The Chinese government has scrapped the un-Islamic one-child policy of 1979, after realising its bad effects. One couple has to shoulder four parents and eight grand-parents but the youngsters are becoming materialistic and selfish. Also, life expectancy has increased from 50 in 1949 to 72 in 2006. The elderly feel lonely and are looking desperately for someone who cares. The able among them adopt or hire young women to take care of household chores and give them company. The government also contemplates home-care systems, which may or may not work successfully. The Chinese people now want to have more children and bring up themselves, because sons are to take care of their parents, as a universal rule. This indicates how man-made policies are experimental in nature and Islamic principles thoughtful and everlasting.
New Delhi