Moral Restraint

I grew up in a culture which promoted it. My parents did also, so by the time I went to college in the carefree days of the 70s I had internalized it.

Moral restraint was the enemy in those days. Sexual freedom was encouraged, replacing the ancient standards of earlier generations. From George Carlin's take on dirty words to the new movie-rating system, moral barriers were being challenged. They fell one by one.

Islam promotes moral restraint, and parents who are raising Muslim children are often seen as dinosaurs from a repressive and long-forgotten era. No dating. No alcohol or drugs. Some Muslim parents don't allow TVs in their home and won't let their children see movies or listen to music.

It's hard for the children, of course, to grow up in homes so different from the American norm. Some conform. Others rebel. I think the reaction has more to do with the personality of the child than with the success of the parents.

Ramadan is a time of special restraints. No marital relations from dawn to sunset--pre-marital and extra-marital relations are never allowed. Many families turn off the TVs. Some Muslim families may go to the movies during Ramadan, but I've never met any.

I understand moral restraint because it was part of my childhood. The rules of Islam don't seem so strange to me. It is definitely harder for the younger generation. But they learn. And later, when they're grown, they appreciate the discipline.

Muhammad advised Muslims to be in this world as if you are strangers. I know we do seem very strange. But there's nothing wrong with that.

I just wish mainstream American society still followed the values of my childhood.