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The invention of television, or as some would say the "Idiot Box," was truly revolutionary. Its ubiquitous presence is everywhere - whether it be in a New York living room, a hotel in the Holy City of Makkah or a tiny dwelling in the sprawling slums of Mumbai, you are sure to find "the tube" emitting news, entertainment, violence, sex, some educational and religious programming, and everything in between.
There are very few who remain untouched by the magical spell of TV. Despite some educational and informative value, TV has several negative strings attached. Its addictive power has led to the undermining of family values, a decrease in students' school performance, and the promotion of violence, sex, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and other undesirable behaviors.
To counter this negativity, millions of Americans observe TV-Turnoff Week every year. This year, it is being observed nationwide from April 23rd to the 29th. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) joined TV-Turnoff Network, D.C. Public Libraries and other leaders for the national kickoff of TV-Turnoff Week 2001 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. on the morning of April 23rd. In observance of this Week, we are taking a look at the harmful influences of TV in this article.
The dangers associated with TV watching have been known for a long time. In an undated booklet published several years ago titled Islam and Television, the author provided a chilling account of the sway it holds on the masses, particularly children. "It's the kids who grab the TV guide and plot their viewing with military precision; the kids who know every cop and exactly why it could not have been the butler who did it.
"TV has taken over as the kids' number one past time. Toys are left in cupboards; rugby balls lie sadly deflating in garden corners; and books mildew in forlorn piles.
"Will reading become art, only necessary to decipher the basic English of the TV guide or the secret message flashed on the screen by X who has seconds to read the scrawl before it self-destructs?
"Will Shakespeare rot along with Hammond Innes and Gunter Grass? Will literacy die a lonely death, its death rattle drowned by a soft-drink jingle? Will writing become a skill practiced badly by all except a specialist few?" (Young Men's Muslim Association).
If we take into account the latest data, the answers to all of the above questions is a horrific yes. Children in the United States will spend more time on average this year watching TV (1,023 hours) than in school (900) hours. Americans watch an average of more than four hours of TV a day, which totals two full months per year.
Only 14% of 12th graders who watch TV six hours a day or more score proficiently on reading tests, compared with 52% of students who watch an hour or less. Researcher Jane Healey of Harvard University argues that watching TV instead of reading may actually influence the physical structure of the brain as it develops, making learning and working in the schoolroom environment difficult.
More than 200,000 acts of violence, including 16,000 murders, will be seen on TV by American children by the time they turn eighteen. Even the News is not immune to the trend of showing violence. According to a study released by a broad-based coalition called Building Blocks for Youth, there has been a 473% increase in network TV coverage of homicides from 1990 to 1998. Almost all of 3,500 research studies spanning a forty-year period show a link between watching media violence and committing real acts of violence. At least 10% of youth violence is directly attributable to TV.
The sexual content of TV, added with Satanic and other un-Islamic messages constantly beamed into our living rooms, should be an alarm for everyone - particularly Muslims. Muslims should not waste time for any reason, more so engaged in aimless entertainment that is full of vice and evil. So great is the importance of time in Islam that Allah himself swears by it, "By the token of Time! Verily, man is in a state of loss" (Holy Qur'an, Sura 'Al-Asr, 103).
Muslims above everyone else should limit their TV viewing to the bare minimum - for educational, news and religious programming only. Here are a few proven tips offered by the TV-Turnoff Network which can help you in your crusade:
- Move your television to a less prominent location;
- Keep it off during meals;
- Designate certain days of the week as TV-free days;
- Do not use TV-watching as a reward;
- Cancel your cable subscription and use the money to buy books instead;
- Don't worry if children claim to be bored. Boredom passes and often leads to creativity.
Sources:
- Holy Qur'an.
- Young Men's Muslim Association. Islam and Television. Benoni, South Africa (publication date unknown).
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