With Putin becoming more vocal, it is high time Islamic and Christian organisations launched an international campaign against all these vices in order to save humanity from death, destruction and chaos. Organisations of other religions including Hinduism and Buddhism should also be approached in order to build the momentum. With huge facts and statistics available about the devastating effects of these vices, it should not be difficult to mobilize public opinion leading to ultimate success of life, peace and health over economic and political fundamentalism.

Dr. Javed Jamil

For more than two decades I have been campaigning against the legalization, institutionalization and commercialization of immoral practices highlighting their dangerous effects on health and peace. I have also been strongly advocating the coming together of all religions against these practices and strengthening of the family system. It is therefore heartening for me to learn about Vladimir Putin’s drive against immorality including Homosexuality and his moves in favour of the traditional family system. I always wondered why Muslim governments and organisations did not think of starting campaign at the international level against the Western liberal values highlighting their destructive role on health and peace. Hopefully they will join Putin in his efforts and will impress upon him the need to internationalize this drive.

A BBC report titled, “Russia’s Putin wants traditional marriage and God in constitution” says: “Russian President Vladimir Putin wants marriage to be defined as the union of a man and woman in a revised constitution, ruling out gay marriage. It is among several constitutional amendments proposed by Mr Putin, which are set to be put to a public vote…….The package includes a proclamation of Russians’ faith in God and a ban on giving away any Russian territory…..Mr Putin’s drive against Western liberalism has included a controversial ban on disseminating “gay propaganda” among young Russians.”

The world bodies make a lot of hue and cry on the loss of lives in political violence but ignore the colossal loss of lives due to unhealthy practices like alcohol, “free sex” including homosexuality accompanied by disintegration of family system and a judicial system, which is a total failure in controlling crimes including social vices and sexual and murderous assaults. Every year more than 70 million human fetuses are killed, more than 3 million people die of alcohol related illnesses and about 2 million people die in road accidents, about 40 pc of which have relation with alcohol. More than 30 million people have died of AIDS in last 20 years, prostitution, homosexuality and promiscuity being the major factor. Millions of murderous assaults are made every year with around 300000 losing life. In short, alcohol and sex have become the major killers. About 1 million people commit suicides every year, alcohol, drugs and sex again being the major factors. Disintegration of family system is creating huge problems for children with an increasing percentage being born outside wedlock and passing lives under single parents. The people living in the so-called Developed Countries are of course the biggest victims of almost all these problems.

Almost all the religions of the world stand firmly behind a traditional family system based on the marriage of men and women and most of them disfavour intoxication. Islam of course expressly prohibits all such practices as are detrimental for healthy life with total ban on alcohol, drugs and sex outside marriage. But the religious forces including Islamic countries and organisations have failed to challenge the forces of economics, which are primarily responsible for the commercialization of all these unnatural and unhealthy practices. Still more unfortunate is the fact that instead of working together on the ground of morality, religious forces keep fighting one another on the ground of identity. There are 57 Muslim countries and several of them have declared Islamic constitutions. Still, they have never thought of campaigning against these killers at the international level. Islam has been reduced to theological domains with little effort to popularize its pro-life social system. I haven’t heard about any international conferences being organised to discuss these vices and their sordid commercialization in any of the Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia.

With Putin becoming more vocal, it is high time Islamic and Christian organisations launched an international campaign against all these vices in order to save humanity from death, destruction and chaos. Organisations of other religions including Hinduism and Buddhism should also be approached in order to build the momentum. With huge facts and statistics available about the devastating effects of these vices, it should not be difficult to mobilize public opinion leading to ultimate success of life, peace and health over economic and political fundamentalism.

Dr Javed Jamil is a thinker, physician poet, writer and Islamic scholar. He is currently Head of Chair in Islamic Studies & Research, Mangalore, Karnataka (India). He can be contacted at doctorforu123@yahoo.com.