Selma Cook

The free mixing of men and women, who are not related to each other has also been forbidden. Allah clearly states those in the Qur'an who are lawful to mix freely with each other.

In modern day terms, people may wonder at Islam's strict policy on the free mixing of men and women. However, if we look a little more closely at the world today we will see a huge amount of human disasters; situations which arise in the lives of people that destroy their spirit and hope, crush their feelings and take away their intrinsic right to human dignity and respect. Women have become a plaything for men. She is raised to believe herself liberated and free, whereas in reality, she is manipulated into spending her wealth to buy fashions which fill the pockets of men, she is coerced by social pressure into dressing immodestly and indulging in promiscuity - without these elements present in her life she will be dubbed as unsuccessful, naïve, unpopular, passive and ' oppressed'.
Rarely do men take responsibility for their relationships with women. Men have become 'free' in today's world, more so than women. They can leave a relationship at any time for any excuse, they can be unfaithful, careless, violent and irresponsible, while the woman struggles on, often with a child or children; forced to work, care for the children and keep herself socially acceptable (as mentioned above). She is free to be used, insulted, uncared for and unprotected. Yes, freedom has it price!

In between the search for happiness, satisfaction and the elusive concept of freedom played by the adults, the children of such situations find themselves in a sorry state. Many children do not even know who their father's are! They are not surrounded by a caring, happy family. They are too often left unprotected, to appease the lusts and carnal desires of evil adults, who have lost their humanity. How many parents do not care for their children properly? How many children are left untended in homes while parents go out for either work or entertainment? How many children are exposed to drug use, alcohol, pornography and so on? How many children these days enjoy the 'innocence' of childhood? Not many.

Where is the vibrancy of youth? Too often it lies at the end of needle, or sits beside an empty liquor bottle; feeling despondent, isolated and lost. Thinking over the value of life, the passing satisfaction of desires that leaves one feeling empty and lonely. How many of our precious youth take their lives? Where does the responsibility lie? Has society declared itself blameless and put this trail of tragedy down to a 'social trend'; 'a statistic'? How many youth complain of broken homes, molestation, uncaring parents and rejection? In our quest for freedom, have we been foolish enough to give up the elements of our own happiness? The family! Have our own individual desires taken precedence over the rights of others, which naturally interplay with our own rights? The concern for life has narrowed down until the right of the individual precedes that of all others - abortion has become humdrum, a form of contraception with no thought of the potential life, which has the same rights as the one who bears it. What a complex nature we are! But oh, how wondrous and intriguing! In seeking to fulfill ourselves; to achieve true freedom, we actually break the spirit and fill the life, love, hope, intensity and dynamism of the soul with a void; a spiritual abyss; nothingness, which leads to self destruction.