MULTIFAITH PROTEST AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL FILMS ON THE INTERNET
On Monday 16th May,Some multifaith leaders ,who campaign for morality and decency and family values in the media and who represent the two noble organisations :Mediawatch UK and SaferMedia ,have organised a good event,opposite British Telecom(BT) Headquarters in London , in order to protest strongly against the easy availability of PORNOGRAPHY and sexual films on the internet which are easily seen and watched by many of our young and innocent children.
I joined them myself as a Muslim representative and as a "Muslim contact" with the two organisations for the last 10 years.
One Member of Parliament:Claire Perry joined us in the event too.
She has been a strong campaigner against this harmful exposure of Pornography to our innocent children.
She produced before good Briefing papers on the issue.
(Her website is:www.claireperry.org.uk
Coloured blocks spell out the words "Block Porn" ,was erected opposite BT Headquarters(see photo).
BT is the largest British-based provider of internet services.
We have another 5 major providers of the internet services:Virgin,Orange,Sky,O2 and Talktalk.
We delivered together our letter of concern and protest against Pornography on the internet to the CEO of British Telecom.
We all are requesting BT and other internet providers to to have the default setting for pornography at OFF at network level with OPT-IN, for people over18, who are interested to see Pornography.
Obviously as Muslim believers,we fully oppose completely the showing of any type of Pornography at any age and in any device(TV,internet,mobile phone etc...).
All are forbidden(Haram) and sinful in Islam.
Many Christian believers do share our beliefs too.
I am sorry to say that this vital moral issue has been neglected widely and for long times by our British Muslims and by most Muslims all over the world???
No doubt,some of our muslim children and youth,are exposed to Pornography on the internet(computer)
A representative from Associated Press came and took photos.
A Turkish TV news agency(IHA) based in London had interviews with some of us.
I personnally had 2 interviews with this TV:one in Arabic and another in English.
Let me now give you some horrifying statistics and figures regarding :children and Pornography:
-One in 3 children aged ten have viewed internet photography and 81% of children aged 14-16 look at online porn at home.
-Only 54% of parents blocking or filtering websites for their children
(Personnally I believe the figure is less than that)
-73% of British households now have access to the internet.
-Ofcom reports that 99% of 2-15 year olds ,93% of 8-11 year olds and 75% of 5-7 year olds use the internet regularly
-11% of children in UK have seen sexual content on websites and 24% have seen sexual content online or offline.
-93% of women and 73% of men felt that the ease at which pornographic content can be viewed on the internet is DAMAGING to children
-Average age when a child first uses the internet in the UK is 8 years old.
-At least 58% of people( & about 99% of British Muslims) would opt into a service(Blocking pornographic content)
-63% of people(and about 99% of British Muslims) support internet service providers filtering out pornographic websites at source..
-And a growing list of cross-party MPs stated their support for an opt-in model for accessing internet pornography
(list available if requested).
ETC...
And please allow me also to mention some of the known harmful outcomes as a result of watching PORNOGRAPHY on
children and adults too:
PRONOGRAPHY:
-Produces early unnatural premature sexual practices among many of our innocent children.
who would try to copy and experiment of what they have seen.
-Encourages more sexual immorality and promiscuity and sleeping around among our adolescent children(& adults), thus contributing to the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases(about 25),unwanted pregnancy,abortion,teenage pregnancy,illegitimate children,teenage mothers etc..
-Portrays women as sexual objects and for the pleasure of men only!
-Encourages many sexual crimes,rapes and violence in sexuality
-Encourages many sexual deviant behaviour and practices.
-Devalues and demeans marriage and family values.
-Leads to affairs ,adultery and fornication
-Encourages sexual abuse/incest of some children and among some family members.
-Plays a role in facilitating Paedophilia(se with a child),as many sexual films/videos show: sex between the adult/old men and young small girls
-Encourages many unhygienic and unhealthy sexual practices(anal,oral etc...).
-Creates demand for more prostitution and prostitutes.
-Harms the eyes/vision because of the continuous watching/focussing,with no satisfaction!.
-Lead to ADDICTION to watch more and this type of addiction is very difficult to treat is worse than alcohol and smoking addiction!
-Wastes a lot of our precious time.
-Destroys many marriages(one become not attracted to one's partner sexual relation anymore) and leads to more divorces..
-Takes away the precious time of our children in schools:no home work and less time for education,thus leading to failure in schools and academic achievement.
-Creates a lot of guilt,anxiety and depression.
-Damages and distorts the natural safe productive blessed pleasurable sexual relation between husband and wife in marriage,It can lead to impotence/sexual failure and divorces,and will make the sexual act : mechanical artificial and idealistic, and without any love or emotions or care .
-Displays the sexual organs in a vulgar offensive way with no respect to decency and modesty.
-Leads to a world of sexual fantasies(not real).
-Kills the soul/spirit and one's moral and religious behaviour.
-Brings us a lot of sins,guilt and displeases our all GOD Almighty!
-Etc...
We should remember this fact:
If children watch Pornography in early childhood,they will be doing it more and on a larger scale in adulthood!
PORNOGRAPHY IS :ANTI CHRISTIANITY AND ANTI ISLAM AND ANTI GOD AND ANTI FAMILY AND ANTI MORALITY AND ANTI-HEALTH.....IT CAN MISLEAD EASILY OUR INNOCENT VULNERABLE CHILDREN TO INDULGE IN PRACTICING MANY IMMORAL DESTRUCTIVE FORBIDDEN SEXUAL ACTS AND BEHAVIOUR ,IN BOTH CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM and in many other faiths and beliefs too!!!
FINALLY:
British Muslims should do their duty and get involved and speak up against this tide of sexual immorality and Pornography and which are damaging widely our innocent vulnerable young children including Muslim children!
-Parents should watch and be aware of what their children are watching on the internet(computers) and others
They should install all types of control,like fixing a filter in the computer to block Pornography and sexual films and naked people.
-Parents should educate well ,Islamically , their small children against watching any forbidden and sinful Pornography or any sexual display,film,nakedness or sexual act...and to inform them about :GOD, moral code,marriage and sex
Strong moral code with every Muslim child is crucial today in our battle against this big tide of sexual immorality and Pornography.
No doubt,what is making the case worse today is the explicit and immoral sex education which is given widely today to our children,"by force" in a way , in the subject :SRE(sex and relationship education).
Please join the campaign :SAFE AT SCHOOL ,by the Society for the Protection ofUnborn Children(SPUC) by going to the website:www.spuc.org.uk
This destructive and offensive sex education,is fueling,no doubt, the children's desire to look for Pornography and sexual films on the internet?
-Parents should try to avoid them free mixing,as much as possible ,so to avoid them the:girl friend-boy friend syndrome..
-Every Muslim and every parent should write:
* to his/her own Member of Parliament to ask them to make illegal the showing of any Pornography/sexual acts to children.
* to the Prime Minister, to Minister of Culture: Ed Vazey and to all the providers of the internet services
* To our friend and strong campaigner: ClairePerry MP,to espress your concerns and unhappiness about the easy availability of watching Pornography on the internet by our small and young children and to request her to do her best to BLOCK PORN.
Her E-mail address is: claire.perry.mp@parliament.uk
Personnally,in the name of Islamic Medical Association,I have written to the Minister of Culture :Ed Vazey,twice,
to the 6 internet services providers and to my own Member of Parliament and to the good lady:Claire Perry MP.
I would recommend strongly for our Muslim youth,Muslim men and women to see the 2 great websites of:
Mediawatch UK which is:www.mediawatchuk.org
SaferMedia which is: www.safermedia.org.uk
They have a lot of useful informations and they are 2 good guides to us.
Is good to join the different moral and family campaigns of these 2 noble organisations.
A new Muslim organisation should be established too in order to oppose all types of Pornography,sexual films and nakedness, violence and swearing in all types and channels of media ,similar to the 2 good organisations mentioned above and in order to help and protect all the children in our British society.
This important and neglected subject:the exposure to Pornography,should be discussed widely and wisely on all channels of Muslim media:TVs,radios,Newspapers etc..
I am available for interview to discuss the issue in some details.
For any query or information,please contact me direct on: 07944 240 622
My E-mail address is: akatme@hotmail.com
Dr A.Majid Katme(MBBCh,DPM)
Muslim campaign against Pornography
IN THE PHOTO:
A group of us stood opposite the high coloured blocks: BLOCK PORN,next to BT Headquarter
Dr Katme is second on the left and the Member of Parliament:Claire Perry, is second from the right with her long white coat
2 ladies from Safermedia are in the photo:Miranda Suit and Pippa Smith.
In the centre of the photo is Vivienne Pattison,the Director of Mediawatch UK.
On the extreme left is David Turtle,a Policeman and is from Mediawatch UK