Violence As A Way of Life

He continues by stating that, "the fall of man was the result of his attempt to rid himself of the higher powers who guided his evolution and start a life on his own, relying on his own judgment" (p.44). That is why knowledge without practice has no value in Islam; Allah (swt) fears for the quagmire that humanity can descend into. In fear, we incarcerate our organ of balance - the heart - out of mistrust and ridicule. When we do this, a part of us atrophies.

From 1900-1978, an estimated 170 million people have died at the hands of governments, 87% of which have occurred since WWII (Rummell, p.1). During the Gulf War, the U.S.-led coalition dropped 88,500 tons of bombs on Iraq - more than were dropped on Europe during all of WWII. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, "The Children Are Dying," states that over 567,000 Iraqi children have died since August 1990 as a result of the sanctions. The bombing of water treatment facilities caused the cases of typhoid fever to go from 1,819 cases in '89 to 24,436 cases in '94 (Gumbleton, p.2). Those who inflict death are removed from the feeling of taking a life.

Muhammad Husayn at-Tabataba'i explains, "It is for this reason, that Allah commanded man to follow his reason, and forbade everything which deranges the reason or throws it into confusion, like drinking alcoholic liquids, gambling, uttering vain words, adultery, cheating and so on. He also forbade lying, slandering, false accusation, embezzlement, murder and in short, all such things which throw reason out of gear and lead it to a wrong judgement. You will find that they (societal ills) spring from actions which disturb and confuse the reason" (at-Tabataba'i, p.273).

Violence In the Household

On a another level, a recent study in the Journal of Midwifery and Womens' Health reports that homicide is the leading cause of death amongst pregnant women in the U.S. Among these, 57% had completed a high school education and 63% were employed or in school. Abuse occurred at 5.2% - 5.6% during pregnancy and 16.1% during the relationship. Of these women, unmarried mothers reported more frequent abuse. Women who believed that their strongest role was that of wife and mother were less likely to report abuse, but when the partner was the one imposing this role, the reported abuse rate was higher. Women who believed that men were allowed to hit women reported high levels of abuse (Campbel, p.11). Of French women, 2 million were victims of violence in 1995, 1 million in Canada in 1998, and in India, the rate was 8 out of 10 women.

Dr. Muhammad Awadh Ba-Obaid stated that organized violence against women includes accidental and planned crimes, physical hurt, rape, kidnapping, and suicide. In Yemen, there are an average of 5.5 crimes per 100,000 women. Moral violence against women may include food or medical treatment deprivation, captivity in the home and verbal abuse (Yemen Observer, p.1,2). In too many societies, these forms of violence are culturalized; and those communities fail to address the root of a problem that forms a socializing agent for future generations.

When one looks at some of the reasons behind an abusers behavior, a lack of self-worth is often the most apparent characteristic. But others may include:

a) a need to be in control

b) growing up in a cycle of violence

c) distorted concept of manhood

d) unemployment

e) poor housing

f) racism and injustice

g) addictions

h) homelessness and despair (NWHIC p.4,5).

Yet in Britain, a recent report by the Office for National Statistics shows increasing suicide rates among young men . It reveals a rate of 16 suicides per 100,000 people aged between 15 and 25. The report, "Social Focus on Men," states that suicides accounts for ¼ of all deaths among men aged 16 - 34; whereas women are almost 50% more likely to suffer from a mental illness (Reuters Health, p.1).

Exposing a child to violence poses more than just a physical danger; it effects social adjustment, social relations, academic achievements and life expectations. (Margolin, p.1). The violence around them becomes justifed if they are exposed to violence on TV, outside of the news. Whether heroes or villains, the act of violence is justified by the desire to win by any means necessary. Originally created to boost ratings, "Reality TV" is gaining popularity and the fact that a high percentage of people watch it shows how obsessed they are with violence and scheming.

With over 40 Big Brother Is Watching You programs in Europe, they differ only in the degrees to which they exploit viewers sadistic urges. Common to all, the contestants eliminate each other in a process that nurtures depression, weeping fits and nasty games. They all have a "survivor" who ends up winning exhorbitant amounts of money. "Survivor," a U.S. show that isolated a group of ordinary people on a desert island, forcing them to eat worms and rats for "survival" brought its network, CBS, almost 52 million viewers last August. Another U.S. show, called "Temptation Island" involved 4 couples struggling not to be "seduced" by a group of people handpicked by the shows producers to go about trying to break the couples up. In Sweden, their version of "Survivor" was scrapped after one contestant committed suicide (Kerviel, p.32).

So, from warfare to domestic violence to child abuse and moral scheming, the world's community is facing the grim task of trying to suvive amidst their increasingly violent world. Sadly, it seems as though such social ills are being nurtured rather than rectified; and humanity is at risk of further descending as opposed to striving to protect future generations from sinking deeper into a life where violence is the norm. But, this has been the state of man since the beginning of his time here on Earth, and unless significant changes are made, man's organ of balance will continue to atrophy.

"Adam was given everything. He had no desire. He had every whim satisfied. He was in that secret garden, in that garden, which is beyond our realm of comprehension. It is the realm of arwali - pure spirit - pure energies, the non-physical, where there is not all the decay and creational growth and destruction. It was permanency, they were permanently in that garden, but there was one thing they were not supposed to go to, so that stuck in their minds. So the shaytan [devil] in Adam said, "What about this? This may be better!" The heart was set - attachment took place, that infinite speed suddenly stopped for a split second, and a different reality took place…Adams heart was set on that thing. As a result of that this setting too place. It is not a result of punishment, it is an explanation of how this thing came about, this reality as we observe it now. We are inheritors of a pure father who became attached. We have, therefore, to suffer like he did, until we learn to live in detachment" (Haer'i, p.126).

Sources:

• At-Tabataba'i, Muhammad Husayn. "Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an. Vol.3" Iran: World Organization for Islamic Services. 1982.
• Campbell, Torres S. et al. "Cultural Background and Beliefs Affect Abuse Before and During Pregnancy." Violence and Victims. Medscape.com. 15(2000)303-321.
• Gumbleton, Thomas, Bishop. "Death Statistics In Iraq."1-2. IRAQWAR.org. 07/16/01.
• Kerviel, Sylvia. "Peep Shows Lapped Up By the Public." Britain. Guardian Weekly. 164:24 (2001) 32.
• Margolin, Gayla. "The Effects of Family & Community Violence On Children." Annual Review of Psychology: 2000.
• Ouspensky, P.D. "A New Model of the Universe." Britain: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1978.
• NWHIC. "Violence Against Women." National Womens Health Information Center. 2000. p.1-7.
• Reuters Health. "British Men Said To Be Increasingly Suicidal." Reuters Medical News. Psychiatry.medscape.com: 07/12/01.
• Rummel, J. "Democide Since World War II."Hawaii.edu. 07/16/01. p.1-5.
• Yemen Observer. "Media & Issues of Organized Violence Against Women." Yemen Observor Online.107 (2001). 05/26/01.

  Hwaa Irfan is the Managing Editor of the Family, Cyber and Parenting Counselor Pages at Islam Online.net.