… Continued

The Western experiment of women working outside of their homes has proved its negative effects, some of which are as follows:

„X In the United States, more than 5600 children were admitted to the hospital in one year, because of physical abuse by their working mothers; some of them were also afflicted by disabilities.

„X In a conference for physicians in Germany, Dr. Klein, the president of a women’s hospital, said, “Statistics show that among every eight professional women, one suffers heart problems and a circulatory system disease.” According to him, this is because of the abnormal fatigue suffered by women who work. There were also indications that gynecological disorders that lead to the death of the fetus or premature delivery might be caused by standing up for long periods of time, bending while sitting during work hours or carrying heavy things, in addition to abdominal diseases and swelling and deformity of the feet.

On 17/7/1991, Western news agencies published results of studies that revealed that in the previous two years, hundreds of working women in Washington left their jobs and returned to staying at home. Moreover, at one point, 15,000 women in the United States requested social and financial aid after leaving work.

A questionnaire published by the International Data Corporation (IDC) in 1990, conducted by Marie Claire Magazine with 2.5 million female subjects in France, showed that 90 percent of them wanted to return to staying at home to avoid the constant stress of work and because they could not see their husbands and children, except at dinnertime.

As for the United States, [surveys indicate that] 40 percent of working women suffer from stress and anxiety there, while the number in Sweden is 60 percent. Meanwhile, close to a third (30 percent) of professional women suffer from the same problem in Germany, as do 28 percent in Russia. It is even reported that about 76 percent of sedatives are prescribed to working women.

In the Soviet Union, former president Gorbachev, stated in his book about the Perestroika, that after women started to participate in the sectors of production, services, construction and creative arts, they no longer had the time to perform their daily chores, including housework and kids’ upbringing. He added: “We have discovered that many of our crises in terms of children and youth’s behavior, and our problems in morale, culture and development have to do with the breakdown in family relations. This is a normal result of our persistent desire, which is politically approved, to achieve equality between men and women.”

In the Gulf region, a different problem has emerged. The number of foreign maids has multiplied, because mothers do not have time to look after their children. In view of the fact that many of those workers are non-Muslims, who actively practice the rituals of their own religion in front of Muslim children, have sexual relations with their boyfriends in the houses of their employers, drink intoxicants and smoke cigarettes, we will realize the danger that threatens the Muslim family owing to the woman’s freedom from [following] the teachings of her religion and her negligence of her duties towards her family and offspring.

Second: Problems that have afflicted children

The negative effects [of this situation] may be observed in the new generation, from childhood until youth; they include shortcomings in their upbringing, as well as educational and cultural problems.

The righteous woman, if married and with children, fulfills her duties of raising them and looking after them, by creating a happy atmosphere for the whole family. This makes the young ones physically, psychologically and morally healthy, in a way that would keep them adherent to the sound [Islamic] creed. Such children would worship Allah The Almighty perfectly and keep to good morals, sound behavior and piety, and will remain steadfast on the right path.

On the other hand, deviant women are incubators of all forms of evil and set a bad example for their children in all aspects of life and at every stage from infancy.

Children of such mothers only acquire corrupt values and wicked habits and qualities, for they are left without monitoring or discipline, with ignorant servants or foreign maids who can only instill the worst traits in them. This has an everlasting impact that then affects children throughout their lives, leading to unintentional consequences on their attitudes; that, in turn, may lead to their failure at school or work, and cause them to be unable to fit in society.

The mother’s role in teaching her children, especially daughters, before school age is very important as the child comes to life with zero knowledge. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.} [Quran 16:78] Mothers are the ones who teach their infants how to move, speak, eat, hold things and play. Children also acquire language from their parents and others around them; then, they start to recognize their own names through hearing those who call them. After this stage, children start to learn simple reading, writing and the correct pronunciation of words; and, memorization of the Name of Allah The Almighty and the principles of religion.

This important role cannot be performed by a busy mother who spends her time outside her home. Conversely, a woman who is ignorant about her religion and her duties towards her children, is not qualified to perform this role.

As the child grows to the next phase, the responsibility of the mother regarding her children’s acquisition of knowledge goes hand in hand with that of the school. She helps her children do their homework and creates a proper atmosphere at home, so that they would feel safe, secure and loved. This makes them confident, optimistic and hopeful about the future. Moreover, the mother answers her little ones’ questions at this stage, where they usually ask about anything and everything that comes to their minds. According to the soundness of her answers, their minds and hearts are filled with facts of life and they will realize the difference between truth and falsehood, and good and evil.

The importance of the mother’s role at this point, lies in her teaching her brood their religion, observing their performance of acts of worship and adherence to the attitude and morals promoted by Islam; and, in encouraging [them to practice], and making them acquainted with, its teachings that pertain to society and its etiquettes in every aspect of life. This role is complementary to the religious curricula at school, as the mother would monitor her children’s implementation of these manners and knowledge, in general.

Additionally, there are certain things that girls, in particular, need from their mothers; this depends on the latter’s awareness of such matters and their keenness on telling them about them at the suitable time. For instance, mothers should inform their daughters about what they need to know at the age of puberty; and, [later], about their responsibilities at home so that they would be aware of the rights of a husband and children, for when they get married.

All the duties mentioned above cannot be fulfilled by a mother who is not sound [in her personality and religion]. Moreover, the corruption of her creed leads her to send her children to foreign schools and goad them towards Western culture, which affects their character and alienates them from their society and religion.