Such an understanding of the value of what is
“good” reaches an unmatchable depth in the heart and mind of the
believer in God. The reason is that it is connected with and guarded by
the faith. It also reaches an unmatchable width in its range, for it
addresses whatever good for all people and all creations in this
universe. The believer is keen and persistent to do the good, whether
its results are soon felt or not, since he/she is looking always beyond
the short term results of this life. What is “good” or “right” or “just”
may have more extensive dimensions for the believer, but it is shared
by all human minds in different ways and at different levels.
In the past, Muslim civilization was
appreciated for these common dimensions and all its efforts in
developing the universal moral values, not because it was related to
those who had a certain belief system or follow a certain prophet. The
Quran significantly calls “the good”: “what is known by all people to be
acceptable (al-ma’ruf)”, and calls “the evil”: “what is known by all
people to be rejectable (al-munkar)”. Both are related to the universal
common sense and sound judgment.
Peoples, Muslims and non-Muslims, have
enjoyed the benefits of the Muslim endowments “awqaf” system which has
been known to include hospitals, clean water, education, residence,
food, bathrooms, and financial aid for all those in need of any
assistance. Those who cannot afford the cost of marriage- bachelor-male
or female- may be helped to get married through awqaf. The benefits of
awqaf have also reached the abandoned animals, especially those old and
sick among them.
Through the institution of “hisba”, instant
justice reached workers who had been unfairly treated with regard to the
work assignments or unfair wages. It had even reached animals,
regarding over-load carriage or mistreatment. All hisba or
justice-related cases were administered by a qualified person called the
“muhtasib”. The institution of “mazalim” was established to secure
justice at the highest level of authority and operated as a supreme
court.
Muslim jurists used a variety of methods to
reach their legal percepts beside basic reliance on the Quran and the
Sunna, including analogy, preference and consideration of the common
good. In principle, everything is viewed as legal or lawful in Shari’a
unless proven otherwise. Any wise or just conduct is welcomed by the
Shari’a, because wisdom and justice are the ultimate goals of faith and
belief in the One God by all believers.
Many legal principles in the Quran and Sunna,
which have continuously been stressed and elaborated by generations of
jurists, through successive centuries ensure justice conceptually and
practically. The dignity of the human being as such has been
particularly stressed in the Quran [17:70], whatever the ethnicity,
gender, origin, or age of the individual may be. The rights of those you
like or dislike have to be secured in a very meaningful way. Shari’a is
against any kind of compulsion – material or psychological through
temptation or intimidation – which may be made to make the human being
state anything against his/her conviction. This principle stands clear
with regard to either faith [the Quran 2:256, 10:99, 11:28], testimony
or point of view [2:282]. The rights of the defendant for a fair inquiry or trial, and the rights of the prisoner
have also been stressed in the strongest possible terms [e.g. see Abu
Yusuf, al-Kharaj, al-Salafiyya, Cairo: 1347H., pp. 161-6, 190-1]. The
rights of the combatant as a prisoner of war or requester of asylum
are recognized and protected [e.g. the Quran 9:6, 76:8-8-9]. Muslim
juristic contribution to international law in peace and war preceded the
known work of the Dutch jurist Hugo Gratius [1583-1645] by several
centuries. The work of the distinguished jurist Mohammad ibn al-Hasan
al-Shaybani (d.189H./804), with its Arabic title “al-Siyar” or “the
running of military operations”, stands as a clear example.
Interestingly enough, jurists of international law from a variety of
countries have formed an association in Gottingen, Germany, which they
called “al-Shaybani Association for International Law”. The association
was initially presided over by the late Egyptian jurists Dr. Abd
al-Hamid Badawi, whose deputy was the Syrian scholar Dr. Salah al-Din
al-Munajjid [see the ‘Introduction’ of Dr. Salah al-Din al-Munajjid to
“Sharh Kitab al-Siyar al-Kabir” of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, by
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Sarakhsi, Institute of Manuscripts: League of
Arab States, Cairo: 1971, Vol. 1, p. 14; also: Moh. Haidallah, The
Muslim Conduct of State].
The Islamic law called for a special
consideration of the evidence required in commercial transactions, whose
circumstances are by their nature different from the general civil
transactions [the Quran 2:282]. As the late prominent Egyptian jurist
Dr. Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanhuri and other modern Muslim jurists have
pointed out, the Islamic jurisprudence has its pioneering achievements
in such legal principles as the abuse or misuse of the right, the
consideration of adventitious circumstances in any civil matters, the
liability for negligence… etc. [see Sanhuri’s Introduction to the
Egyptian Civil Code of 1949, and to his work on civil law “al-Wasit”,
Vol. 1]. The International Conference on Comparative Law in The Hague in
1932 recognized the distinctive achievements of Shari’a, and its
potential in the modern world, and later an international juristic
conference in Paris in 1951made a parallel resolution.
Furthermore, Muslim civilization was
appreciated by all those who enjoyed the fruits of its knowledge and
sciences, Muslims and non-Muslims. It was appreciated for its schools,
centers of high education and research, public libraries, hospitals,
observatories… etc. Non-Muslims frequently came from Europe to Muslim
cities seeking knowledge or medical treatment. They did not come
naturally to learn the Islamic faith or the revealed teachings or law,
but to learn the kind of universal knowledge which Muslims were
recognized with an authority as in the fields of philosophy,
mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, medicine, applied arts, and
refined crafts, etc. Muslim women were recognized as outstanding
specialists in medicine and surgery in Muslim Spain and other areas of
the Muslim lands. Mosques had been admired by non-Muslims and continue
to be admired to this very day, for their splendid architecture and
fascinating decorations. Fine textiles and perfumes have had for a long
time the traces of Muslim civilization in their world trade names such
as Damascene, Mosulene, Marocaine, musk, and etc. A well-spread network
of land and water routes efficiently connected Muslim lands from within,
and connected them with the outside world and secured the trade routes
between East and West. These well-maintained ways of transportation and
communication, in addition to a similar well-organized mail service for
the benefit of the authorities and the public, facilitated the spread of
civilization that developed in Muslim lands from its main centers
through different directions.
Civilization for the whole Humanity:
Muslim civilization was given the
name “Muslim” only in later times by historians. In its time, it was
appreciated by the contemporary world that knew it only as universal
civilization, benefiting all mankind, though it flourished first among
Muslim peoples. Civilization, whatever its origins, stages and
classifications, is a whole phenomenon, a continuation of human
development whatever its different places and times may be. As it has
been previously emphasized, Muslim civilization in the past was
developed and enjoyed by Muslims and non-Muslims, Arabs and non-Arabs,
and by people of Muslim lands and people of non-Muslim lands. Muslims
had benefited from the contributions of previous as well as contemporary
civilizations such as the Graeco-Roman-Byzantines, Persian and Indian
civilizations. However, Muslims developed those heritages and left their
fingerprints in their outcomes. Muslims followed an empirical attitude
in science, leaving a Greek theoretical speculative one, and showed
interest in all aspects of applied sciences (e.g. observatories,
surgical instruments, pharmaceutics, hospital and library services,
cartography, etc), while an attitude towards abstraction was obvious in
their aesthetics. More important, they developed a system of care for
neighbors and neighborhood and local community welfare. These and other
traits characterized the universal civilization that developed in Muslim
lands in past centuries.
The civilizational effects of Islam and
Muslims are true evidence of the significance and value of the message
of Islam. Not all the people are interested in going through the faith
of Islam and reading its teachings in order to understand the religion,
although this may be essential on the part of anyone who feels that
his/her intellectual and moral responsibility of knowledge and judgment
require doing so. But all people can easily appreciate the common good
and human perspective of Islam and come to think about the factors
behind them. In other words, the civilizational achievements of Islam
and Muslims have been a permanent evidence of the value of the message
of Islam. Muslim civilization in medieval times was not only known for
its libraries, laboratories, observatories and hospitals, but also for
its gardens and fountains, refined textiles and beautifully designed
clothes and rugs, perfumes, fragrant incense, decorated glass and
pottery and metal products manufactured by Muslims and non-Muslims in
Muslim lands. Hard work and perfection are taught by Islam to make the
individual achieve the acceptance and reward of God in this life and in
the eternal life to come. It is also required for good business to earn
one’s living in this present life, and it may be supported morally and
spiritually by believers other than Muslims as well. Besides, Muslims,
as all human beings, in addition to being inspired by the guidance of
their book, have also appreciated the beauty that is evidence in God’s
creation of nature, and have tired to reflect on it in their arts and
crafts. Islamic teachings about cleanliness were significantly reflected
in the establishment of public baths, of which there were once some
27000 in the city of Baghdad alone at the time of the Abbasid Caliph
al-Muqtadir (908-932), according to al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in his
voluminous history of Bagdad. There were also 60000 in other times.
Various kinds of cosmetics and dress fashions were known to have been
enjoyed by Muslim women and the rights of Muslim women as members of the
family and society were legally and morally secured by Islam. Ulayyah,
the daughter of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (775-785) and the sister of
the well-known caliph al-Rashid (786-809), in order to cover a blemish
on her forehead “devised a fillet set with jewels which was soon adopted
by the world of fashion as the ornament of the day ‘ala’Ulayyah’” as it
was reported by al-Asfihani in “al-Aghani” and quoted by Hitti in his
“History of the Arabs” [McMillan, London: 1970, p302].
Islam as a Civilization Message:
Islam aims at developing the human
potential, as well as the natural resources necessary to realize this
potential, through the motivation of faith in God and accountability of
the human being: “It is He who has produced you from the earth and entrusted you with development on it”
(11:61). God Himself is in no need of being recognized or worshipped,
but His messages to human beings have aimed to secure their own moral
and material success in the development entrusted to them (51:56-58).
Islam establishes faith in God on the basis of knowledge of His
creation, and considers the human work in this world and the human
behavior with people in it as ways of worshipping God. The Quran
emphasizes the “dignity of the children of Adam” (17:70) – all of
them not only Muslims. It indicates that dignity cannot be split from
securing the required good things of life. The Quran also defends the
free movement of people throughout land and sea, and even through the
atmosphere and space when this becomes possible (45:12-13). The human
merits in all their dimensions physical, intellectual, moral,
psychological, and spiritual, with which the human being is favored over
many of God’s creation, have to be maintained and developed (17:70) by
the individual, society, and the state in order to prove gratefulness to
the grantor through developing the world with which he/she is entrusted
(11:61). This can be done through the development of human relations on
the basis of justice and fair treatment wherever humans live, (5:2,
30:22, 49:13, 60:8), starting from one’s own family and extending this
behavior to neighborhood, society, country, and the whole world. During
the prominence of Muslim civilization, the Muslim state provided public
services and all requirements of economic development, including roads
and water resources for the whole population. Educational and medical
institutions were established by the state, as well as by private
efforts. Social security for the elderly, the disabled, the seriously
ill, the unemployed, and those in hardship was available to all those
who needed it, Muslims and non-Muslims. Hosting and helping travelers
and strangers suffering from unexpected hardships became a tradition
during Muslim civilization, since it is a fundamental teaching in the
Quran.
Enjoying human rights is inseparable from
fulfilling the human duty and obligation in maintaining “the human
dignity”. Such values have to be protected and administered by the
concerned authorities in the country and in the whole world (3:159,
4:58-59, 42:38, 49:9). This is a stage that can be reached by all
mankind through use of intellectual and moral-spiritual abilities
granted by the Creator. It is to be supported and guarded by the divine
guidance for those who believe in God. Muslims worship God and attempt
to present His message to others through persuasion and dialogue. They
do so by co-operating with all human beings in developing the human and
natural resources granted to them all by God. If these values are
practiced necessarily by the human instinct or the intellect of the
“homo sapiens”, it can be developed to the best of the human potential
by the faith in God and human accountability before Him, which guards
and prevents any waste committed by arrogance in the case of success, or
humiliating despair in the case of failure. The believers in God have
to represent His justice and grace in dealing with their fellow human
beings whoever they may be, believers or non-believers, co-citizens or
others, men or women, adults or children, friends or enemies “And We
have not sent you but as a grace and mercy for all being” : (21:107 see
also 4:136, 5:2, 4). Justice within the country and through the whole
world cannot be confined to political and legal aspects, it has to be
comprehensive and include socio-economic aspects of human relations. It
has to be secure the “good things of life” for all developed and
developing nations, producers and consumers, lenders and borrowers, and
the powerful and weak.
Diversity within unity:
It is essential for the
continuation and spreading of a universal or “multiethnic” civilization
at any time to accommodate human differences through extending times and
different places. In the past, such a requirement was obvious in the
state of affairs of what has become known as Muslim civilization. While
Islam establishes grounds of “common religious culture” it does not
require an abandoning of any feeling or practice that represents a
natural relation to a particular human group and its socio-cultural
life, as long as such a feeling or a practice does not contradict the
teachings of Islam. Feelings of closeness to a certain people or a
certain place are normal, if they are not being turned into racism or
ethnic chauvinism “asabiyyah”. The people to whom one is related
represent merely an extensive family, and the land where one is born
represents an extensive neighborhood as Gustave von Grunebaum put it in
his “Unity and Variety in the Muslim Civilization”.
“From this point of view, the self
identification as a Muslim of a ‘nationalistic’ Persian of the Samanid
period would appear perfectly legitimate, in as much as he would
continue to accept the Islamic axioms of monistic theism and prophetism,
as well as the value judgment which dedicates the life of a man at the
service of God. It is only within this intellectual emotional frame
work that he strives after the political independence of his people and
the revival of the cultural glories of the Iranian past. Under the
surface of the Muslim identification, no end of changes that may occur,
but they will hardly ever affect the identification as such” [p.
19]; “…the philosophical and scientific potential of Islam was
actualized and restated in terms of acceptable to the representatives of
the older traditions with which the new religious civilization has to
deal. Persian administrative and political thinking, Hellenistic
techniques or philosophizing and of secular science, Indian mathematics
and medicine were mastered effortlessly. The linguistic Arabization of
the borrowings contributed to their assimilation, the foreign view
point- whenever pounded in an Islamized setting and in an Islamized
terminology – would be experienced as genuinely Islamic. On the other
hand, the progressive explicating of the data of the faith and of their
cultural implications would enlarge the basis of inter-civilization
receptivity. The flourishing of the Abbasid Empire between AD 760 and
804 thus came to represent [an] integration of Islamic civilization, in
which room had been made for ‘local’ traditions which were in part
admitted in a bookish fashion, but which mostly forced themselves into
the new synthesis through the realities of an actual symbiosis” [p. 23].
In the field of arts, Richards Ettinghausen underlined in the same work the “Interaction and Integration” that occurred:
“The unique character of Muslim art is a
commonly known fact, which is experienced even by people who know hardly
anything about this civilization. The main normative force which
created this phenomenon was Islam itself…; it created a way of life
and attitudes which deeply influenced its architecture, the range and
character or its iconography, the treatment and type of ornament, and
the choice of material everywhere in its domain. Yet, in spite of
the apparent uniform character of Islamic art, everybody who becomes
familiar with its various aspects realized more and more the tremendous variety in the different regions and even in the changing periods within a single territory.
These differences are so marked that if we take for instance pottery,
one of the commonest decorated materials, we can date within a century,
sometimes within a half or a quarter of a century, any archaeological
site where shreds have been found, and again at times also information
about influences of trade or of migratory workers” [p. 107]. (Unity and
Variety in Muslim Civilization, edited by Gustave von Grunebaum, Univ.
of Chicago Press, Chicago 1967).
Within one region such as Muslim Spain
(Andalus), each city might have its reputation in a particular
civilization feature. According to al-Maqqari, the prominent historian
of Andalus (d. 133), “When a scholar dies in Seville and his estate
wants his books sold, the books are carried to Cordova, where the market
for books is there. But when a musician dies in Cordova, his
instruments are carried to Seville for sale, where the market for them
is there.” Art became a symbol of the universality of Islam, and the
diversity of its civilization as well. In this field, the contribution
of the non-Muslim artists and artisans came in harmony with the general
Muslim atmosphere, while they practiced their own professional
traditions. Besides, non-Muslims could become ministers or court
physicians and could hold top positions in the central and local
administrations. Muslim civilization was able to assimilate the various
religions and ethnicities, as it was able to assimilate various
civilizational heritages. It was able to acquire, absorb, supplement and
add to the heritage of knowledge known in that time and transmit their
contributions around, and thus made the “Renaissance” later possible in
Western Europe through Latin translations of Arabic words. The Europeans
came to recognize the value of that knowledge, and the achievements of
Muslim civilization overflowed into Europe from Muslim Spain, Sicily and
Italy. It was indeed transmitted to Europe by the Crusaders themselves
at the time of their occupation of the lands east of the Mediterranean.
The inter-religious intellectual debate among Muslim thinkers such as
Ibn Rushd (Averoes d.1198) and al-Ghazali (d.1111) and Ibn Rushd’s
debate with the Jewish philosopher Ibn Maymun [Maimonides, d.1204] and
the Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas [d.1274] have been repeatedly
emphasized. The continuous stream of human civilization had provided
Muslims with other nations, contribution, and Muslim contributions were
spread to Europe and other parts of the world where Muslims had
relations.
Participation in the Contemporary Civilization Has to Precede Influence:
Muslims throughout their role in
history had searched for the civilizational traditions available in
their time. They absorbed these traditions primarily through
translations provided often by non-Muslims. They began, however, by
presented what they had learned with their own understanding,
exploration and sometimes supplement. When Muslims became legitimate
representatives of knowledge and were recognized as authorities in the
fields, they were able to incorporate their new and original
contribution to world civilization. Their achievement in acquisition and
innovation came to be known after sometime as the civilization of
Muslim peoples or Muslim lands. In other words, Muslim civilization
started as universal civilization before it came to be distinguished
with its Muslim connotation.
Such a Muslim contribution to world civilization was dynamic and variable,
according the existing sources. Muslims had to first absorb and master
knowledge before they could add and influence, depending on the given
circumstances. Participation, continuation, and transfusion of new
elements represent the only way for developing a sense of humanness and
morality in contemporary civilization. Japan is a significant example of
becoming a partner in the world civilization. Muslims too cannot
isolate themselves from the present civilization, or wait for its
self-destruction and then jump off to create a Muslim civilization on
their own terms. Civilizations cannot be developed in a vacuum or all of
a sudden. Civilizational developments occur gradually and take time to
bear their fruits. One cannot do the teaching before learning first. No
change could be down without knowing what already exists and without
knowing what needs to continue or what needs to be changed and how could
it be changed for what is better. The process of civilization cannot be
taken as a political coup! In this era of globalism, all humanity is in
one boat. The destruction of the contemporary civilization would be a
disaster not only to evil-doers but also to passive wishful thinkers,
regardless of their good intentions and utopian dreams. The Quran says:
“and be ware of a tumult which does not affect in particular the
wrong-doers from among you to the exclusion of others” [The Quran 8:25].
Muslims would not be able to incorporate into
the contemporary civilization the moral values they believe in, if they
keep themselves aloof intellectually and psychologically from such a
civilization, or if they keep imitating and following it without being
critical and creative. This civilization, giving its unimaginable
advances in transportation and communication, has become indeed very
global, whatever or wherever its geographical start happened to be.
Again, Japan, which is now a true partner in this civilization, presents
us with strong evidence. Besides, other countries such as India, China,
South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore are also working with the
same energy and enthusiasm to catch up with the West. Globalism has
become a characteristic of our era, and has inevitably led to the
emergence of universal pluralism. Democracy in its elaborated concepts
and developed institutions is an invaluable production of the West, for
which no better alternative has appeared, in spite of the obvious
shortcomings of a secularization of the entire human life in the name of
democracy, which have been made known by Westerners themselves who have
also been enjoying and praising the blessings of free thinking and free
expression provided by democracy. Further, Muslims need to share the
contemporary advances in public administration, management of
enterprises public and private and management of mixed sectors, as well
as non-governmental and non-profit organizations. In addition, all agree
that they need to share the achievements of science and technology.
The divine guidance, as revealed in the Quran
and Sunna allows for the human intellect which represents, with the
divine guidance, the most invaluable blessings of the Lord to the human
species. Both have to interact with one another in accordance with God’s
will and plan, without contradicting one another, or being isolated
from one another. The believer in God and His gifts to the human race as
a whole has to search for “wisdom” wherever it may be, and “the
believer in God is the most deserving of whatever wisdom he/she may
find” – according to tradition of the Prophet (brought out by
al-Tirmidhi). The Quran reads: “Give them glad tiding to my [true]
worshippers who listen to all that is said, and follow of it what is
best; it is those whom God has graced with His guidance, and it is those
who have really minds” [39:17-18].
This divine guidance was observed by the
Muslims in the past, and has to be observed in the contemporary world
with regard to any civilizational development they may have come across.
Such a human interaction is essential in a universal civilizational
development. “And if God has not enabled people to react positive
towards on another, corruption would surely overwhelm the earth; but God
is limitless in this bounty unto all-beings” [2:251], “and as for the
scum, it passes away as [does all] dross, but that which is of benefits
to people abides on earth” [13:17]. It is a responsibility that the
entire world will someday come to acknowledge for the Muslims and Islam,
if it is fulfilled. It is also the only effective way to present Islam
positively to humanity as a whole in our time. Such a message is
destines to reach the human masses all over the world, whereas any
preaching can reach only a very thin minority or a selected audience.
An Enormous Need For A Moral Direction:
The contemporary global
civilization badly needs a moral dimension to correct its direction,
fill in its gaps, treat its limitations, widen its perspective, deepen
its foundations, and safeguard its progress against abuse and divergence
and internal decay. Such a decay may develop from detected or
undetected psychological and intellectual and sociological factors,
whether they may be on the surface or in depth. In this way, the
contemporary civilization could be more balanced, effective,
comprehensive, safeguarded and self-correcting.
In spite of their tremendous material
progress, the most developed societies in the contemporary civilization
are suffering from physical and environmental pollution. Drugs,
alcoholism, violence, family deterioration and gang mushrooming are
daily practices by children and youth who have abandoned their families
or have been abandoned by their families. Corruption at high levels
among politicians and civil servants, judges and police is accelerating.
Sharpening gaps between the haves and have-nots, as well as madness in
space exploration and war destructiveness are shaking, while physical
and social diseases get less attention and spending from the state
authorities. These are only examples of the well-known sufferings of the
contemporary civilization as represented at the top of today’s world.
Robert A. Denther points out in his book
“Major Social Problems” about poverty: “Most poverty in America rests
with those who are too old or too young (i.e. children under 18 years
old) too sick or too disabled or too remote from economic opportunity by
virtue or geography or ethnic discrimination to benefit from the
growing economy. Poor people are not willing to be poor. Most of them
work if they could [and as hard as they could” [Road McNally, U.S. 1972,
pp.113-115]. The American Bar Association panel in Washington on August
3, 1993 underlined these alarming statistics about the year 1991:
- • One in five American children lives below government
acknowledged standards for base subsistence, 14% of the nation’s
preschool children live in impoverished families, and the overall child
poverty rate tops that in any comparable country.
- • Gunshot wounds are leading cause of death for both African American and Caucasian American teenage boys.
- • African American and Latino children are more likely than Caucasian children to be poor.
“Newsweek” magazine reported on September 11,
1989 that children in Philadelphia, PA start in drug trafficking when
they are between six and eight years, then they become hooked on it!
As for violence, the final report on “The
Causes and Prevention of Violence” in 1969 pointed out: “America has
always been a relatively violent nation. Rapid social change in America
has produced different forms of violence and widely varying patterns of
motivations, aggression and victimization… Violence has usually been the
“lava ‘flowing’ from the top of a volcano fed by deeper fires of social
dislocation and injustice; it has not been stopped solely by capping
the top”. An earlier report in 1968 from the “National Advisory
Commission on Civil Disorders” known as “the Kerner Commission Report”
stated: “Disorder did not erupt as a result of a single ‘triggering’ or
‘precipitating’ incident, but was generated out of an increasingly
disturbed social atmosphere… The typical rioter was a teenager, a young
adult, a life-long resident of the city, a high school dropout, usually
under-employed or employed in a menial job, with a new mood of
self-esteem and extremely hostile to the high classes even of his own
ethnicity… What the rioters appeared to be seeking was fuller
participation in the social order and material benefits enjoyed by the
majority, rather than rejecting the system in which they were anxious to
obtain a place for themselves”. It is ironic that the same causes
triggered the recent riots in Los Angeles and school mass killings after
more than two decades, which sharply underline a serious failure.
With regard to the deterioration of moral
responsibility in sexual behavior, the Census Bureau Report on
“Fertility of American Women in June 1992, stated that about one in four
births in 1991 were out of wedlock (24%), across all demographic strata
not the poor only, and including the educated, the employed… etc. Pope
John Paul has rightfully warned that the isolation of sex from its
unitive and procreative purpose and roles could undermine the society’s
stability. Social research has established relations between
irresponsible sexual practices, drug-addiction, and violence, and
between these ills and some mass media present actions especially the
TV. Sexual irresponsibility has led to an acceleration in the cases of
women abuse and children abuse (even in the churches) that we all now
witness among developed countries, and also in the developing ones.
