CounterCurrent Issue 4

8/3/2019 CounterCurrent Issue 4

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COUNTERCURRENT - ISSUE 04

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The so called civilized human being of themodern age is not so civilized when it comesto moral issues; and he has indeed surpassed

the most brute of his predecessors in his treat-ment of fellow humans. A sense of supremacy,lust for power and crass materialism seems tohave devoured the spirit of men, leaving be-hind husks that perceive nothing but wealthand lust and are prepared to go to any lengthin pursuit of these illusory means of pleasureand success.

Such a condition, no doubt, owes its exis-tence to the severing of relationship betweenman and his Creator. Mans prime need and

ultimate goal was to seek the love of God andreunite with Him. The void left by Divine Lovewas bound to be lled with sensual pursuitsand a mirage of happiness. It is imperative thatwe retrace our steps and nd our way back toGod.

To help us tread this path of spirituality, weare in need of men of God, the likes of Maw-lana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273). It is my

pleasure to briey introduce Mawlana Rumihere, and dedicate an article to him in this is-sue.

The message of Rumi, projecting the quali-ties of love, peace and tolerance, indeed has asmuch to offer to our modern society today as ithad to his contemporaries.Rumis intense love and burning desire for theDivine came to him from his spiritual mas-ter Shams Tabrezi, initially a total stranger toRumi, and who had begged God to take him toa soul worthy of receiving this priceless trea-sure of Love. The subsequent companionship

between the two took Rumi to new heights in

spirituality. It was not long before the masterdisappeared from Rumis life, leaving himwandering in the bewilderment. This may have

editorialbeen a blessing in disguise, as it was this incidentthat was to introduce Rumi to another realm ofexperience, for all his inspired works, poetic andotherwise, were to be compiled now.

For those fortunate to have read the works ofRumi, would know of the abounding treasures that

lie within, and for those who have not, we can onlysuggest they do.As surprisingly as it may seem, this thirteenth

century poet is currently one of the most popularand best-selling poets in the United States. TheChristian Science Monitor had reported in 1997that Rumi was the top-selling poet in the country,and since, his popularity has just expanded.Moreover, in celebration of the 800th anniversaryof his legacy, UNESCO has named 2007 the In-ternational Year of Rumi.It is impossible to do any justice to the grand per-sonality of Rumi in such a brief article; hence Iconclude with some touching words of Rumi andleave the readers to fathom for themselves theoceans of love where Rumi resides.

Give as though no one is watching,Love as though youve never been hurt before,Sing as though no one can hear you,Work as though you dont need the money,

Live as though heaven is on earth.

Gamble everything for [Divine] loveif youre a true human being.

If not, leave this gathering [of Lovers].Half-heartedness does notreach into Majesty.You set out to nd God,but then you keep stopping

for long periodsat mean-spirited roadhouses.

The truth about life is too subtle for the intellect

of a philosopher or the one of a scientist to catch;only the pure heart of a poet full of love can under-

stand it as it is.

3

Contents

Editorial..... Page 3 - Reason & Revelation..... Page 4 - Why I shed My Bikini for Niqab....

Page 6 - The Expanding Universe..... Page 8 Profound Compassion.... Page 9 -

Alcohol & Alcoholism.....Page 10 - Mawlana Jalal al Din Rumi.... Page 13 -

Children & Computer Games.... Page 18 - The Reed Flute.... Page 20


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American economist Rob-ert Samuelson recently

made an interesting obser-

vation about the American

society in his Newsweek

column: Americas glories

and evils are tightly fused

together. Quoting soci-

ologist Seymour Lipset, he

asserts that Americas eco-

nomic vitality and prog-

ress come from the same

source as do crime, fam-

ily breakdown, inequality,

and vulgarity. Freedom and

individualism have red

economic advance, yet

have also inhibited social

control. But why the quali-

ties that bring the best ina nation also should bring

the worst in it? Is humanity

doomed by having its vices

and virtues so intricately

mixed?

Samuelson does not probe

the issue. Instead he seems

to be happily resigned to it.

We are burdened as wellas blessed by our beliefs,

he says. Economics, we

may be reminded, is the

dismal science.

Actually the world is not

doomed by design. Samu-

elson comes very close

to the truth but he con-

fuses approaches or toolswith attributes. A tool that

works great in one area is

REASON AND REVELATION

also being used in anotherfor which it was never de-

signed. The problem lies

with the user who keeps on

insisting on its use in the

second area citing its suc-

cess in the rst. To put mat-

ters simply, its the free use

of reason and intellect that

is behind most of Amer-

icas (and Wests in gen-

eral) phenomenal scientic

and material progress. Its

the use of the same tool in

moral, and religious life

that has caused its equally

phenomenal moral degen-

eration!

Every tool has a designated

area of application. Outside,it will fail to work. A 4 bit

computer is good for some

elementary math involv-

ing whole numbers. It may

multiply 2 by 20 and give

the correct answer instantly.

But burdened with complex

calculations involving sev-

eral decimal digits, it willgive the WRONG answers.

A weighing scale meant

for gold will not work for

iron and vice versa. Their

resolution and capacity are

inappropriate for those ap-

plications.

Same with the tools we

use for learning about theworld. Our senses and intel-

lect are wonderful things.

Science and technologyare all about their use. Cer-

tainly it was free inquiry

driven by reason that led to

so many of the discoveries

of science. It happened at

an accelerated pace during

the past four centuries and

the results are everywhere

around us to be seen.

But a tool that is so great

in one area may be totally

useless, even dangerous, in

another. Pure reason, un-

informed by Divine Guid-

ance, is a defective tool for

deciding purpose of life

or suggesting its values.

What is Right and what is

Wrong? These questionsrequire knowledge beyond

what we can acquire by us-

ing our senses and reasoned

analysis. As a direct result,

everyones reasoning is dif-

ferent. That is why philoso-

phers have never been able

to agree upon what should

be the goal of life. Happi-ness? Survival? Pleasure?

Love? Self-fulllment?

You name it. In addition, it

is impossible for us to sep-

arate our reasoning in these

matters from our feelings.

Pure or uninformed reason

becomes just a tool to jus-

tify what we desire.Today the Wests problem

is that it has accepted the

4

By Khalid Baig


5/20


wrong tool for developing

its moral compass. Prob-

ably the majority of its

people abhor many forms

of immorality that are pol-

luting their society. Theymay believe that they are an

abomination and evil. Yet

today such indecencies are

getting legal sanction, and

they are helpless in trying

to stop its advances. Why?

Because they cannot argue

that it is wrong based on

pure reason. It is easier to

make a case against smok-

ing in public places, than

against the worst forms of

immorality. Such is the re-

sult when pure reason be-

comes the accepted arbiter

of right and wrong.

There is nothing modern

about this either. Several

centuries ago, Obaidullah

Hasan Qirwani, a leader

of the renegade batani cult

declared it foolish for a

brother to marry his beauti-

ful sister to a total stranger,

while trying to be content

with a less qualied wife --

another stranger. She would

be much more suited to bewife of her own brother,

with whom she may be a

lot more compatible, he

argued. His argument is,

no doubt, sickening. But is

there a counter argument

based on pure reason?

Certainly mankind needs a

superior tool for determin-ing the values and purpose

of life. A source of guid-

ance that is based on certain

knowledge, not conjecture.

One that can inform our

desires rather than being

subservient to them. Thisis what all of Gods Proph-

ets, peace be upon them all,

came with. They claimed

to have access to the higher

source of knowledge, the

Divine Revelation. Those

who accepted them used

reason and observation to

verify their authenticity

and character. But they ac-

cepted Divine Revelation

as a SUPERIOR source of

knowledge! That is why a

son can tell his father:

O my father! To me has

come knowledge that had

not reached you. So fol-

low me. I will guide you

to a Way that is even and

straight. (Quran, 19:43).

All this is obvious, except

in implications. We accept

this is Right and that is

Wrong because the Revela-

tion told us. What is wrong

with usury? Gambling?Pork? Alcohol? Revela-

tion told us that they were

wrong. Why is hijab nec-

essary? Because God Al-

mighty instructed it. What

are the rights of men and

women? Those given to

them by God and His Mes-

sengers. The attribute of thetrue believers is that they

listened and followed

(Quran, 2:285). It is not

that they listened and ques-

tioned, and argued, and in-

vestigated and then if they

felt like it, they followed.[Of course, they veried

the authenticity of the Mes-

senger rst]. That is also

the message of Prophet

Ibrahims sacrice, a den-

ing event of history. For the

Quran describes the mo-

ment when the father and

son were ready for the ul-

timate sacrice by saying:

When they surrendered

(37:103). For pure reason

could have raised a million

questions about the com-

mand for that sacrice.

Normally it is difcult for

us to say I dont know.

It is even more difcult for

nations to admit a weak-

ness in their celebrated

tools of inquiry. That is

the dilemma of the modern

world, which sees so much

wrong with itself but can-

not bring itself to admitting

the problem with its basic

approach. But a true be-

liever is the person who has both the wisdom and the

courage to surrender before

the higher source of knowl-

edge and guidance. For

him Revelation informs his

reason and his reason con-

trols his emotions. Such is

the person who is blessed,

but not burdened, by hisbelief.

5


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ensuing barrage on Islam, Is-

lamic values and culture, and

the infamous declaration of

the new crusade, I started

to notice something called

Islam. Up until that point,

all I had associated with Is-

lam was women covered in

tents, wife beaters, harems,

and a world of terrorism.

As a feminist libertarian, and

an activist who was pursuing

a better world for all, my pathcrossed with that of another

activist who was already at

the lead of indiscriminately

furthering causes of reform

and justice for all. I joined in

the ongoing campaigns of my

new mentor which included,

at the time, election reform

and civil rights, among oth-

ers. Now my new activismwas fundamentally different.

Instead of selectively ad-

vocating justice only to some,

I learned that ideals such as

justice, freedom, and respect

are meant to be and are essen-

tially universal, and that own

good and common good are

not in conict. For the rst

time, I knew what all peo-

ple are created equal really

meant. But most importantly,

I learned that it only takes

faith to see the world as one

and to see the unity in crea-

tion.

One day I came across a

book that is negatively stere-

otyped in the West - The Holy

Quran. I was rst attracted by

the style and approach of theQuran, and then intrigued by

its outlook on existence, life,

creation, and the relationship

between Creator and crea-

tion. I found the Quran to

be a very insightful address

to heart and soul without the

need for an interpreter or pas-

tor.

Eventually I hit a moment of

truth: my new-found self-ful-

lling activism was nothing

more than merely embracing

a faith called Islam where I

could live in peace as a func-tional Muslim.

I bought a beautiful long gown

and head cover resembling

the Muslim womans dress

code and I walked down the

same streets and neighbour-

hoods where only days earlier

I had walked in my shorts,

bikini, or elegant Western

business attire. Although the people, the faces, and the

shops were all the same, one

thing was remarkably distinct

-Iwas not - nor was the peace

at being a woman I experi-

enced for the very rst time.

I felt as if the chains had been

broken and I was nally free.

I was delighted with the new

looks of wonder on peoplesfaces in place of the looks of

a hunter watching his prey I

had once sought. Suddenly a

weight had been lifted off my

shoulders. I no longer spent

all my time consumed with

shopping, makeup, getting

my hair done, and working

out. Finally, I was free.

Of all places, I found my Is-

lam at the heart of what somecall the most scandalous

place on earth, which makes

Why I Shed My Bikini for Niqab

6

By Sara Bokker

I am an American woman

who was born in the midst

of Americas Heartland. I

grew up, just like any other

girl, being xated with the

glamour of life in the big

city. Eventually, I moved

to Florida and on to South

Beach of Miami, a hotspot

for those seeking the glam-

orous life. Naturally, I didwhat most average Western

girls do. I focused on my ap-

pearance and appeal, basing

my self-worth on how much

attention I got from others. I

worked out religiously and

became a personal trainer, ac-

quired an upscale waterfront

residence, became a regular

exhibiting beach-goer andwas able to attain a living-

in-style kind of life.

Years went by, only to real-

ize that my scale of self-ful-

llment and happiness slid

down the more I progressed

in my feminine appeal. I

was a slave to fashion. I was a

hostage to my looks.

As the gap continued to pro-gressively widen between my

self-fulllment and lifestyle, I

sought refuge in escapes from

alcohol and parties to medita-

tion, activism, and alternative

religions, only to have the lit-

tle gap widen to what seemed

like a valley. I eventually re-

alized that it was all merely a

pain killer rather than an ef-

fective remedy.By now it was September

11, 2001. As I witnessed the

The New Symbol of Womens Liberation


7/20


it all the more dear and spe-

cial.

While content with Hijab I

became curious about Niqab,

seeing an increasing number

of Muslim women in it. I

asked my Muslim husband,whom I married after I con-

verted to Islam, whether I

should wear Niqab or just set-

tle for the Hijab I was already

wearing. My husband simply

advised me that he believes

Hijab is mandatory in Islam

while Niqab is not. At the

time, my Hijab consisted of

head scarf that covered all myhair except for my face, and a

loose long black gown called

Abaya that covered all my

body from neck to toe.

A year-and-a-half passed, and

I told my husband I wanted to

wear Niqab. My reason, this

time, was that I felt it would

be more pleasing to Allah, the

Creator, increasing my feel-

ing of peace at being more

modest. He supported my de-

cision and took me to buy an

Isdaal, a loose black gown

that covers from head to toe,

and Niqab, which covers all

my head and face except for

my eyes.

Soon enough, news started

breaking about politicians,

Vatican clergymen, libertar-ians, and so-called human

rights and freedom activists

condemning Hijab at times,

and Niqab at others as be-

ing oppressive to women,

an obstacle to social integra-

tion, and more recently, as an

Egyptian ofcial called it - a

sign of backwardness.

I nd it to be a blatant hypoc-risy when Western govern-

ments and so-called human

rights groups rush to defend

womens rights when some

governments impose a cer-

tain dress code on women,

yet such freedom ghters

look the other way when

women are being deprived oftheir rights, work, and educa-

tion just because they choose

to exercise their right to wear

Niqab or Hijab. Today, wom-

en in Hijab or Niqab are being

increasingly barred from work

and education not only under

totalitarian regimes such as in

Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt,

but also in Western democra-cies such as France, Holland,

and Britain.

Today I am still a feminist,

but a Muslim feminist, who

calls on Muslim women to

assume their responsibilities

in providing all the support

they can for their husbands

to be good Muslims. To raise

their children as upright Mus-

lims so they may be beacons

of light for all humanity once

again. To enjoin good - any

good - and to forbid evil - any

evil. To speak righteousness

and to speak up against all

ills. To ght for our right to

wear Niqab or Hijab [which-

ever we chose] and to please

our Creator. But just as impor-

tantly to carry our experiencewith Niqab or Hijab to fellow

women who may never have

had the chance to understand

what wearing Niqab or Hijab

means to us and why do we,

so dearly, embrace it.

Most of the women I know

wearing Niqab are Western

converts, some of whom are

not even married. Others wearNiqab without full support of

either family or surroundings.

What we all have in common

is that it is the personal choice

of each and every one of us,

which none of us is willing to

surrender.

Willingly or unwillingly,

women are bombarded withstyles of dressing-in-little-

to-nothing virtually in every

means of communication

everywhere in the world. As

an ex non-Muslim, I insist

on womens right to equally

know about Hijab, its virtues,

and the peace and happiness

it brings to a womans life as

it did to mine. Yesterday, thebikini was the symbol of my

liberty, when in actuality it

only liberated me from my

spirituality and true value as a

respectable human being.

I couldnt be happier to shed

my bikini in South Beach

and the glamorous West-

ern lifestyle to live in peace

with my Creator and enjoy

living among fellow humans

as a worthy person. It is why

I choose to wear Niqab, and

why I will die defending my

inalienable right to wear it.

Today, Niqab is the new sym-

bol of womans liberation.

To women who surrender to

the ugly stereotype against

the Islamic modesty of Hijab,

I say: You dont know whatyou are missing.

Sara Bokker is a former ac-tress/model/tness instructor

and activist. Currently, Sarais Director of Communica-

tions at The March For Jus-tice, a co-founder of The

Global Sisters Network, and

producer of the widely knownShock & Awe Gallery.

7


8/20


8

single point. The calcula-tions showed that this sin-gle point that harboured allthe matter of the universeshould have zero volumeand innite density. Theuniverse had come aboutfrom this single point withzero volume. A great ex-

plosion was assumed that

marked the beginning ofthe universe, and the theorycame to be known as theBig Bang theory.It has to be stated thatzero volume is a theo-retical expression used fordescriptive purposes. Sci-ence can dene the conceptof nothingness, which is

beyond the limits of hu-man comprehension, only

by expressing it as a pointwith zero volume. In truth,a point with no volumemeans nothingness. Theuniverse has come into be-ing from nothingness. Inother words, it was created.

The theory showed that inthe beginning all the objectsin the universe were of one

piece and then were parted.This fact, discovered byscientists just recently, wasstated in the Quran 14 cen-turies ago, when people hada very limited knowledgeabout the universe:

Continued on Page 12 ...

universe constantly ex-pands.To better understand, theuniverse can be thought ofas the surface of a balloon

being blown up. Just as the points on the surface of a balloon move apart fromeach other as the balloon isinated, so do the objects

in space move apart fromeach other as the universekeeps expanding.In fact, this had been theo-retically discovered evenearlier. Albert Einstein,who is considered thegreatest scientist of the cen-tury, had concluded afterthe calculations he made intheoretical physics that theuniverse could not be stat-ic. However, he had laid hisdiscovery to rest simply notto conict with the widelyrecognised static universemodel of his time. Later on,Einstein was to identify hisact as the greatest mistake

of his career. Subsequent-ly, it became denite byHubbles observations thatthe universe expands.What importance, then, didthe fact that the universeexpands have on the exist-ence of the universe?The expansion of the uni-verse implied that if it could

travel backwards in time,the universe would proveto have originated from a

Harun Yahya

In 1929, in the CaliforniaMount Wilson observatory,an American astronomer bythe name of Edwin Hubblemade one of the greatestdiscoveries in the historyof astronomy. While he ob-served the stars with a gianttelescope, he found out thatthe light from them was

shifted to the red end of thespectrum and that this shiftwas more pronounced thefurther a star was from theearth. This discovery hadan electrifying effect in theworld of science, becauseaccording to the recognisedrules of physics, the spectraof light beams travellingtowards the point of obser-vation tend towards violetwhile the spectra of thelight beams moving awayfrom the point of observa-tion tend towards red. Dur-ing Hubbles observations,the light from stars wasdiscovered to tend towards

red. This meant that theywere constantly movingaway from us.Before long, Hubble madeanother very importantdiscovery: Stars and galax-ies moved away not onlyfrom us, but also from oneanother. The only conclu-sion that could be derived

from a universe where eve-rything moves away fromeverything else is that the

The Expanding Universe


9/20


By Cetin, M.

To consider the good, the

welfare and happiness of oth-

ers and to prefer them above

ones own, to feel compas-

sion for their misfortunes

as if they were ones own,

to take on the responsibility

for the problems of all man-

kind and to pray continually

for their salvation - these

are virtues of the Prophets.Yet some people, while not

Prophets, do attain the high-

est ranks in the estimation of

Allah because of the depth

of the grief they feel at the

loss which others have in-

icted on themselves.

Bayezid Bestami gives an

account from his experi-

ence:

In my time there were

thousands of saints. They

prayed intently, and trained

and disciplined themselves

in the way of Allah, living

an austere routine; some had

even been workers of mira-

cles. But the leading saintof the age was a blacksmith.

There seemed to be nothing

extraordinary about him. He

had been doing nothing but

shaping metal, hammering

at his anvil to make his liv-

ing. I asked myself how such

a person could be a qutub,

the leading saint, of theage. Out of curiosity, I went

and visited him in his shop.

When he saw me he became

extremely happy, held my

hands, kissed them repeat-

edly, and begged me for a

special prayer for himself.

Since he did not enter that

realm where miracles are

possible or experience any-

thing of it, he was unaware

of how great a saint he was.

When I earnestly asked him

to pray for me, he replied: Icannot be relieved from my

own worries and troubles

by praying for you. When

I asked for an explanation,

he said, I wonder at and

am troubled about how the

people will manage when

they are to give account of

their lives before Allah on

the Day of Judgement; I am

deeply concerned and sor-

rowful for those who will not

easily be able to do so. Other

than this, I have no worries

or troubles. Even as he

said this he burst into tears.

His demeanour and sincer-

ity caused my own tears to

ow too. And I heard a voicewithin my self, proclaiming,

This man is not of those who

say my self, my self but of

those who say my people,

my people,. And then I

understood why he was so

great and why he was the

leading saint of the age. He

seemed to me to be directlyon the path of the Prophets.

But the people, the account

they give of themselves, and

their chastisement, these are

not your burden. I said. He

answered: The most in-

ward part of my being, the

very nature of my self, was

kneaded by compassion. I

can only be happy and free

from the burden of worries

and troubles if all people are

forgiven by the Almighty. I

sat and conversed for hourswith the blacksmith in his

shop. He knew only enough

verses of the the Quran

to perform the obligatory

prayers. However, I realized

while in his presence that I

received such Divine Bless-

ings and attained such a sta-

tion as I had been unable to

acquire for years. I also real-

ized that being a qutub was

not a matter of only prayers,

knowledge and asceticism,

but also a matter of such

profound understanding,

and depth of feeling and de-

pendence upon the blessings

of Allah.

How fortunate are those who

show concern for, sensitiv-

ity to, and understanding of,

the sufferings of all man-

kind. And how blessed are

those who suffer on account

of others sufferings. How

lucky too are those who try

to be with such people andshare in their feeling.

9

Profound Compassion


10/20


By Dr. Zakir Naik

Alcohol has been thescourge of human society

since time immemorial. It

continues to cost countless

human lives, and causes

terrible misery to millions

throughout the world. Al-cohol is the root cause of

several problems facing so-

ciety. The statistics of soar-

ing crime rates, increasinginstances of mental ill-

nesses and millions of bro-

ken homes throughout the

world bear mute testimonyto the destructive power of

alcohol.

1. Prohibition of alcohol in

the Quran:

The Glorious Quran pro-

hibits the consumption ofalcohol in the following

verse:

O ye who believe! Intoxi-

cants and gambling, (dedi-

cation of) stones, and (divi-

nation by) arrows, are an

abomination of Satanshandiwork; eschew such

(abomination), that ye may

prosper. [Quran, 5:90]

2. Prohibition of alcohol in

the Bible:

The Bible prohibits theconsumption of alcohol in

the following verses:

a. Wine is a mocker, strong

drink is raging; and whoso-

ever is deceived thereby is

not wise. [Proverbs, 20:1]b. And be not drunk withwine. [Ephesians, 5:18]

3. Alcohol inhibits the in-

hibitory centre:The human beings pos-

sess an inhibitory centre in

their brains. This inhibito-

ry centre prevents the per-

son from doing things that

he considers wrong. Forinstance a person does not

normally use abusive lan-

guage while addressing his

parents or elders. If he hasto answer the call of nature,

his inhibitory centre will

prevent him from doing so

in public. Therefore he usesthe toilet.

When a person consumes

alcohol, the inhibitory cen-

tre itself is inhibited. That

is precisely the reason that

an inebriated person is of-

ten found to be indulging inbehaviour that is complete-

ly uncharacteristic of him.

For instance the intoxicated

person is found to use abu-

sive and foul language and

does not realize his mistake

even if he is addressing hisparents. Many even urinate

in their clothes. Their man-

ner of talking and walk-ing is also affected, not to

speak of numerous other

embarrasing acts.

4. Cases of adultery, rape,

incest and AIDS are found

more among alcoholics:

According to National

Crime Victimization Sur-

vey Bureau of Justice (U.S.Department of Justice) inthe year 1996 alone every-

day on an average 2,713

rapes took place. The statis-

tics tell us that the majorityof the rapists were intoxi-

cated while committing the

crime. The same is true in

cases of molestation.

According to statistics,

8% of Americans com-

mit incest, i.e. one in every

twelve to thirteen personsin America is involved in

incest. Almost all the casesof incest are due to intoxi-

cation of one or both the

persons involved.

One of the major factors

associated with the spreadof AIDS, the most dreaded

disease, is alcoholism.

5. Every alcoholic was ini-

tially a social drinker:

Many may argue in favourof liquor by calling them-selves social drinkers.

They claim that they only

have one or two pegs and

they have self-control and

so never get intoxicated.

Investigations reveal that

every alcoholic started as asocial drinker. Not a single

alcoholic or drunkard ini-tially starts drinking with

the intention of becoming

an alcoholic or a drunkard.

Very few social drinkers

can say that despite takingalcohol for several years,

due to my self control, I

have never been intoxicated

even a single time.

6. One embarrasing act can

mar the entire life:

10

Alcohol and Alcoholism


11/20


If a person is intoxicated just once and commits

something shameful, it will

remain with him for a life-

time.

Suppose a social drinker

loses his self-control justonce. In a state of intoxica-tion he commits rape or in-

cest. Even if the act is later

regretted, a normal human

being is likely to carry the

guilt throughout his life.

Both the perpetrator and

the victim are irreparably

and irreversibly damaged.

7. Alcohol prohibited in the

Hadith:

The nal Prophet of God,

Muhammad (pbuh) said:

a. Alcohol is the motherof all evils and it is the

most shameful of evils.

[Sunan Ibn-Majah, Hadith

No.3371]

b. Anything which intoxi-

cates in a large quantity isprohibited even in a small

quantity. [Sunan Ibn-Ma-jah, Hadith No.3392]

Thus there is no excuse for

a nip or a tot.

c. Every association withalcohol has been cursed.

It was reported by Anas,

that the Prophet Muham-

mad (pbuh) said: Gods

curse falls on ten groupsof people who deal with al-

cohol. The one who distills

it, the one for whom it has

been distilled, the one whodrinks it, the one who trans-

ports it, the one to whom it

has been brought, the onewho serves it, the one who

sells it, the one who utilizes

money from it, the one who

buys it and the one who

buys it for someone else.

[Sunan Ibn-Majah Hadith,No.3380]

8. Diseases associated with

alcoholism:

There are several scientic

reasons for the prohibition

of consumption alcohol.

The maximum number of

deaths in the world related

to any one particular causeis due to the consumption of

alcohol. Millions of people

die every year only because

of the intake of alcohol. I

need not go into the details

of all the ill-effects of alco-hol since most of them are

commonly known. Below is

a simple list of some of the

alcohol related illnesses:

1. Cirrhosis of Liver is the

most well known alcoholassociated disease.

2. Others are Cancer of Oe-

sophagus, Cancer of Head

and Neck, Cancer of Liver

(Hepatoma), Cancer of

Bowel, etc.

3. Oesophagitis, Gastritis,

Pancreatitis and Hepatitisare linked with alcohol con-

sumption.

4. Cardiomyopathy, Hyper-

tension, Coronary Arthro-

sclerosis, Angina and

Heart Attacks are linkedwith heavy alcohol intakes.

5. Strokes, Apoplexy, Fits

and different types of Pa-

ralysis are linked with alco-hol intake.

6. Peripheral Neuropathy,

Cortical Atrophy, Cerebel-lar Atrophy are well-known

syndromes caused by alco-

hol consumption.

7. Wernicke Korsakoff

syndrome with amnesia of

recent events, confabula-tions and retainment ofmemory to old events with

different types of paralysis

are mainly due to thiamine

deciency due to excessive

alcohol intake.

8. Beriberi and other de-

ciencies are not uncommon

among alcoholics. Even

Pellagra occurs in alcohol-ics.

9. Delirium Tremens is a

serious complication that

may occur during recur-

rent infection of alcoholics

or post operatively. It alsooccurs during abstention as

a sign of withdrawal effect.

It is quite serious and may

cause death even if treated

in well equipped centres.10. Numerous Endocrine

Disorders have been as-sociated with alcoholism

ranging from Myxoedema

to Hyperthyroidism and

Florid Cushing Syndrome.

11. Hematological ill effects

are long and variable. Folic

acid deciency, however,

is the most common mani-festation of alcoholic abuse

resulting in Macrocytic Ane-mia. Zieves syndrome is atriad of Hemolytic Anemia,Jaundice and Hyperlipid-emia that follows alcoholicbinges.12. Thrombocytopenia andother platelet abnormalities

are not rare in alcoholics.13. The commonly used tab-let metronidazole (agyl) in-

11


12/20


teracts badly with alcohol.14. Recurrent infection isvery common among chronicalcoholics. The resistance todisease and the immunologi-cal defense system are com-

promised by alcohol intake.15. Chest infections are no-torious in alcoholics. Pneu-monia, Lung Abscess, Em- physema and PulmonaryTuberculosis are all commonin alcoholics.16. During acute alcoholicintoxication, the drunk per-son usually vomits, the cough

reexes which are protectiveare paralyzed. The vomit canthus easily pass to the lungcausing Pneumonia or LungAbscess. Occasionally, itmay even cause suffocationand death.17. The ill effects of alcoholconsumption on women de-serve special mention.Females are more vulnerable

to alcohol-related Cirrhosisthan men. During pregnancyalcohol consumption has asevere detrimental effect on

the foetus. Foetal AlcoholSyndrome is being recog-nized more and more in themedical profession.18. Skin diseases are also re-lated to alcohol indulgence.

19. Eczema, Alopecia, NailDystrophy, Paronychia (in-fection around the nails) andAngular Stomatitis (inam-mation of the angle of themouth) are common diseasesamong alcoholics.

9.Dening Alcoholism:Medical doctors have now

turned liberal towards alco-holics and call alcoholism adisease rather than an addic-tion.

If alcohol is a disease, it isthe only disease that:

- Is sold in bottles- Is advertised in newspapers,magazines, on radio and tele-

vision- Has licensed outlets tospread it

- Produces revenue for thegovernment- Brings violent deaths on thehighways- Destroys family life and in-creases crime

- Has no germs or viral cause

Alcoholism is not a disease -It is Satans handiwork.God in His Innite Wisdomhas warned us against thissnare of Satan.Islam, the natural religion ofMan and a culmination ofguidance revealed to thou-

sands of Prophets prior, callsalcohol intake an abomina-tion and a blemish on theface of humanity. All its In- junctions are aimed at pre-serving the natural state ofman, and alcohol is a devia-tion from this natural state,for the individual as well asfor society. It degrades manto a level below that of the

beasts he claims to be supe-rior to. Hence the consump-tion of alcohol is prohibitedin Islam.

12

Continued from Page 8 ...

Do not the Unbelievers

see that the heavens and

the earth were joined to-

gether (as one unit of crea-

tion), before We clove them

asunder? We made from

water every living thing.

Will they not then believe?[Quran, 21:30]

As stated in the verse, eve-rything, even the heavensand the earth that were not

yet created, were createdout of a single point, and

shaped the present universeby being parted from eachother.When we compare the state-ments in the verse with theabove theory, we see thatthey fully agree with eachother. However, the scien-tic theory was introducedonly in the 20th century.

The expansion of the uni-verse is one of the mostimportant pieces of evi-

The Expanding Universe

dence that the universewas created out of nothing.

Although this fact was notdiscovered by science untilthe 20th century, Allah hasinformed us of this real-ity in the Quran revealed1,400 years ago:

It is We who have built

the universe with (Our

creative) power, and, ver-

ily, it is We who are stead-ily expanding it.[Quran, 51:47]


13/20


13

travelers on their paths. He

was and continues to be theperfect heir of the Prophet.Jalal al-Din Rumi, a man ofGod, hastened toward Godon his own spiritual jour-ney; but in addition to thishe evoked similar journeysin countless others - jour-neys marked by an eagerstriving toward God. Hewas a balanced man of ec-

stasy who sprang alive withlove and excitement; he didthis to such an extent thathe inspired in others thesesignicant feelings; and hecontinues to do so. In addi-tion to his passion for God,along with his knowledgeand love of Him, Rumi isfurther renowned as a hero

in terms of both his respectand fear of God.His life provides real evi-dence of the Truth. At thesame time as he spoke tothose of his own times inan effective manner, Rumiwas even more inuential inthat he made his voice and

breath, which reected thevoice and breath of ProphetMuhammad, pbuh, continueto be heard for centuriesafter. He spoke with suchan enchanting voice that hewas able to guide not onlyhis blessed contemporaries,

but also people of our time,centuries removed from his

physical existence. God be-stowed upon him this hon-

our. For this purpose, Godblessed him with impeccableinner and outer qualities so

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi

There are some signicant

personalities who with thehelp of their voice and breath,their love and excitement,and their promise for hu-manity always remain freshand alive over the course ofcenturies. Time evidentlyfails to make these charac-ters obsolete. Their thoughts,analyses, explanations, andspiritual messages, which

will never be lost, represent,ever anew, alternative solu-tions and prescriptions fortodays social problems, ingreat variety and diversity.Rumi is one such personal-ity. Despite the fact that helived some centuries ago,he remains spiritually aliveamong and with us today.

He is a man of lightonewho receives his light fromthe spirit of the Master ofHumanity (Prophet Muham-mad, peace and blessings beupon him), distributing thislight in a variety of mannersto just about everywhere.He was chosen to be one ofthe worlds saints and to be

pure of heart; a blessed onewhose words are outstandingamong those of the heroesof love and passion. He wasand continues to function asIsral [the angel assigned to

blow into the trumpet signal-ling the Last Hour]; blowinglife into dead spirits. He didand continues to provide thewater of life to the barren

hearts of many; a spiritualirrigation. He was and con-tinues to provide light for the

By fethullah Gulen

that he would prove success-

ful in this undertaking. Hisheart was full of the Divinelight. As such, his essenceis marked by his wisdom,which shines like a light re-ected through a preciousgem. His inner-most self wasenveloped with Divine mys-teries. His inner eyes wereenlightened by this speciallight.

Rumi embodies the charac-teristics of the lamp of saint-hood, taking its light fromthat of the truth of the Proph-et [pbuh]. Many of Gods

blessed creatures are instinc-tively attracted to light; Ru-mis light has attracted hun-dreds of thousands spiritual

butteries; they are drawn

to the light. He represents aguide for humanitys questfor the perfection of humanqualities. Rumi was a carefulexegete of the truths present-ed in the Quran. A uent in-terpreter of love and zeal forProphet Muhammad [pbuh],Rumi was able to use a mys-terious language to guideothers to the love of God.Those who enter his sphereare able to reach an ultimatesense or feeling in the pres-ence of God. Those whoexamine the Quran by hisguideposts undergo changessimilar to those witnessed

by the people who lived inthe era of the Prophet [pbuh]himself. When the verses of

the Quran were interpretedby Rumis closest associates,all hearts beneted from the


14/20


illumination provided byhis wisdom; it was as if allof heavens mysteries wereopened by his wholeheartedrecitation of that one word- God.

Rumis love for God was aery one, with a constantmoaning and longing forthe mysteries of God. Heexperienced a love and pas-sion both in his solitary as-ceticism and his activitiesin the community. It was inhis solitariness that he be-came most open to the truest

union with God, and it wasin such cases of separationfrom all things except Godthat he became like a ball ofre. And while such a senseof burning would prove dif-cult for many to bear, Ruminever showed any sign ofdiscontent. Rather, such a

burning was considereda requirement for pas-

sion, and refraining fromcomplaint was seen to bein the tradition of loy-alty. For Rumi, those who

profess a love of God mustnecessarily accompany theirstatement of I love witha sense of furious burning- this is the price one mustwillingly pay for being

close or in union with God.Additionally, one must en-gage in behaviour that is toa large extent ascetic, suchas moderated eating, drink-ing, sleeping, and a constantawareness and orientationtoward God in ones speech,and one must inevitablyexperience bewildermentwhen endowed with Gods

bounties.Rumi cannot understand

how a lover can sleep inan immoderate way, as ittakes away from the timethat can be shared with theBeloved. For him, exces-sive sleep is offensive to the

Beloved. As God instructedDavid, saying, O David,those who indulge in sleepwithout contemplating Meand then claim to be in loveare liars so too did Rumistate; When the darknessfalls, lovers become in-tense. Rumi continuallyrecommended this not onlyin words, but also in his ac-tions.If the spirit of the anthologyof Rumis poems, which arethe essence of love, passion,Divine presence, and excite-ment, were to be extracted,what would exude are thecries of love, longing, and

hope. Throughout his lifeRumi expressed love, andin turn, he believed he was

beloved because of this.Accordingly, he spoke ofhis love and relationshipwith God. When he did so,

he was not alone - he tookalong with him many bless-ed individuals who werehis audience. He assumedit to be a requisite of loy-alty to offer, cup by cup, thedrinks presented to him onthe heavenly table to oth-ers who were in his circleof light.Rumi had tasted real Di-

vine love. Those who donot experience it cannotknow. Those who do not

taste cannot feel. Those whoare capable of feeling in thismanner generally do not di-vulge such secrets, as theyoften nd them to be abovethe level of the comprehen-

sion of most people. As thefamous Turkish poet ShaykhGhalib said, The Belovedscandle has such a wonderfullight, its light does not t intothe lamp glass of Heaven.The love, relationship, andwarmth toward all creationas expressed by Rumi is a

projection of a deeply-rootedDivine love. Rumi, whosenature was intoxicated bythe cup of love, embracedall of creation with a pro-

jection of that love. He wasinvolved in a dialogue withevery creature, and all ofthese were a result of noth-ing but his deep love of God

and his relationshipwith the Beloved.

I believe that thesedisordered and some-what confused ex-

planations are far from ade-quate to describe Rumi. Thisdisorder is an inevitable re-sult of my search for a rela-tionship with him. A dropletcannot describe the ocean,nor can an atom describe theSun. Even so, I would like tosay, within a few sentences,some words about Jalal al-Din Rumi.Rumi was born in the cityof Balkh in 1207, at a timewhen all of Asia was suf-fering from social, political,and military problems. Hisfather, Muhammad Baha al-Din al-Siddiqi, was part of

the tenth generation of thedescendants of Abu Bakr

14

Rumi cannot understand how a lover can

sleep in an immoderate way, as it takes

away from the time that can be shared

with the Beloved.


15/20


15

al-Siddiq, the rst caliph ofIslam. According to Tahiral-Mevlevi, Rumis motherwas also from the descend-ants of the Prophet [pbuh].He was the blessed fruit of a

hallowed family tree. Beingknown as the Sultan al-Ula-ma (the Leader of Scholars),his father was a man of truthand an heir of the Prophet[pbuh]. Like many friendsof God, he was persecutedand eventually compelled tomigrate. Accordingly, he leftthe land of Khawarzm, where

he was born, and underwenta lengthy journey that en-compassed various destina-tions. First, he and his familyvisited the Holy Land, thecities of Makkah and Madi-nah. From here, he traveledand remained for some timein Damascus, where he metmany pious persons, suchas Ibn al-Arabi, and ex-

changed spiritual enlighten-ment with them. Accompa-nying his father, the youngRumi, six or seven years inage, witnessed these andother events; his inquisitivesenses enabled him to expe-rience all of these with re-markable clarity. The youngRumi was able to understand

his environment even at sucha tender age and he was ableto penetrate into the secretworld of Ibn al-Arabi. Asan endowment of his pres-ence with Ibn al-Arabi, thechild received kindness andfavours. Despite the unfor-tunate circumstances sur-rounding their migration andthe many difculties that ac-companied them, the fami-lys journey provided them

with a variety of favoursand inspiration. Rumi wasable to continuously ndthese blessings and favours.Welcoming what fate gavehim, he became a receiver of

numerous bounties providedby God.The journey took this bless-ed family to the city of Er-zincan, and later to that ofKaraman. It was during histime in the latter city thatRumi studied, for a short pe-riod, in the Halaveye School.In addition to this school, he

studied Islamic Sciences inseveral religious schools inDamascus and Aleppo. Af-ter graduating, he returnedto the city of Konya, whichhe considered his hometownand a place of special regard.It was there that he marriedGevher Khatun, the daugh-ter of Shams al-Din Sa-marqandi. After some time

Rumis father, Sultan al-Ul-ama, died, returning to God.Under the supervision ofBurhan al-Din al-Tirmidhi,Rumi began his long spir-itual journey. After severalyears, at the suggestion ofRukn al-Din Zarqubi, Rumimet with Shams-i Tabriziwho was then on a visit to

Konya. It was through hismeeting with Shams thathe furthered his spiritual

journey and eventually de-veloped into the person whois now known the worldover for his spiritual depth.What has been mentionedso far, in fact, represents anattempt to open a few smallwindows on the life of an ex-ceptional personality whosecapacity is open to the lofty

world. This is also an attemptto present the life of an im-

portant representative of theMuhammadi spirit (i.e. the

practice of the Sunnah) - dis-playing several snapshots of

a man determined to dedicatehis existence to the world ofthe afterlife.It is not my intention to stirthe waters that comprise thelives of such remarkableand pure personalities withdebates and questions thatultimately will only agitateand obscure. However, one

must wonder whether Rumiopened the horizon of Shamsor whether Shams took Rumito the world of the unseen.Who took whom to the real-ity of realities - the peak oflove and joy? Who directedwhom to the real Besoughtand the real Beloved? An-swering these questions is

beyond the capacity of most

ordinary people. One cansay, at least, the following:During this period of time,two skillful and acute spir-its came together, like twooceans merging into one an-other. By sharing the Divine

bounties and gifts receivedfrom their Lord, they bothreached peaks that most

people would not be ableto envision easily. Throughtheir spiritual cooperation,they established camps onthe peaks of knowledge,love, compassion, and joyfor God. As much as they en-lightened those of their ownage, they also inuenced allcenturies to follow; an effectthat is still present today. Thespring of sweet water whichthey represent continues to


16/20


nourish the thirsty. Theyhave been continuously re-membered over the centu-ries for their beautiful con-tributions to countless lives.Here it is important to note

that Rumi was informed bynumerous sources in theow of ideas, including hisfather, the great master ofscholars. During his journey,he seemed to leave many ofhis contemporaries behind- his love and compassionowed like the waters ofthe worlds oceans; so

much so that while con-tinuing to live physicallyamong humans, he man-aged to become ever closerto God. It seems he neverelevated himself above oth-ers except through his writ-ings, both during his life andafter his entering the life ofeternity; he provides a starof guidance that echoes the

spiritual life of the nalProphet of God, Muhammad[pbuh]. Accordingly, he isamong the few people whohave exerted a great inu-ence through both space andtime.Rumi, the Master, was not a

pupil, a dervish, a represent-ative, or master as is known

amongst traditional Sus.He developed a new methodthat was coloured with re-vivalism and personal inde-

pendent reasoning by takingthe Quran, the Sunnah, andIslamic piety as his pointsof reference. With a newvoice and breath, he suc-cessfully brought both thoseof his generation and those

of times to follow to a newhorizon of Divine love. Asfar as his relationship with

16

God is concerned, he was aman of love and passion. Asfor those who turn to him forthe sake of God, he repre-sents a compassionate bearerof Gods Divine cup of love.

Yes, as the rains of mercyfall forth from the clouds ofthe sky, if the collections ofhis poems were to be wrungout, Gods love and the love

of His Messenger wouldgush forth in showers. HisMesnevi, exuberant with hisspirit, a book which is in partdidactic and was put in theform of a book by his disci-

ple Husam al-Din Chelebi,

represents his largest, mostmonumental treatise. Whileit stems from his involve-ment with the oods of ahigh level love and passion,it was presented in smallerwaves so that their essencemight be understood bya larger part of humanitywho did not share the same

capacity. His other work,Divan-i Kabir, is both in-formed by and presented inthis higher level of love and

passion and better representshis own abilities.In the Mesnevi, feelings andthoughts are put in such away that they do not confuseour intelligence and in sucha style that it does not sur-

pass our understanding. Asfor the Divan-i Kabir, eve-rything is like an erupting

volcano. Its meaning is noteasily understood by most.A careful investigation willshow that this great book ofRumis thought will explainsuch concepts as baqaa bil-

laah maallah (to live byGod with God) andfanaa l-lah (annihilation in God) inthe context of a larger under-standing of the world of theunseen. Those who are capa-

ble of realizing this excite-ment in Rumis Divanwill nd themselves inextreme bewilderment

before a ood of loveand ecstasy that is com-parable to an erupting vol-cano. In these poems of themaster, which are not easilyaccessible for most people,the limits of reason are sur-

passed, the meanings of the poems are elevated abovethe norms for humanity,and the eternal nature of the

unseen world shadows theephemeral colors and formsof what one encounters intheir physical being.Jalal al-Din Rumi was nour-ished by the fruit of numer-ous sources of ideas, includ-ing religious seminaries, Sulodges, and Su hermitagesassociated with strict Su

asceticism. Rumi attainedan understanding of the Ulti-mate Reality. He was a heroof the spiritual world. Heread carefully what he sawand evaluated well what hefelt. He never displayed or

participated in any improper behaviour during his jour-ney to God. Even though thenumbers were vast, Rumi

never lost any of the boun-tiful gifts he received fromthe world of the unseen.


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17

Like many of his predeces-sors, he voiced these Divine

bounties through his poetryin an impressive manner. Heoften voiced his love andexcitement in seemingly

magic words which resem- bled the nest of preciousgems. Within the vaguenessof the poetry, he masteredthe art of explaining his am-

biguous statements in waysthat opened their meaningto friends, but remained ob-scure to outsiders.These statements which

were at times both clear andambiguous are the voice andbreath of his own horizon -he was not acquainted withother pens or the wells ofink which supplied them.Although one can nd afew foreign words or worksfalsely attributed to him,Rumis anthology repre-

sents a warmth, the music ofhis own heart, a music which

brings all who hear it underits inuence with a captivat-ing control.Rumi possessed a very deli-

cate disposition, often ap-pearing more compassionatethan a mother to her child. Inshort, he was an exceptional

personality, particularly inhis projection of the spiritof Gods Messenger in hisown time. This is illustratedin his collected works, in-cluding Mesnevi, Divan-i

Kabir, some collected lettersassociated with familial rela-tions, and his special behav-iour with friends. Those whowitnessed this were greatlyexcited to see the perfectheir of the Prophet [pbuh]and would say with greathumility and respect, Thisis a grace from God. He

gives it to whom He wants.[Quran, 5:54]Rumi was a man of genu-ine sincerity and loyalty.He lived by what he felt inhis heart as long as it did

not contradict the teachingsand laws of religion. Whilemaking his faith the focus ofhis life, and while showingthe others the way of life,his heart was burning withlove and longing; it had al-ways ached and moaned likethe monotone ney [the reedute]. Those who were not

aching could not understandhim. Those who were rudeand tactless could not feelwhat he felt. He said, I wanta heart which is split, part by

part, because of the pain ofseparation from God, so thatI might explain my longingand complaint to it.

Say: He is Allah, the Oneand Only. Allah, the Eternal,Absolute. He begets not, noris He begotten. And there isnone like unto Him. [Quran,112:1-4]

No vision can grasp Him but

His grasp is over all vision:He is above all comprehen-sion, yet is acquainted withall things. [Quran, 6:103]

There is nothing whateverlike unto Him, And He is theOne that hears and sees (allthings). [Quran, 42:11]

If there were, in the heavens

and the earth, other gods be-sides Allah, there would have been confusion in both! but

glory to Allah, the Lord of theThrone: (High is He) abovewhat they attribute to Him![Quran, 21:22]

No son did Allah beget, noris there any god along withHim: (if there were manygods), behold, each god wouldhave taken away what he hadcreated, and some would havelorded it over others! Glory toAllah! (He is free) from the(sort of) things they attributeto Him! [Quran, 23:91]

Allah forgives not that part-ners should be set up withHim; but He forgives anythingelse, to whom He pleases; toset up partners with Allah isto devise a sin most heinousindeed. [Quran, 4:48]

And if all the trees on earthwere pens and the ocean(were ink), with seven oceans

behind it to add to its (sup-ply), yet would not the wordsof Allah be exhausted (in thewriting): for Allah is exaltedin power, full of wisdom.

[Quran, 31:27]

O men! Here is a parableset forth! Listen to it! Thoseon whom, besides Allah, youcall, cannot create (even) ay, if they all met togetherfor the purpose! And if the yshould snatch away anythingfrom them, they would haveno power to release it from

the y. Feeble are those whopetition and those whom theypetition! [Quran, 22:73]

The Almighty Speaks


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Suddenly he got up fromwhere he was sitting and

started to shout. He was furi-ous just because he couldntkill the man who was ringat him. He sat down and triedagain. He was hopping mad

just to get rid of the man opposite him. He gave greatdamages to his rival. Whenthe man opposite him waslying in a pool of blood, hemercilessly laughed. He re-

peated all these actions againand again. He was violentlyghting and was trying allhe can to harm his enemies.Although his mother calledhim a few times for dinner, hedidnt move from his desk. Hewas so much plunged into thegame, he was not able to thinkanything else.

Such sceneries are very com-mon now in many houses andinternet cafes. Children andyouth are spending most oftheir times playing computergames. While parents favorcomputers as necessities ofmodern age and as assistantsfor their childrens home-work, children mostly con-sider them as toy boxes. They

initially start with innocentintentions, but in time theylose their original purpose.Uncontrolled use of comput-ers, the common problem ofmany parents, is also a mattervery difcult to solve for theexperts.How do computer games af-fect the childrens subcon-scious and their future lives?

Do games with positive ef-fects have an appealing pre-sentation?

Computer games can begrouped under two categories.

First are the games that helpdeveloping talents, under-standing the life experimentsand ethical values by using anentertaining method; Secondare the games that do not con-tribute anything to the childsimagination and thinkingabilities and inciting violentand immoral behavior. Forthe game to positively affectthe childs intellectual, physi-cal and spiritual developmentdepends upon both the contentand the duration of the game.This period of playing timeshould neither be too short,nor too long. To be able toobtain a proper balance in thismatter, we should rst equipthe child with an education of

using the time wisely. Chil-dren wasting their time foruseless activities, can also beinsensitive to effective use oftime when they grow up. Con-cisely, children must acquirethe consciousness of valuingtime. Wasted time in front ofcomputers cause children andyouth to get passive. This in-creases the stress experienced

by the children. Especially inactive boys, this inactivenesscauses an energy accumula-tion which negatively affectsthe childs behaviors. The useof excessive energy by waysof different sports is very use-ful for the physical and men-tal development and raising ofa social conscious. Moreover,spending time in front of com-

puters, deprives children andyouth from cultural activitieslike playing group games,

studying together and engag-ing with a sports activity.

Many of us complain that ourchildren cannot express them-selves properly and are notclear at communicating withtheir environment. When weask a question to our child,either we get a very brief or aroutine answer. Times elapsedaimlessly in front of comput-ers have a signicant effect onthis.We see that violence increasein each level of any new com-

puter game. The game pro-ducers consider every type ofmethod as permissible just to

be able to attract children tothe screen. Scenes which arenot suitable for the age formthe subconscious of a child.Children who have been

exposed to several violentscenes are mostly inclined toaggression, anxiety and panicand they are generally furiousand quick-tempered and con-sider violence as an ordinarymatter. Reactions of childrenwho watch violent lms and

play erce and crimson computer games change in timeand start applying more and

more force to people and chil-dren around them. They tendto hit and kick others evenafter a slight disagreement.Being affected from destruc-tive violent scenes, childrenreveal problems like overanxiety, sleep disturbancesand behavioral disorders.Since the causes and effects of

behaviors affected by the ve

senses are not questioned somuch in pre-school children,abnormalities mentioned ear-

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Children and Computer GamesBy Aydinli Hasan


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lier can be seen more on them.We can give these as example:A three year old child whowatched violent lms, appliedwhat he watched on TV andstabbed and killed his little

brother with a knife. Anotherchild who thought himselfto be a pokemon (a cartooncharacter), threw himselffrom the seventh oor withthe intention of ying. Andanother child in France whocould not win any computergames became epileptic be-cause of having too frequentand excessive anger ts due

to the unsuccessful playingsessions. Unfortunately weoften hear such news. In orderto illuminate the subconsciousof our children with beauties,favors, affection, and altru-ism, we should offer themalternative useful and educa-tional games.Harmful games also preventchildren to learn their own

culture, thus cause a culturalcorrosion. Such games takeour children to a world ofweird clothes and hairstyles,weapons being the accesso-ries. In this virtual world, novalues exist except for mightis right. Children who areseized by the computer games

become alienated to their en-vironment. Having difcultyto make friends around them,children become enslaved

by the computer and isolatethemselves from the society.The only friend of the childis the computer, and in spiteof elapsing the time, childstill feels great loneliness in-side. Hence, parents should

provide suitable activities for

their children and reasonablyarrange the time spent forcomputer games.

Many bad characters shownon computer games also have

perverse effects upon thechilds personal development.It is denite that messagesgiven by these games like be-

ing strong and unchallenge-able, inconsideration of otherpeoples lives, killing for thesake of living, disdainingethical values, despising other

peoples feelings, disrespect-ing the person addressed,categorizing the people,negatively affect the childs

personal development. Suchgames also impose unfavor-

able impacts upon learningabilities and awareness of thechild. Scenes that are rapidlychanging on computer screendistract the child greatly, makehim confused and disturb hismind. This triggers a difcultyin concentrating when learn-ing. Besides, excessive lightchanges may cause epilepticts for some children.

Conclusively, computergames inspire children thatthe life is only a game andlead children to think toomuch about the characters inthe game and mentally and

physically to be with them allthe time. Children playing toomuch computer games, carrythe same concepts in the gameto their relations with theirfamily and friends, cause thechild to confuse between thereality and imagination andeventually, the time spent to-gether decreases and unsocial

behaviors settle in the childspersonality.Surely, we cannot underes-timate the benecial sides ofthe computer which is a must

in modern age. But the idealis to benet from the positiveservices of the computer and

to ensure a protection againstits harmful usage. The playingtime which is essential for thechilds healthy growth, should

be distributed fairly betweenvirtual games and real group

games. For this, we must pre-fer games;

in which they can play an ac-tive role, that are suggested by spe-cialists and other experts, which can provide nationalawareness and cultural iden-tity, which support comprehen-

sion and intelligence of thechild, which contribute to virtueslike sharing, team spirit, car-ing for others, honesty, anddiligence, which instigate curiosity andmake learning fun, which include parents intothe game, which infuse consciousness

of performing duties and re-sponsibility, which help developingimagination, thinking ability,exploring and inventing ca-

pability.

If eyes, ears and other organsthat are bestowed upon us bythe All-Compassionate Cre-ator are engaged with onlyentertaining computer games,then they are being used out oftheir innate purposes. There-fore, the vital responsibilityof parents is to be very carefulfor guiding their children touse their sight, hearing, feel-ing, judging faculties in theright direction and to preparean environment that provides

the child a rich learning back-ground and to bloom his men-tal abilities.

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