Compulsory sex education for 5 year olds: The state’s liberal indoctrination?

Issues Explained

Saturday, 09 May 2009

“O you who believe. Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” [TMQ At-Tahrim 66:6] يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ The latest news that sex education is to be made compulsory for five-year olds in schools and children as young as 11 are to be taught about same-sex relationships will cause new alarm amongst Muslim parents. Details were published in April of how personal, social and health education (PSHE) will be made compulsory. It means that all secondary schools in England will for the first time have to teach a core curriculum about sex and contraception in the context of teenagers' relationships - previously schools only had to teach the fundamentals of reproduction, contraception and puberty in science lessons . Sir Alasdair Macdonald’s review does includes a clause allowing schools to apply their "values" to the lessons. This means teachers in faith schools should be free to tell them that having sex outside of marriage or homosexuality is wrong. This has lead to an outcry amongst some liberals who argue that faith schools should not enjoy any such opt out. While the review has recommended that the existing right to a parental opt-out should be maintained, some schools, especially in areas with significant Muslim pupils, hide the right parents have to withdraw their children from SRE classes and prevent parents that choose to exercise this right by what can only be described as underhand methods. Accepting that children will engage in sexual relations at a younger age and the state’s promotion of ‘alternative lifestyles’ (homosexuality) has led to a whole host of measures. In July, students at four schools in Oxfordshire will be able to text the school nurse for morning after pills. This is nothing new, schools across the country are able to provide the morning after pill to young children without their parents knowledge and this facility is available over the counter at pharmacies nationwide. These are merely the latest examples of a values free approach to sex and relationship education replacing a clearly defined moral framework for acceptable behaviour. In truth, it is the promotion of liberal values to children. Muslim parents have an Islamic duty towards our children in building a future generation that lives by Islam and adheres to the Islamic values. We believe marriage is the fulfillment of half of ones deen, the only means by which a sexual relationship between a man and woman can occur and a cornerstone from which family life springs. Despite the assault on the family, the sexualisation of our children via television, advertising, the fashion industry and the society in general, we must fight to uphold this sacred institution. Muslim parents must be the role models in raising our children, nurturing them through following the example of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (saw). We must build a strong link to practical hayaa (modesty), so that our children appreciate something which is described as the character of Islam. We must also safeguard our community from replicating the state that has befallen other communities, in which ‘progress’ has brought compromise of fundamental values, such that pre-marital and extra-marital relations are no longer considered as negative actions. We must also shun the attempts to normalize homosexual relationships in our children’s minds and Muslim parents should oppose the teaching of sex education and homosexuality to children. There is a big push from sexual health lobbies to push the bar for their liberal agenda, many want the parental right to an opt-out withdrawn and a final decision has yet to be made even on this fundamental point. As a public consultation was launched on the 29th April, Muslim parents, schools and community organisations must voice opposition to these proposals. Muslim parents must explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children’s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them. Add this Article to your Bookmark site Set as favorite Bookmark Email this Trackback(0)  TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (3) Subscribe to this comment's feed Iftikhar Ahmad: ... Muslim parents teach their children to respect their teachers. From a very young age, we are taught that Islam teaches us that after our parents, our teachers are most deserving of respect. It must be an extremely confusing time for the Muslim parent in Leytonstone, London. For up to 30 parents may face prosecution for withdrawing their children from school, disobeying the teachers in the school, simply to secure a decent moral upbringing for their children. The school had decided to have a week of lessons about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. Part of this was a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian as well as fairytales and stories changed to show men falling in love with men. Rather than filling the heads of impressionable boys and girls with fatuous drivel about gay penguins, schools should be ashamed of the fact that they are sending children out into the world barely able to read, write and add up properly. Muslim children are leaving schools without learning their cultural roots and linguistic skills. The action was being taken against the parents as part of a policy of ' promoting tolerance'. So why not tolerate parents, who, for sincerely-held reasons, consider their children too young to be taught about gay relationships? This isn't education, its cultural fascism. A record numbers of pupils persistently played truant in 2006-07, with around 272,950 pupils persistently absent in 2007, missing more than 20% of school. We rarely see councils prosecute the parents of these persistent truants. Yet, the parents who removed their children as a one-off to protect their morality may be prosecuted! If the local council does decide to go through with a prosecution, it would be in line with the government's approach to the Muslim community. Muslims who believe homosexuality is a sin would be labelled as extremists. Liberal totalitarianism is a growing phenomenon in Britain and the west in general but many people will be shocked that the school can override a parent's view of what's appropriate or inappropriate to teach their children. This latest episode should be a wakeup call for Muslim parents. Muslim parents MUST explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children’s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them. This is an eye opening for those Muslim parents who keep on sending their children to state schools to be mis-educated and de-educated by non-Muslim monolingual teachers. The solution of all the problems facing Muslim children is state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be designated as Muslim community schools. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Iftikhar Ahmad www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk 1 report abuse vote down vote up June 30, 2009 - 10:07:36 Votes: +2 siyaasa: ... The society is trying to address its own spiraling problems which are getting out of control. We have a system that deals efficiently with these problems and do not need to be told how to teach our children these concepts that ultimately lead to our children following a set of values that are not workable and are not islamically approved. Is the writer of this article just stating that we should withdraw our children from SRE classes or be proactive and involve schools in a consultation process which will dynamically change forever how SRE classes is not the answer to the societies ills. What are the practical ways that these points can be addressed starting from what we can do today. 2 report abuse vote down vote up May 10, 2009 - 14:27:11 Votes: -1 N Omar: ... As parents, we are justifiably concerned and should do our utmost to protect our children from these corrupt kufr ideas such as removing them from SRE lessons. However, we should also recognize that these ideas stem from their values of freedom and that will never change. So removing our children from lessons and petitioning is not enough and that the only permanent solution is the implementation of an Islamic system that will secure our values, inshallah. 3 report abuse vote down vote up May 09, 2009 - 23:12:28 Votes: -2 Write comment  Show/hide comment form Name Email Comment smaller | bigger I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Add Comment