Sex education or Sexy Education !

A few months back, a local school in Mumbai conducted a surprise inspection of schools bags. It was a shock for the authorities to discover bundles of DVDs and pictures related to Pornography. What surprised the authorities more were the number of children who possessed the material and the number of children who shared with them.

 Every time such news of sexual adventures of children appears in the media, a dead debate is brought back to life. Should sex education be compulsory in the schools? The orthodox Gujaratis, Marwaris, Muslims and some Marathi families resist the very idea of sex education and they seek refuge in the shade of local political parties. They are blamed for remaining in the closets like turtles in their shell. So you are answerable to those who are for sex education in schools.   Here is what I found when I tried to peep into the methods and the syllabus of sex education floated by some schools.

 A male or a female teacher can be teaching to a class mixed with boys and girls discussing about anatomy and other sex related topics. An experienced teacher noted: There were more giggles in the class than in a dark cinema hall where a hot movie is shown. This was the only subject which the children awaited with excitement.

  The syllabus includes acts of sex, how to use condoms, how to avoid unwanted pregnancies, how to calculate safe dates……

 There would be no exams on this subject but yet the results are out.

In the western countries, sex is marketed as widely as colas and the age of consent in countries like Sweden is as low as 13 years.  Latest BBC news report that some manufacturers have come out with extra small size condoms exclusively for young boys of 13. According to reports from the British media there are no less than 2000 schools in the UK having wet nurses. The duty of these wet nurses would be to help get rig of unwanted pregnancies, without letting the parents know. A civilization, where adulterous fornicators, pedophiles, gays and lesbians swarm like bacteria in curd, give a wide option for children in their early teens to venture into a morally dangerous zone

In  Islamic syllabus there is no term like sex education, but a variety of issues related to sex, anatomy, sexual hygiene and above all moral and ethics of sexual life are highlighted in a civilized manner. Maintaining hijab through modest dressing, avoiding intermingling with opposite sex are the most important chapters taught from an early age. Children who have reached the age of puberty are not allowed to enter the bedroom of parents without seeking permission, an excellent right of privacy for the parents. Husbands and wives are not permitted to discuss their bedroom details with their relatives and friends and if some does it then, it is compared to sex performed by a male and female devil in the middle of the market place.  

 The other main difference between the so called sex education and Islamic education of morals and values, is that  Islam permits marriage at an early age to allow the satisfaction of sexual desires legally where as  the so called sex educators do  not touch this subject, they focus more on safe affairs, and sex outside marriage opening more doors of moral decay for an already sexually rotted society.

 Author: Nisaar Yusuf  throws light on contemporary socio- educational issues from Islamic perspective. He can be reached at nisaar-yusuf@yahoo.com