News:
On the 7th January, the BBC reported two major teaching unions having said that schools in the UK are struggling to cope with the rising numbers of students self-harming. Self-harming involves individuals deliberately cutting, bruising, burning, overdosing on drugs or hurting themselves in other ways as a means to relieve the pain of psychological distress which they feel they cannot deal with in any other manner. According to NHS figures, the number of 10-19 year olds admitted to hospital across England, Wales and Northern Ireland due to intentionally hurting themselves has increased 20% from 2012/13 to 2013/14, with latest figures showing that almost 29,000 young people were treated for self-harming injuries in just one year. In December last year, The Health and Social Care Information Centre also released new figures that revealed that the number of children being admitted to hospital for self-harm is at a 5 year high, with admission of girls aged 10-14 almost doubling between 2009/10 to 2013/14, and a 45% increase for boys within the same age range. A World Health Organisation report that is due to be published this year is expected to show that over the last decade in England, the number of teenagers who have self-harmed has tripled. However campaigners say that these numbers could be just the tip of the iceberg of the problem. Dr. Max Davis, a spokesperson for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stated, “We have to remember that people self-harm because they’re in psychological distress that’s so severe that they prefer physical harm or physical pain to their psychological state….So the real question is, why are more young people experiencing unbearable psychological distress?”
Comment:
Indeed, serious questions need to be asked about what the elements are of any society in which so many of its young are driven to not only suffer such severe emotional turmoil but to also not see any path of relief other than inflicting pain upon themselves. Those working with youth engaging in self-harm have stated that issues such as bullying at school, family breakdown, addiction issues in families, extremely high expectations to perform well at school, sexual pressures, problems around body image, and general worries about their future are some of the causes driving youngsters to hurt themselves.
The rising prevalence of self-harm and its causes amongst the UK’s young is just one of the rotten fruits of the capitalist, secular system that governs the state. Under this system in which religion and spirituality have been increasingly viewed with contempt, mocked and pushed to the margins of society, the young are amongst those who have inevitably paid the price. The ever-weakening presence of a moral compass that was based upon a sense of accountability to a Creator and which once guided children to behave with respect towards others has been replaced with a culture of individualism and self-gratification, fuelling problems such as bullying. Liberal values such as personal and sexual freedoms have not only exacerbated family breakdown but have placed untold pressure upon the youth, in particular girls to engage in sexual activities at a younger and younger age. And the secular view of success that is linked to achievements in this life; its generation of unrealistic expectations for people such as those associated with body image; and its creation of a climate where individuals view pleasing and gaining acceptance from others as the means to contentment and happiness, rather than God, has caused immense emotional distress for children, teenagers, and adults alike. Alongside all this, is the presence of a spiritual void within many of the young – a void that fills an individual with emptiness, and drives them to seek contentment in superficial things or pursue materialistic lives that only adds to the emptiness. Furthermore, under the secular, capitalist system, the absence of the correct outlook on the true purpose and nature of life nor clear solutions to human problems leads many of the young to see no way to relieve the distress from their difficulties other than taking a knife to their wrists.
All this is a reminder of the mercy of Islam and the great responsibility that we have as Muslims to ensure that the Islamic values and correct viewpoint towards life are instilled within our Muslim youth in a strong manner. The belief in Allah سبحانه وتعالى, that the purpose of life is to worship Him, that the difficulties faced in this dunya are a test, that the view of true happiness and success is to please Him سبحانه وتعالى, and the belief in the unimaginable rewards of Jannah that await the devoted believer, all create a sound and stable mentality. It is a mentality that does not seek contentment in superficial things, measure true success by materialistic gains, or feel the need to achieve unrealistic expectations set by others or gain their acceptance to feel happiness. It is also a mentality that understands his or her accountability to a Creator and hence lives life according to His سبحانه وتعالى’s Rules and Limits and not selfish desires. These Rules includes the rejection of personal and sexual freedoms. They also prescribe treating others with respect, kindness, and care, and shunning cruel behaviour such as bullying. All this, alongside the sound solutions Islam provides for every type of human problem helps to prevent the severe psychological turmoil that leads to self-harm. It also provides a coping strategy to deal with the emotional distress that naturally human being experience as a result of troubles in their life.
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
“We have sent the Qur’an to you as an explanation of all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and glad tidings to those who are Muslim.”
(An-Nahl: 89)
The scale of self-harm affecting children in the West should also be a stark reminder of the great dangers that lay ahead for the youth of the Muslim world if the secular, liberal systems in our lands are not discarded and replaced with the Islamic system of the Khilafah.
Written for The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Nazreen Nawaz
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir