Youth, - Help your loved ones stopsmoking

A fifth of the world's population is Muslim, and most Muslims live in
areas where the prevalence of smoking is high and increasing by the
day. According to statistics, it is estimated that out of the five
million people who die due to smoking related causes every year, one
million are Muslims. Yet, thanks to media influences and advertising,
which erroneously portray smoking as part of a glamorous lifestyle,
many Muslims -- both men and women -- are prompted to take to the
habit themselves.
In response to the growing trend, health and religious authorities
across the world have launched anti-smoking drives, to deter people
and raise awareness of the harmful effects of smoking. Besides the
mandatory health warning on cigarette packets, it has been proposed
that the pack should carry graphic images of the diseases that can be
contracted by smoking, to drive the point home to smokers.
In another official initiative, many cities and public places around
the world have designated areas as 'non-smoking', to make it difficult
for people to light up. Recently the holy cities of Makkah and
Madeenah have been declared no-smoking zones, and smoking or even
selling cigarettes has been made a punishable offence there.
Similarly, mosques and religious leaders across the world have taken
it upon themselves to educate people about the harmful effects of
smoking, which is considered a prohibited act in Islam. The Quran
says )what means(:
}...make not your own hands contribute to your destruction{]Quran 2: 195[
}...nor kill or destroy yourselves{]Quran 4:29[.
Every Ramadan, there are wide-ranging campaigns run in Muslim
communities in the West and the Middle East, in order to highlight the
problem and its consequences. Anti-smoking messages are the subject of
many religious discourses and Friday khutbahs. Yet, according to the
World Health Organization, which has been studying smoking trends and
statistical patterns across the globe, the trend to take up smoking
shows no signs of abating. Most smokers begin early in life, before
they are 25 years old and the majority of smokers in affluent
countries begin in their teens, with a decline in the age of starting
smoking observed worldwide.
Where all these initiatives come from external sources, which may not
have much of an immediate impact on a person, there is something
closer home that is often overlooked in the campaign against smoking
that can have a positive influence on a smoker. A Muslim woman can do
a lot in her capacity as a wife, mother, sister and daughter to
discourage smoking in her loved ones, or help them quit the habit.

Youth, - An Urgent Call from Europe for Separation of the Sexes in Schools

It seems that the ethos that has prevailed in the West for decades
which considered that all-girl schools are old-fashioned has recently
begun to change. This is especially so after some people have become
more convinced that the idea of the separation of the sexes in schools
is not only good in and of itself, but that it also leads to better
student performance.
In a review of a French book entitled "LesPièges de la Mixité
Scolaire")Traps of Mixed Schools(, published byL'express magazine, the
French sociologist Michel Fize, a researcher at the National Center
for Scientific Studies in France, mentioned that intermixing between
the sexes in European schools neither supports equality between the
sexes nor supports equal opportunities.
The study was issued after forty-five years of experience in mixed
education in France. It revealed the evils of intermixing between the
sexes in the West, and especially in France where an increase in the
rate of sexual assaults against teenagers inside educational
establishments has been witnessed. It also witnessed an increase in
the rate of boys' academic failure, even though they were preferred to
girls in schools in a manner that exposed the bias of the teachers.
Intermixing and Educational Rights
Therefore, the context and development of events in France and in the
West prove the opposite of what is said - that as long as the society
is mixed and democratic. This same pattern must be represented in
schools.
Michel Fizeremarks that intermixing is not an educational right. It
was applied as an expression of the principles of equality and respect
for the rights of citizenship. If that principle was truly a right,
then why do we not force our girls to work as car-mechanics?
The author declares that he is calling for a separation policy that
changes society for the better, especially in light of the information
that he obtained about the decline of the quality of education and
girls' inability to achieve self-fulfillment in coeducational
settings, as well as the problems experienced by boys in linguistic
achievement.
Fize adds that the separation process does not entail students'
expression of their religious affiliation or ideological inclination.
In this context, separation does not mean that we will resort to
opening schools that are exclusive to veiled girls.
This issue, which the Western world used to consider a taboo, is
highly controversial. It has opened the door for heated discussions
about the dangers of intermixing between the sexes, especially in
preparatory and secondary schools in Western Europe and America.
School Youth Problems
L'express magazine, which reviewed the book, also shed light on a
number of problems faced by youth inside schools. Out of 110,000
messages received on the Youth Hotline in the year 2000, there were
4000 messages whose senders reported that they were subjected to
sexual pressure at school. Sexual violence constituted 31.1% of all
violence during the school year 2001-2002, which was, of course, apart
from other forms of violence. In addition, girls were exposed to abuse
and obscene language, especially in districts that suffered from the
problems of poverty, deprivation and emigrant inhabitants.
'Girls Only' Schools
In an interview with the author, the magazine referred to the issue of
an Islamic attack on the West. It wondered if this separation
coincided with the Islamic point of view on this issue and therefore
would they, as a secular country, wait long before Islam advances
towards them with the intention of conquest.
The author answered by saying that since the year 2000 and during the
reign of the "religious" US President George W Bush, the idea of
establishing separate schools in America became acceptable, as well as
in England, Sweden, Finland and Germany. It was known that separation
was already being applied during science classes. In France, Catholic
education was the first to call for separation, although this was with
regard to private schools that are far removed from formal secular
education.
A number of experts commented on the study and the subject it raised
at a time when Western attacks were intense against Islam and Muslims
in the Western world, particularly America.
The British magazine,The Economist, featured an article
entitledAll-Girl schools...the latest educational fad in Britain. The
article mentioned that after boys were separated from girls in a
number of private British schools, examination results for the year
1997 showed that 68% of the students obtained higher marks than
previously. In the 2004 examination results, 81% of boys and 82% of
girls achieved the same high scores after separation was applied.
The magazine also mentioned that the United States began as of the
school year 2004 to relax and facilitate the rules that had previously
forbidden education based on single-sex public schools.
The Notion of Equality
The French Minister of Education stated the necessity to respect the
two sexes during the different stages of education. At the same time,
he noted a contradiction between his secular state and the book in
question, as well as the results that followed.
Isabelle Dehaie of Mix-Cite Education, said that the issue that should
be discussed was the idea of equality and the women's right to vote,
which was legislated in the year 1848, but never practiced by women
until the year 1945.
André Blandin, General Secretary of the Catholic Education
Association, said that it was necessary to decisively confront the
issue of intermixing between the sexes in schools in order to avoid
sexual harassment.
Marie Duru, an educational researcher, mentioned that fear does not
arise from the process of separation, but rather from changes of
syllabi to cope with the problems of society - and that is the real
problem.
In her comment on the process of separation, Dominique Schnapper, a
headmistress in a higher education school for social sciences, said
that it was advocated that girls should attend school with boys as
something natural since women work with men side by side in society.
Hence, it would be illogical not to refer to the oppression that women
suffer in society. She thus views that school must be a place where
girls are secure against the oppression that is perpetrated against
them. She added that teachers should choose the system that benefits
all students.
However, she referred to the impact of Islamic thought and its ability
to penetrate Western society and settle the problem, which represented
a further problem that requires added consideration.
On the whole, the study did not hide its fear of Islamic interference,
for it called for principles to which Islam called before their
civilization was built. They then searched for a way out of their
problems through futile confrontations. Sadly, they neglected the fact
that Islam has adopted an ingenious approach to education, some of the
details of which are applied these days by non-Muslims.

Youth, - With determination and faith, midlife becomes a gift, not an affliction

Anxiety, fatigue, weight gain, hot flashes and decreased libido are
signs of menopause. While this "third age" of a woman is generally
dreaded, Muslims consider it "the age of maturity" that must not
induce despair. Indeed, with her will and faith, a woman can overcome
the possible physical and psychological changes perimenopause brings
about
There is no doubt that menopause is a difficult stage of life, in
psychological terms, as it signifies the fading of youth and the end
of the ability to bear children. Marie Claude, a professor at
Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, determined that the factors
which affect the onset of menopause are hereditary. A woman should be
able to estimate when she will have her final period if she knows at
which age her mother reached menopause. There are also non-hereditary
factors to consider, such as an imbalanced diet, poor social and
economic conditions, tension and smoking, because tobacco can
intensify the decrease of estrogen production.
The professor also states that the period of physical and
psychological problems is an interim transition. Afterwards, the
organs will become accustomed to the decreased hormone levels and
create a new balance for the body to function normally. Some of those
changes are:
1-Hot flashes
This afflicts about three out of every four women. It is a feeling of
intense heat, accompanied by a visible redness in the face in about
10% of women. Hot flashes are stressful; a person suffering from them
may also have night sweats. During this period, one should avoid
caffeine, smoking and spicy food. If the flashes are severe, one
should take some analgesic medication in addition to hormonal
treatments. It is also advised to eat foods rich in vitamins C and E,
such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
2-Weight gain
Women often crave sugary goods, which is linked to hormonal changes
and an increase in age. So, to avoid obesity, one should follow a
healthy nutritional system, especially from the age of forty. Also:
Avoid the habit of eating a bite here and there throughout the day,
apart from regular meals.
Avoid sweets because the sugar in it soon turns in to fats.
Reduce the consumption of animal fats, instead preferring fish, fresh
vegetables and fruit.
Drink water frequently because it helps in secretion and moistening the skin.
Practice a regular sport, such as walking, for a minimum quarter of an
hour a day.
3-Decreased libido
During menopause, vaginal atrophy and a healthy shrinking of outer and
inner genital areas takes place due to the absence of estrogen.
Regular sexual activity is almost sufficient to preserve the
moistening of the cells. Water soluble vaginal lubricants and vaginal
estrogen which counters dryness are also helpful.
4-Dryness of the skin
A decrease in estrogen levels leads to a decrease in soft tissue
moisture; consequently, the skin becomes very thin, dry and rough, and
vulnerable to developing wrinkles. Further, the disturbance in the
workings of the cells allows the appearance of pale spots on the skin.
The solution is to:
Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
Drink water frequently and eat fresh fruit.
Use an ointment for the skin that has estrogen.
This is a scientific opinion, regarding utilizing available remedial
means. However, the most important thing is to seek the help of Allaah
The Almighty against the trials of middle age. One must also busy
herself with acts of obedience, worship and remembrance of Allaah The
Almighty, seeking His reward.
If women try this out, in conjunction with the above recommendations,
by the permission of Allaah The Almighty, this stage of life will turn
into a blessing, not an affliction.