murder, rape,
abduction, child molestation, and incest. One leads to another until a
person pays for that crime behind bars for many years to come. It is not
as innocuous as people claim. It is a perversion. There are clubs of sex
alcoholics just like Alcoholics Anonymous or AA where people share their
previous experiences in order to enter therapy. 4. Finally, it is a waste of time.
The time that is spend on vain desires and pursuit of happiness at the
cost of others can be utilized in many constructive ways to include
improving their knowledge by reading good books, doing housework, sports,
exercise or perhaps of remembrance of God because to Him is our return. Pornography, thus, is neither educational nor entertainment, but a disease and an addiction and Muslims should avoid it. Reprint Requests: reproduced with permission from: |
