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Knowing about statistics of financial and political transactions in Western countries, Many people are amazed by justice-application aspects in such countries. Example of this can be found in those facts we referred to while speaking about transparency reports and internal affairs in Western countries.
Although we tend to trust the reliability of such statistics, excluding the possibility of forgery as we have personal acquaintance with such facts on visiting Western countries, we still view it is necessary to see the image from all dimensions so that we might have a truthful evaluation.
While standards of justice are used by the West within its countries, it does not use them, in most cases, outside Western countries borders. Analyzing this suggestion, we find that the most eye-catching aspect supporting it is the repeated Western attempts to militarily, economically or politically occupy Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Other aspects of occupation are besieging and starvation policies as well as restrictions and stipulations they impose having the effect of depriving people of enjoying full independence.
Actually, the aforementioned facts make no effort to cross one's mind. However, I will highlight another aspect of the West's ugly face. In fact, it is astonishing, due to many reasons, to know that these aspects take place in such countries.
Child sexual abuse The aspect I mean is frequent cases of child sexual abuse, especially children from poverty-stricken countries that are, on the contrary, in need of care and protection.
Many of us have read the report issued by the Save the Children UK organization on the last week giving account of obscenities committed by those acting on behalf of the international community in Southern Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Congo. Holding 38 focus group discussions with a total of 250 children and 90 adults, it was deduced that UN soldiers exploit children sexually in exchange for food and money. Astonishingly, it was even identified that children as young as six have been abused!
Click here for the Save the Children UK organization report: http://english.islamstory.com/uploads/image/27_05_08_savethechildren.pdf Sunday Telegraph also confirms Actually, this does not indicate an incidental or individual case in the Western society; rather, it indicates a widespread habitual practice. In the last month, we read the Sunday Telegraph report stating, "Hundreds of young children are being sold and trafficked to "civilized" Britain from Africa to be exploited as modern-day slaves." The report added that boys are sold for an average of £2,500 and that "Teenage girls – including some still pregnant – were willing to sell their babies for less than ₤1,000." Moreover, "Some of the children are also subjected to physical and sexual abuse, while others even find themselves accused of being witches and become victims of exorcism rites in "traditional" African churches in Britain." They "are exploited as domestic slaves, forced to work for up to 18 hours a day, cleaning, cooking and looking after other younger children, or put to work in restaurants and shops," the daily SUNDAY TELEGRAPH said!!
These reports remind us of child trafficking crimes we heard of along the past month in Mauritania, Sudan, Chad and other poor countries.
The ECPAT Report The ECPAT 'End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes' organization stated that many world countries do not exert significant efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of children. An ECPAT report stated that the US ranks high on the list of worst countries in this respect. Moreover, research findings of a study conducted in New York illustrate that children under 12 years of age are exploited in child prostitution.
Click here for the 2006 ECPAT annual report: http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Publications/Annual_Reports/ECPAT_Annual_Report2005-2006.pdf Click here for the 2008 ECPAT annual report: http://www.ecpat.net/EI/Publications/Annual_Reports/ECPAT_Annual_Report2007-2008.pdf
CNN Report In fact, this is not something newly discovered in the West. I have till now kept the CNN report giving reference to the Protection Project, based at Johns Hopkins University in 2000. The Project stated that an estimated two million women and children are sold into the sex trade every year. "Up to 120,000 women are smuggled into western Europe, mainly from central and eastern Europe, and forced into prostitution," CNN added. The report also says more than 15,000 women are trafficked into the United States every year for the same purpose.
Western double standards No doubt, such Western-based reports leave unveiled the ugly face of Western Civilization, which makes use of multiple standards.
In fact, we are astonished because Westerners involve in such heinous child sexual abuse practices when illicit sexual relations among adults are widely acknowledged and practiced! Unarguably, this is an indicator of a very mean and low level Western personality!
We are actually astonished to hear Westerners in many occasions advocate woman, child, animal and environment rights while they commit such heinous practices in such great numbers of cases. I wonder whether they feel that world children are lifeless solid creatures!
Likewise, we are astonished on seeing Westerners bitterly attack Muslims claiming them to be lustful as they are permitted to marry more than one woman. More astonishingly, they judge Muslims to be criminals on account of giving their 16 or 17-year-old daughters in marriage.
We are also amazed because Westerners call for holding conferences on a regular basis in world poor countries on woman and child abuse. We wonder whether the US, UK, France and other civilized countries need to hold such conferences in order to protect world children against human trafficking!
Do not be charmed by the West Finally, I amazed to see those Muslims who view the West as completely radiant without any ray of darkness and good without any stain of evil. While they take into account only positive aspects and overlook negative aspects, the right position is to view both their light and darkness, justice and injustice and to know that there are both good and evil Westerners. Actually, we have to have such a balanced point of view so that we might not overlook positive or negative aspects.
In fact, using double standard is a distinctive characteristic of Western society. To clarify, the standards they use within their countries are totally different from those used while dealing with poor countries. Moreover, the standards they have to protect their children are not applicable to children of other parts of the world. Furthermore, they fight to keep their rights and overlook the rights of others.
Actually, such practices typically reflect powerful merciless people who do not give their conduct a moral color and concern only for material aspect of life at the expense of spirituality.
Islam: Justice with all Although dreadful, such statistics make us feel proud, in spite of circumstances, of adherence to a religion that imposed dealing justly with those near and those far, men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims, citizens and foreigners. It also demanded justice while dealing with one whom you love as well as with one whom you hate.
In this regard, Allah (the Exalted) said, "… and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice." [Al-Ma'idah, 8].
Praise be to Allah who guided us to Islam.
Dr. Ragheb Al-Sergany
أوروبا والخوف من الإسلام
