Be concerned, fight incest
Monday, July 23, 2007
FORTY may not be a large number statistically, but discerning minds would understand how hateful it is for the 40 victims of incest and sexual abuse in Brunei Darussalam to have been included in the statistics. Each of these victims is a human being who feel pain and whose lives have changed irrevocably because of the crime.
The Brunei Times ran a report quoting Datin Adina Othman, the Director of Community Development, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as saying over the weekend the number of cases could be higher. She also said incest was prevalent amongst lower-class families, many of whom were dysfunctional, having cases of divorce, polygamy and unemployment.
In addition, most of the affected families were Malay Muslim families who "do not have strong religious belief" and the perpetrators were often intoxicated with drugs. She spoke of the impact of incest on the victims, such as low self-esteem that often led to irresponsible sexual behaviour and promiscuity. She went on to say that all members of the community are responsible in addressing the problem.
Incest is among the most painful subject to be discussed in any society, more so an Islamic one such as Brunei Darussalam. Islam has a very clear rule regarding sexual relations, and incest is among the biggest violations of Allah's commandment.
Politically, critics of anything Islamic would have jumped with joy at our admission that incest and sexual abuse do occur here, and that the actual number of cases could be higher, turning this into yet another barrage of ammunition for their accusation that Islam denigrates women, children and the weak. They have done the same with other Islamic communities on issues such as the so-called oppression of women and honour killing.
On the other hand, there is another camp of people who immediately brush off any signs of violation under the carpet of ignorance of the fact that the ideal does not always turn into reality.
We really ought to stand on the middle path, declaring outright that Islam abhors sexual violence but recognising that there are people in the Muslim community who commit such acts because of various factors including intoxication. The "Islam-ness" of such people is indeed questionable but we are taking an objective look at the situation and thinking of solutions.
We have to point out, first of all, that incest does occur also among people in higher income brackets, and that we need to study further the stated relation between dysfunctional families and cases of divorce and polygamy and incest. More importantly, however, we need to take an Islamic perspective on the subject and see where we go wrong and how to go about making correction.
Incest occurs when there is a breakdown in the observance of Islamic rulings such as the sanctity of family relations and the concept of haya (shyness or modesty, a branch of faith that prevents one from doing wrong), and the blatant neglect of a Muslim's first job description: which is to protect oneself and one's family from the hell fire.
When this vice takes place, it affects not only those directly involved such as the helpless victims, but the Muslim community itself. As a society, we are inviting the wrath of God upon us when we allow it to continue.
But when hunger is easier to spot, incest is an insidious "malady" that those who are directly involved often hide, despite the pains, out of shame and fear. It is among the most difficult to investigate. The revelation by Datin Adina Othman is a wakeup call for all Bruneians to be more concerned about their neighbours and help fight incest. We need the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports' strong leadership in this fight, in concert with other authorities, NGOs and members of the public at large.
The Brunei Times ran a report quoting Datin Adina Othman, the Director of Community Development, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as saying over the weekend the number of cases could be higher. She also said incest was prevalent amongst lower-class families, many of whom were dysfunctional, having cases of divorce, polygamy and unemployment.
In addition, most of the affected families were Malay Muslim families who "do not have strong religious belief" and the perpetrators were often intoxicated with drugs. She spoke of the impact of incest on the victims, such as low self-esteem that often led to irresponsible sexual behaviour and promiscuity. She went on to say that all members of the community are responsible in addressing the problem.
Incest is among the most painful subject to be discussed in any society, more so an Islamic one such as Brunei Darussalam. Islam has a very clear rule regarding sexual relations, and incest is among the biggest violations of Allah's commandment.
Politically, critics of anything Islamic would have jumped with joy at our admission that incest and sexual abuse do occur here, and that the actual number of cases could be higher, turning this into yet another barrage of ammunition for their accusation that Islam denigrates women, children and the weak. They have done the same with other Islamic communities on issues such as the so-called oppression of women and honour killing.
On the other hand, there is another camp of people who immediately brush off any signs of violation under the carpet of ignorance of the fact that the ideal does not always turn into reality.
We really ought to stand on the middle path, declaring outright that Islam abhors sexual violence but recognising that there are people in the Muslim community who commit such acts because of various factors including intoxication. The "Islam-ness" of such people is indeed questionable but we are taking an objective look at the situation and thinking of solutions.
We have to point out, first of all, that incest does occur also among people in higher income brackets, and that we need to study further the stated relation between dysfunctional families and cases of divorce and polygamy and incest. More importantly, however, we need to take an Islamic perspective on the subject and see where we go wrong and how to go about making correction.
Incest occurs when there is a breakdown in the observance of Islamic rulings such as the sanctity of family relations and the concept of haya (shyness or modesty, a branch of faith that prevents one from doing wrong), and the blatant neglect of a Muslim's first job description: which is to protect oneself and one's family from the hell fire.
When this vice takes place, it affects not only those directly involved such as the helpless victims, but the Muslim community itself. As a society, we are inviting the wrath of God upon us when we allow it to continue.
But when hunger is easier to spot, incest is an insidious "malady" that those who are directly involved often hide, despite the pains, out of shame and fear. It is among the most difficult to investigate. The revelation by Datin Adina Othman is a wakeup call for all Bruneians to be more concerned about their neighbours and help fight incest. We need the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports' strong leadership in this fight, in concert with other authorities, NGOs and members of the public at large.
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