After decriminalisation of homosexuality and adultery three years back, increasing the legal age for marriage of girls is another bombardment on the family system,” said Dr. Javed Jamil, renowned thinker and writer and Chair in Islamic Studies & Research, Yenepoya University. He was the addressing an online programme as part of the weekly Ijtama organised by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Markaz, New Delhi on January 1.
In a hard-hitting 50-minute talk, he described the so-called modern international system as “more barbaric than any system in any part of the history, especially in terms of the position of women and children”. Tracing the history of the on-going disintegration and desecration of Family System, he said that the market-driven “Economic Fundamentalism” is dead against the traditional family system because unless it is desecrated, they cannot commercialise the human weaknesses. “In Sex, they have found the hen which always lays golden eggs,” he said.
Dr. Jamil asked why the legal consent of sex, which is 16 in India, was not raised at the same time. “It means that they want more and more girls to be involved in pre-marital relationships paving the way for the bigger and bigger commercialisation of sex, beauty and man-woman attraction,” he argued. He lambasted “Freedom of Choice” as the biggest tool in the hands of the market forces. “While there is ban on marrying before 21 (No Freedom of Choice here), is there ban on developing physical relationship before that age?”, he asked. He made the following important points:
- Engaging in sex before 21 is Freedom of Choice. But this freedom of choice is denied if they want to marry.
- In the so-called modern world, while there are rules and regulations and written documents in starting any activity, right from owning and driving vehicles, to enter into any form of business agreement or opening any shop or starting any business, any legal provision is not required for developing a relationship, which has huge implications for society, especially for women and their born or unborn children.. The only condition is their mutual though undeclared consent.
- Increasing marriage age will help markets in a big way. Night life of all kinds will prosper. Young men and women are required more in market in night times than in their homes.
- Markets hardly care if STDs including HIV/AIDs kill millions every year, if rapes continue to zoom, if the unborn babies are killed in hundreds of millions every year. But the business must go on. What a travesty of judgment? What a travesty of human health! Politics, media and academics all have become their partners, with no one interested in raising the alarm over this colossal desecration of life and honour.
- Every year, more than 100 million (10 crore) children are killed by way of abortions. “History has never seen a bigger carnage than this, and yet this is nowhere discussed as a human rights issue.” There are reports of even six-month old babies being snatched out of wombs and mercilessly killed in many abortion clinics.
- In the Western world, 40-70 pc children are born out of wedlock.
- Up to 70-80 pc children in Western countries are living with single parents, and it is mostly women who have to bear this brunt alone.
- “Freedom of Women” is nothing but “Freedom to men to enjoy, exploit and commercialise the services of women.”
- In last 30 years more than 38 million people have died of HIV/AIDS, with promiscuity, homosexuality and prostitution being the biggest factors. More women catch sex transmitted infections and hundreds of thousands also die of Cancer Cervix, which is related to Human Papilloma Virus, which spreads through sexual perversions and also more commonly in females having relations with uncircumcised men.
- Increase in marriage age will have hardly any impact on population rise, as the couple in marriage is always free to adopt family planning methods.
Dr. Jamil argued that “Family System is the biggest safety wall against Sex Transmitted Diseases.” He explained that Islam provides perfect health-protective system and the rights and duties of men and women are based on their natural strengths and weaknesses. He explained how Islam’s three-dimensional system of Fundamental Rights, Duties and Prohibitions is a perfect system of holistic peace and health. He called upon all religious and other right thinking people to unite against the onslaught on family system being perpetrated by the forces of economics in collaboration with political forces.
Giving concluding remarks in the programme, JIH Vice President Mr. Saleem Engineer added that the increase in age can create trouble for women in having babies, and this is an attack on their rights as mothers. He stressed the need to rise to the occasion and protect women against the designs of the forces that rule the world.