Un-Islamic Values and Sin

In addition to materialism, there are many un-Islamic values and
practices, that are conveyed through children's media. Most of these
are very obvious, while others are subtler. Some of the more obvious
include mixing of the genders, inappropriate dress, aggressive and
unacceptable social behavior, lack of respect for authority,
celebrating of non-Muslim holidays and so on.

Even a seemingly harmless program such as Sesame Street recently
aired a program suggesting that everyone needs to accept the evil of
homosexuality. An example of a more subtle form of influence can be
seen in a publication available for young girls. "American Girl" is
a pre-teen (ages 7-12) magazine that shows girls how to dress-up,
wear make-up, and flirt with boys.

In addition to the obvious dangers of this type of material, there
is the more hidden threat of teaching young girls that beauty is the
most important factor in life. This, in turn, puts them at a much
higher risk of developing eating disorders such as anorexia and
bulimia, as well as other types of psychological problems.

The danger of exposure to these types of values is very clear.
Satan, of course, is eager to find humans falling into sins of all
forms.

For children, the real threat lies in the fact that these values
begin to be internalized and become a part of the personality
structure. The reversal of this process becomes very challenging and
difficult. The most effective method for dealing with this type of
threat is to avoid exposure to these evils as much as possible.

It is challenging in this society because of its pervasiveness, but
it is achievable. One needs to consider that the consequences of
this evil and sin are much greater than any small pleasure that
could be attained.

Kufr and Shirk

You are probably wondering to yourself, "How in the world could
children's media have anything to do with kufr and shirk?" That is
an acceptable query and one that can be answered rather easily. Kufr
basically means covering up the truth of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala,
and His existence, while shirk entails associating partners with
Allah.

These two concepts are very much interrelated and involve the
negation of Tawheed or the Oneness of Allah. There are three
categories of Tawheed, which comprise the Unity of Lordship (Allah
is One is His Dominion, Control, and Actions), Unity of Allah's
Names and Attributes, and Unity of Worship. This basically means
that no other being can be placed at the level of Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala, in any of these aspects.

When one begins to analyze the material available to children in
this time, it becomes clear that much of it includes outright shirk,
while others have more hidden forms of shirk and kufr. We see human
or "super-human" beings given strength, control and power that
belongs to Allah alone.

Whether it involves fighting wicked forces or ridding the world of
evil, these beings are most often ascribed abilities that were never
given to them by Allah and are for only Allah (Of course, most of
the characters are fictional anyway). This power often means
controlling the whole world and there is no mention of a Grater
Being in the whole process.

Oftentimes there is use or mention of magic, which is also
completely unacceptable in Islam. The popular Pokemon series, as
well as many others, involves a great amount of this evil and it is
shown over and over again. This is where the real brainwashing
occurs. When children are exposed to these ideas on a constant
basis, they begin to believe: -

1) that they can rely upon other forces or beings to get what they
want in life,
2) that there are forces as powerful or more powerful than Allah, or
3) that there is no God (astagh'firuAllah).

In many ways, a form a worship of these beings or forces takes
place, especially in connection with the materialistic aspect.

We don't need to be as worried about materialism and sin, but when
it comes to kufr and shirk these are the very serious matters.

The reason for this is that if a person does not believe in the
Oneness of Allah in its different forms, he is putting his soul in
jeopardy and maybe heading toward eternal hellfire. As Muslims, we
need to protect our children from this grave danger of satan, for it
impacts the most critical element in the belief system of a Muslim.

Without pure Tawheed, a person negates the purpose for which they
were created and may no longer be considered within the folds of
Islam. This would be the worst thing that could ever happen to our
children, and, ourselves, as parents.

So, avoid the World of Nothingness. Instead, fill your children's
minds with Qur'an, Ahadeeth, Seerah, Duaa, Thikr. This is where the
blessings of Allah abound, this is the protection from satan, and
this is the straight path to Jannah. All else is falsehood and
deception.

Allah warns us in the Qur'an: "…Ward off from yourselves and your
families a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are
appointed angles stern and severe, who disobey not the commands they
receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded (by
Allah)." [Al Qur'an 66:6]

[Excerpts from: Al Jumu'ah Vol 12 Issue 7]