Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 158
158 islam’s response to contemporary issues Society has no right to interfere in individual freedom to the extent that one should be told where one may spend one’s earnings. But it should be remembered that most religious teachings are by way of admonitions and warnings. Coercive measures here on earth have no part to play in the teachings of any religion unless specific crimes are committed against others—crimes, which are recognised as such, even from a non-religious point of view. Murder, theft, fraud, corruption and usurpation of rights fall under this category. But there are other social crimes, which, according to religions, are poisonous for society as a whole. Yet the penalty for such crimes is not meted out individually; society as a whole suffers. It is the broader social laws, which pass the sentence. Indulgence in liquor and gambling does not take very long to become over-indulgence for society as a whole. But that is no surprise. Moreover, such societies always become progressively more expensive to maintain. A sizeable portion of the national wealth continues to be flushed down the drain. Frustration grows in this atmosphere. Crimes go hand in hand with both liquor and gambling. Miseries and tragedies of many homes where the peace of family life is shattered is the ever-increasing by-product of drinking and gambling. Many a broken home and ruined marriage are their direct outcome. Alcoholism has serious economic and social consequences as indicated by the magazine Scientific American. Apart from domestic violence, there is child abuse, incest and rape due to the removal of inhibitions under the influence of alcohol and fatal alcohol syndrome. Mortality statistics: 10 year decrease in life expectancy in alcoholics.