Muslims must bear in mind some of the most dangerous methods adopted by secularists so that they will be aware of them, denounce them, and try to frustrate them. They include:
• All kinds of mass media including press publications, broadcasting, television, movies, and magazines that are specialized in fashion, women’s issues, and the like. Mass media form opinions, adapt intellects, and direct public opinion, especially if such intellects are void and not fortified by divine revelation. Reprehensive matters are found in newspapers and magazines, such as the cover girl, a beautiful girl who is shown in adornment and make up.
When interviewed, she is asked trivial questions, such as: Have you ever been in love before? What is your favorite hobby? Have you had a boyfriend? Similar obscene questions are put to them that are meant to corrupt pure young women who are settled in their homes and possess modesty which they were brought up to observe. Such magazines remove the barriers and standards step by step. Also, obscene images are found in such magazines under the pretext of showing beauty, fitness, weight loss, diet, beauty queens or other pretexts dictated by the devil. They also include an large number of topics about love and courtship with the objective of facilitating indecency, reversing established concepts, and replacing them with strange concepts alien to the knowledge of Muslims.
In a wonderful Khutbah (sermon) about such magazines, the eminent scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, “It is unlawful to own such magazines, buy them, sell them, earn from them, give them as a gift, or accept them as a gift. It is also unlawful to help circulate such magazines among Muslims because this constitutes cooperation in sin and aggression.”
• One of the dangerous methods used by secularists to Westernize Muslim women is their corruption of education. To that end, they introduce fields of specialization that are unsuitable for women, and this consequently leads to the graduation of large numbers of women who have no work domain. This creates the need for opening domains that are suitable with the new specializations that are filled with women, or approving educational curricula that are far removed from what should be available for educating Muslim women. In some Arab countries, the educational curricula are terrible. Education may include a call for equality between women and men in everything, urging women to promote issues of what they call the liberation of women. There is also mixed education in most Muslim countries where girls sit next to boys. Mixed education is a major reason behind the degradation and consequent Westernization of women. Therefore, the best solution is that Muslim countries establish women-only universities. This has been called for by a Pakistani researcher in a fine study where he explained that establishing women-only universities is better for the rate of success, for mastering a given field of specialization, and perfection of work for both young men and young women in all types of study. We may not agree with him on some specializations that we think that women do not need.
• Authoring on the subject of women and conducting researches and studies that are filled with recommendations, suggestions, and alleged solutions for women’s issues and problems.
UNESCO published seven social studies on women in the Arab world. Anyone who reads these studies will realize the seriousness of this matter and the massive schemes weaved by the enemies against Muslim women.
• Holding women’s conferences or conferences that deal with women’s issues, or holding meetings that deal with matters concerned with women such as education, pedagogy, and so on. In such conferences and meetings, Westernizing studies, ideas, and suggestions are raised.
The fourth Regional Conference on Women in the Gulf and Arabia was held on 15/2/1976 in a Gulf country. The conference concentrated on the so-called women’s liberation and issued decisions that included the following: They stressed the importance and necessity of looking into the educational books and curricula in their treatment of women’s issues in such a way that guarantees changing the backward view of women’s role in the family and work. The study also says that the laws and systems to which the family was subjected to one thousand years ago still control family relations in the present time without considering the extent to which they are suitable for us.
What are the laws that were followed one thousand years ago? They are the Islamic Sharee‘ah. These women from the Gulf wanted to change the Islamic Sharee‘ah that has been applied to women for one thousand years.
• One of their methods of Westernizing Muslim women is that secularists dispatch them abroad. This took place a lot in many Muslim countries. When the Muslim women travel abroad, while they either have not studied anything about religion as in some Arab and Islamic countries, or they are not accompanied by Mahrams, then they are thrown into that decadent society, and when they come back home, they are messengers of evil sent by the Western world to Westernize Muslim women and transfer them from adhering to Sharee‘ah and Islamic morals, to adhering to Western methods and opinions as their predecessors had done in Egypt and Kuwait.
• One of the methods of secularists is the abuse of their positions: Some secularists may occupy certain positions of authority, then they issue decisions preventing women wearing Hijab as was done in Egypt and Kuwait, or imposing intermixing between men and women, or disallowing holding Islamic seminars and activities, or enforcing intermixing between the two sexes in certain fields. This consequently leads women to mix with men, a thing that makes it easy for such a thing to take place, because people lose sensitivity upon frequent interaction. After that, women transcend the barriers that are set by Sharee‘ah and turn away from leading a proper life and integrate [in the Westernized life] as others did.
• Undisciplined work and employment: Either by employing men and women equally, or employing women in other than their fields. To that end, they follow a gradual approach that is slow but has a definite effect and by way of imposing a de facto situation.
• Participation and intermixing in health spas, recreation clubs, social clubs, and so on: Some women are perverted enough to smoke in the presence of their colleagues, not only in cafes and restaurants, but also inside offices.
• Inviting people to follow fashions, and flooding Muslim countries with obscene clothing: One of their schemes is to flood Muslim countries with obscene and short clothes. It is extremely difficult for parents to find loose cover-all garments for their daughters. Therefore, Muslim vendors should order and impose clothing that is acceptable to Muslims and which carry no images, writings, and are neither obscene aspects. The clothing should also not be tight or see-through. Manufacturing companies are after money, so they will make whatever clothing is asked of them. If they are not controlled in this regard, they will manufacture clothing that will damage the morals of Muslims.
• An old method that was initiated by secularists in Egypt and elsewhere was their establishment of women’s organizations, societies, and unions: The Women’s Union was established in Egypt long ago by Huda Sha`raawi with flagrant Western support, then other Arab countries followed suit. Women’s unions, organizations, and societies apparently promote the spread of culture and reform, teaching women crafts like embroidery and sewing, but, on the inside, they may be extremely harmful, as they teach women wicked Western thoughts and values which take them from the light of Islamic thought to the darkness of polytheist Western thought.
• One of the most evil issues that are always raised by them in newspapers and magazines is their pretension of defending women’s rights, raising the issue of women’s liberation especially when the Ummah is facing sensitive times. Sometimes they discuss the subject of equality between men and women, mixed education, widening the prospect of participation in mixed work, and so on. They promote that in the name of religion or in the name of benefit, in obscure language. In many cases, the approach of the hypocrites is to shield themselves with vague and deceptive expressions.
• One of their most evil methods is waging a severe attack on Hijab and women who observe it, and glorifying immorality in the mass media and elsewhere in forums and cultural and literary clubs, or in private sessions, and so on.
• Glorifying dissolute women from among actresses, dancers, and singers. They call them stars, celebrities, pioneers in such and such a field, and examples to be followed, and say that they have broken the record in such and such games or styles. These secularist publications and secularist writings give Muslim women the false impression that this is the path they should trod, so they wish they were like such women and try to imitate them. This is why the attempts of secularists are foiled by repentant actresses who provide role models that counter what they aspire for.
• Promoting art, theater, and cinema.
• Another of their wicked and widespread methods is attracting brilliant Muslim girls to writing, acting, or broadcasting, particularly if such girls seek fame. Secularists invite Muslim girls to write in newspapers and acclaim their writings, so some conceited girls hasten to write and contact secularists to publish their writings.
• Training little girls in dancing, playing music, singing at schools, centers, and so on, and then showing them in the mass media: Little girls go out for dancing and singing, swaying in the most beautiful clothes and adornment. How will these girls be when they grow up? What will they head toward unless they are saved by the care and mercy of Allah The Almighty?
They will attract other girls who wish to act like them because they appear as stars and may become famous singers or actresses in the future.
• Spreading a new spirit among Muslim women that transforms their character through establishing so-called physical therapy centers for women: The Da‘wah magazine, issue no.1328, published a report on these centers in 3/8/1412 AH. A female writer visited some of these centers, and said, “In light of the changes and developments that surface from time to time, a negative change has taken place, namely opening so-called physical therapy centers for women. In fact, these centers involve many negative aspects.” The writer continues, “To learn about the reality of these centers, what takes place inside them, and what they offer to their visitors, I visited some of them and contacted others as any woman who enquires about a given center before joining it, in an attempt to obtain the full facts and know what takes place inside them. Following is the summary of the report:
- The spread of revealing clothes inside these centers. This is even obligatory.
- Some centers employ male physicians whom girls under training have to be checked by.
- There is music in these centers, and some centers stipulate that members do not object to music.
- Allocating collective sauna baths where women are only wearing their underwear and gather there.
- Spreading these centers even in hotels, beauty salons, workshops, and providing them as a service.
This is a new thing that was unknown to us before. If women do their work at home, they will not be in need of that.
• In conclusion, secularists adopt a dangerous method, which is spreading mixed parks and restaurants for families: Some brothers visited some of these family restaurants and parks which include many prohibitions. Shaykh Muhammad Al-Farraaj was among the visitors who wrote a report where they explained the hidden aspects of such mixed restaurants. They mentioned that young men and women mix there, women enter such restaurants unaccompanied by Mahrams, and a man is allowed to enter provided that he is accompanied by a women whether she is a maid or a little girl or otherwise. These places, therefore, became a suitable environment for dating and other purposes. Afterwards, Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Jibreen wrote in support of what those brothers wrote, saying, “All perfect praise is due to Allah. I saw examples of what is mentioned in this report, the thing that alerted us to hasten to forbid access (to such places) and warn against doing so.”
Such parks and restaurants might have been established with a good intention, but they are an important reason behind Westernizing Muslim women. This is because they spread the aspects of Westernization including intermixing between the two sexes and having men and women meeting each other in seclusion , thus, opening the door for committing indecency and entering upon honorable women, who will consequently be tempted in their religion and chastity in the light of the overwhelming motives for immorality due to the abundance of stimulation available. Help is sought from Allah.
Methods of Secularists in Corrupting Muslim Women - I