Alaikum! CSE in Public Schools: Important Notes on the Bayaan

29 January 2020

Att: Respected Imams and Khateebs

Assalaamu ‘Alaikum!

CSE in Public Schools: Important Notes on the Bayaan

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has effectively rolled out the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) curriculum. Details of the roll out emerged at a DBE convened meeting held on Thursday 23 January 2020. Even if CSE seems to be getting support from certain quarters, elements of this roll out raise concerns from some faith communities.

Attached is a resource document which gives a background to the introduction of the CSE curriculum and some of the aspects of this component within Life Orientation as a school subject. It is intended that imams and khateebs will use this resource to prepare sermons on CSE, in order to guide parents and learners. Particular emphasis should be on the following points:

• ‘Modesty Makes Human’ The values of chastity and modesty are central to the character of a Muslim. The protection of our faith requires all of us to uphold these values. We must continue to advocate, support and promote all measures that nurture modesty and decency in conduct.

• ‘I own my body; I choose what to do with it’ The standpoint of CSE as it is being rolled out, negates the guardian role of humans for their bodies, given to us, in trust, by the Creator. It presupposes ownership, and hence, choice to what we can do with our bodies. Yet, Islam teaches us, we have no liberty to do as we please with our bodies which are sacred and subject to the Will of the Almighty. We cannot therefore leave such a responsibility in the hands of a minor to decide what to do with his/her body.

• ‘Where is this all going?’ Behind the DBE’s CSE curriculum is a set of concepts. These concepts emanate from ideologies that are informing and influencing aspects of modern life. We have to be awake to these ideas which are rooted in secular humanism and mislead towards self-indulgent Godlessness.

NOTE WELL: There are many things that have been circulated via social media pertaining to CSE. Most of such material should be handled with great caution. JUSA shall continue to engage the DBE on this matter and will from time to time advise the community accordingly.

We pray for the Help and Guidance of the Almighty in all of our affairs. Aameen.

Wassalaam. for Jamiatul Ulama South Africa

E.I. Bham (Moulana) Secretary General

CSE in Public Schools: A Muslim Perspective FRIDAY JUMU‘AH MESSAGE The following message has been prepared by the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa as a National Common Bayaan, to be delivered in mosques, over 3 weeks, from Friday 31 Jan 2020. It focuses on the safeguarding of values of modesty, in the wake ideologies influencing modern thought.

ِ ِِ ِِ َْﳓ َﻤ ُﺪﻩُ َوﻧُ َﺼﻠّ ْﻲ َﻋﻠَﻰ َرُﺳْﻮﻟﻪ اﻟْ َﻜﺮْﱘ Allah  mentions in the Qur’an:

ِ ِ ِِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ وإ ْذ ﻗَ َﺎل ﻟُْﻘ َﻤ ُﺎن ﻻﺑْﻨﻪ َوُﻫَﻮ ﻳَﻌﻈُﻪُ َ� ﺑَُﱠﲏ َﻻ ﺗُ ْﺸﺮْك 䚎 ﱠﻪﻠﻟ ۖ إ ﱠن ّاﻟﺸْﺮَك ﻟَﻈُْﻠٌﻢ َﻋﻈ ٌﻴﻢ And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqmān said to his son while he was instructing him, “O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is a great injustice.” (31:13)

Rasulullah  mentions: ِ ﱠ ِ ﱠ َﻋ ْﻦ أَِﰊ ُﻫَﺮْﻳـَﺮَة، ﻗَ َﺎل: ﻗَ َﺎل َرُﺳ ُﻮل ﷲ َﺻﻠﻰ ﷲُ َﻋﻠَْﻴﻪ َو َﺳﻠَﻢ: ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِﱠ ِ ﱠ ِ ِ ِ ِ " ْاﻹﳝَ ُﺎن ﺑ ْﻀ ٌﻊ َو َﺳْﺒـﻌُ َﻮن - أَْو ﺑ ْﻀ ٌﻊ َوﺳﺘﱡ َﻮن - ُﺷْﻌﺒَﺔً، ﻓَﺄَﻓْ َﻀﻠَُﻬﺎ َﻗـْﻮُل َﻻ إﻟَﻪَ إﻻ ﷲُ، َوأَْدَ�َﻫﺎ إَﻣﺎﻃَﺔُ ْاﻷَذَى َﻋ ِﻦ اﻟﻄِﺮﻳﻖ، َو ْاﳊَﻴَﺎءُ ُﺷْﻌﺒَﺔٌ ﻣ َﻦ ْاﻹﳝَﺎن" ﻣﺴﻠﻢ. Abu Hurayrah  narrates that the Messenger of Allah  said: “Iman is over seventy of sixty parts. The most superior of which is to says that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the least of which is to remove a harmful object from the path. And modesty is part of Iman.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Our children live in a world very different to the world that we were brought up in. Their challenges are very different from the challenges we faced as youth. One such challenge is the alarming level of promiscuity that has now become a social norm. This is borne out by the fact that teenage pregnancy accounts for about 8 to 10 % of all deliveries in the country. Shocking statistics have revealed that more than 3000 girl children, aged between 10 and 14 became mothers in South Africa last year. The Recorded Live Births Report, which was commissioned by Statistics South Africa, showed that a total of 3261 girl children aged between 10 and 14 were registered as mothers in South Africa last year. The levels of modesty have decreased and society no longer frowns upon what was naturally considered as evil, harmful and immodest.

In order to educate learners about the sexuality the government has introduced CSE.

Modesty in Islam What is haya? It is normally translated as modesty or inhibition but neither word conveys the same idea as haya. Modesty suggests shunning indecent behaviour but it also implies bashfulness based on timidity. That is why the adjective based on its opposite, immodest, is sometimes also used as a compliment suggesting courage. Inhibition is defined as: “Conscious or unconscious mechanism whereby unacceptable impulses are suppressed.” This is a very neutral definition without any reference to right or wrong. So one finds psychiatrists “helping” their patients overcome inhibitions.

In contrast to the moral ambiguity of these words, haya refers to an extremely desirable quality that protects us from all evil. It is a natural feeling that brings us pain at the very idea of committing a wrong.

Along with its unique connotation comes the unique value of haya in Islam. Prophet Muhammad  said: “Every religion has a distinct call. For Islam it is haya.” [Ibn Majah]. Another famous hadith says: “There are more than 70 branches of Iman (Faith). The foremost is the declaration that there is no god except Allah and the least of it is removing harmful things from the path. And haya is a branch of Iman.” (Bukhari, Muslim) As some Muhaditheen point out, the number 70 is a figure of speech. What the hadith tells us is that the declaration of faith is the most important part of Iman but that is not all. Iman also has to reflect in all kinds of actions in real life. Moreover, haya is a centrepiece of most of the actions that Iman calls for. It is the basic building block of Islamic morality. When it is lost everything is lost.

Based on such teachings, Islam brought about a moral revolution of unprecedented dimensions with haya as its cornerstone. The pre-Islamic Jahiliyya society of Arabia knew the word but did not understand its meaning. Nudity, the antithesis of haya, was not only common in everyday life, it was even part of the most important religious ritual of tawaf [circumbulation of Ka'bah]. So were all the other evils that flow from it. Islam exterminated all of those evils and changed society in such a way that haya became one of its most cherished values. To this day in Friday Khutbahs around the world, the third Khalifah Hazrat Usman  is mentioned as the person with perfect haya and perfect Iman [Kamil lil-haya wal Iman]. Is there any other religion that celebrates haya like that?

Islam's laws about hijab, its ban against free mixing of men and women, its teachings about gender- relations all of these reflect a deep concern for haya.

For men and women who have not lost their haya, these come naturally. There is a moving story from the earlier Islamic period about a woman who learnt that her young son had been lost in a battle. She ran in a panic to confirm the news, but before that, she took time to make sure that she covered herself fully in accordance with the newly revealed laws of hijab. She was asked how she managed to do that in a time of great personal tragedy. She replied: "I have lost my son, but I did not lose my haya."

For centuries afterwards Muslim societies did not lose their sense of modesty. When Muslim lands came under the Western colonial rule about three centuries ago, they were faced with a civilization that was no different than the pre-Islamic Jahiliyya on the issue of haya. While it did not have better morality, it did have better guns. At the gunpoint of military and political domination, Muslim societies were made to lose their grip on haya on a collective scale. The powerful and attractive media became an important instrument in this war. First it was books, magazines and newspapers. Then radio. Now it is television. Together they projected ideas and images detrimental to haya. They made indecency attractive. The pace was increased tremendously by television, which has shown more firepower than all the previous media combined.

We can get out of the morass by making haya as our number one concern in both individuals as well as public lives. There is no Islamic life without Islamic morality. There is no Islamic morality without haya.

The Background of Sexuality Education In the late 1990s the Minister of Education, Mr. Kader Asmal introduced a subject called Life Orientation. The concept was in the same syllabus the subject Right Living and Guidance This subject discusses a wide range of topics including “sexuality education”.

What is CSE? CSE is a comprehensive sexuality education. Its aims are to equip young learners with: ● Knowledge ● Skills ● Attitudes ● Values that will empower them to realise their health. ● Develop respectful social and sexual relationships.

The history of CSE Comprehensive sexual education originated in Sweden in the 1950s. It was based on 4 principles:

1. Teenage sexual activity is inevitable. 2. Educators should be value-neutral regarding CSE (educators should not speak against gays and lesbians) 3. Schools should openly discuss sexual matters. 4. Sexuality education should teach students about contraception.

Why introduce CSE into the SA curriculum? Since 2000 sexuality education is being taught in our schools. The objective was to lower the rate of HIV and STDs. This has not been achieved, although the department claims it has. The department has introduced SLPs (Scripted Lesson Plans). These SLPs were created to assist the teacher with teaching CSE.

Content of SLPs (Scripted Lesson Plans)? The content of SLPs has positives to it. Grade 4 to Grade 12 guides learners who are taught to adopt high morals of respect and trust by discouraging gender-based violence and rape. These morals are overshadowed by the following evils taught ● Learners are exposed to words as masturbation, oral sex, condoms and touching each other’s genitals. ● Learners are exposed to nude drawings of both male and female anatomy. They are required to label body parts. Special attention to the private parts. ● Graphic pictures of males and females being intimate. ● Emphasizes promiscuity being acceptable. ● Encourages the use of condoms ● Encourages respect to same-gender relations. Not respecting same-gender relations is known as homophobia. ● Emphasis on making one’s decision rather than the correct decision.

What approach does the intended SLPs use? The teacher's guide (SLPs) advocates abstinence. It also states if a person is having sex, one should condomise. This advocacy encourages sexual activity at a young age. Abstinence is presented as the safest option and “protected sex” is presented as a respectful and responsible second option. (D Richard. (1990) Has CSE failed our Teenagers?) ● The message of abstinence is diluted by teaching learners how to ‘correctly’ use a condom with possible in-class demonstrations by fitting a condom on a banana, etc. (Onalee McGraw) ● It encourages sexual activity by introducing learners the use of contraceptives. ● It does not equip learners with the necessary tools to resist temptation.

Parents’ Involvement Challenges faced by the youth are on the increase. ● Parents should be actively involved in their children's academic careers. Parents should not be complacent, understanding they have paid the fees and not be actively involved. ● Learners should attend maktab in the afternoon. This assists in the learners being educated with Islamic education. Such education acts as a buffer for some of the challenges learners face. ● Educate ourselves on contemporary issues. ● Learners should also sit in the company of the pious. This insulates the learners from some of the challenges faced. ● Through the guidance of Ulama educate learners on these topics. ● Du‘ā is an important component of the upbringing of our children. The Quran teaches us the following du‘ā, which should be read after every Salāh:

ِ ِ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ِ ِ َرﺑـﱠﻨَﺎ َﻫ ْﺐ ﻟَﻨَﺎ ﻣ ْﻦ أَْزَواﺟﻨَﺎ َوذُّرﱠ�ﺗﻨَﺎ ُﻗـﱠﺮَة أَْﻋُﲔ َو ْاﺟَﻌْﻠﻨَﺎ ﻟْﻠُﻤﺘﱠﻘ َﲔ إَﻣ ًﺎﻣﺎ Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous."

● Spend quality time with our children. ● Engage the school your child attends. Where possible, serve on the School Governing Body (SGB) ● What is still under review, is the option for a learner to opt out of attending CSE. ● Implement Ta’līm in our homes. This instils righteousness in the child.

How can these sexual urges be curbed? With the attractions modern day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to curb one’s sexual desires. Steps should be taken for one’s self and one's children. The following are some guidelines: ● Abstain from those things that arouse sexual desire. ● Lower one’s eyesight. This includes looking at impermissible things. Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. (24:30) ● Limit usage of social media and exposure to forms of online indecency. Parents should have adequate measures to ensure children do not abuse the usage of the Internet. ● Educate children about the dangers of bad company. Ensure friends of your children do not have bad habits that will influence them. ● Occupy children in productive activities. ● Dressing and behaviour should be modest. ● The Hadith advises those that having difficulty restraining themselves to fast. This lowers sexual desire. ● The Hadith promises great rewards for those who have control of their speech and private part. ﻣﻦ ﻳﻀﻤﻦ ﱄ ﻣﺎ ﺑﲔ ﳊﻴﻴﻪ وﻣﺎ ﺑﲔ ﻓﺨﺬﻳﻪ أﺿﻤﻦ ﻟﻪ اﳉﻨﺔ He who guarantees me (control) of what is between his lips, (tongue) and what is between his legs (private parts), I give him a guarantee of paradise. ● Educate learners of the harms of sin.

Whilst the challenges ahead are great, it requires a collective effort to ensure sound upbringing to our youth. As the adage says, “It takes a community to raise a child.”