Education about sex and reproduction needs to be taken seriously in our culture so we can avoid many of the problems we face today: the “taboo” nature of sex which renders it all the more alluring and at the same time degrading in nature, the relatively high birth rates, young marriages, honor crimes, dumpster babies, and all sorts of other evils.
My only exposure to sex education during school was when in 6th grade a friend of mine had a Q&A booklet about the issue with her in class. We “sort of” enjoyed reading the booklet until our Islamic Religion teacher busted us and confiscated it, but did not inform the headmistress of our misconduct. Then in around 10th grade, we got acquainted with the very technical names of our reproductive organs, all drawn out in color in biology books. The teacher blushed during the two classes when she “sort of” explained some things to us like ovulation, menstruation, and how babies are made.
My point is this: none of the above “lessons” was memorable or useful in giving us, the mothers of the future, any sort of well-founded understanding of this pivotal aspect of our lives. The problem with that approach to sex education, being all biological because the culture does not permit further boldness, is that girls and boys will get their information elsewhere. Trust me, they will listen to anyone willing to talk about sex and they will get a really, REALLY demented version of it. I was in an all-girls public high school and I know what I am talking about. The things and stories girls told each other were unhealthy, untrue, and entirely grotesque.
On a relevant note, read this article about sex ed mostly in America.
Trust me, it’s not any better over here.
I’ve argued before how education is inevitable. It’s much needed. Yet, it’s going to be a while before we see it happen for real!
Excellent to hear the voice of the mothers of the future on this very simple, yet often deliberately overlooked issue.
I don’t think high birth rates are bad :), and young marriages are only bad if the newly weds aren’t mature enough ( how young is young for you ? 22 is fine for both no ? )
salaam
This reminded me, my Bio teacher in 6th grade also blushed just on mentioning the names of the organs for crying out loud. Then she changed the subject!
In 8th grade there was a formal introduction to the subject, complete with BBC videos and not just the biological aspects but all the social aspects as well. Of course since it was a mixed school there was a great deal of giggling involved.
Luckily I’m never having kids so don’t have to make a tough decision like this one.
I had the best sex education in high school in saudi arabia in a public school. No, it was not called Sex Education it was called Biology and Feqh (islamic Jurisprudence) and the things the teacher showed us and explained to us about intercourse and about VD and about treating our partners. Yes, public schools in Saudi Arabia. So to all of you (to all if you unimaginative idiots who are obsessed with shoving Western terminology down a conservative society’s throat, your lack of tact and lack of imagination IS THE PROBLEM not our society which can handle anything so long as it it’s intorduced in the proper context and with the proper labels.
God bless the internet… Need we say more?! It contains the
most accurate info (given that you look in the right places).
Many sites on the internet are for high quality sex education.
I agree with you 100%! when I lived in the US, they taught SexEd from grade 6 and more detailed health version of it in grades 7 and 8. Like about all the diseases and stuff. I think the Arab world should do the same.
I’m not really sure what it is you are asking for. I attended school in the UAE, and we took sex ed, a few times. The IGCSE syllabus was technical, biological, they did explain about various contraceptives, STDs their effects and diagnosis etc. I also took the same stuff in my islamic studies class in 10th grade and this was evolved to the more personal nature of intimacy and how to treat your partner etc. when we were older 11th and 12th grade. We were left with the sense that sex was taboo only when you are not married, but were told that with your marriage partner sex was akin to prayer in its spirituality and was encouraged not as an act for reproduction but as an important part of marriage.
The nature of arab culture I found made them less prudish about sex, and as I got older my female relatives would discuss sex openly with me in the room, at which point I am sure what could only be my english prudishness caused me to go bright red and leave the room.
When it comes to Islamic Ed I have found that one of the problems in Jordan that I have noticed is a tendency to dismiss school curricula and what scholars have to say, and follow their local mouthpiece–I have come across people who have declared the study of law a sin, and I am pretty sure they dont get taught that at school.
The problem I think needs to be addressed on another level. To ask why people are shunning school texts, their own judgement and turning to the person who shouts the loudest? Is it to do with mistrust of the governement maybe? and the perceived imposition fo western culture on them?
Honour crimes are compounded in this environment, since people are ignoring the law on one hand, and the government is quite lenient on people who commit such crimes.
To commentator number # 5. Help me out please; what does Islamic jurisprudence got to do with sex education? You say that the lesson in question was Biology and Fiqh, ok let us see here, Fiqh means to understand to comprehend, to acquaint, advise, inform, teach. Biology means the science of living organism.
Jurisprudence on the other hand means the science of law or a division or department of law. So how or at what point the [two] science & law merge together is beyond my comprehension.
So how or at what point the [two] science & law merge together is beyond my comprehension.
That’s because you aren’t Saudi! They just banned dogs and cats because they are supposedly used by Saudi guys to promote immorality. I find it a bit mind boggling that anyone who lives in a society where men are not even allowed to look at women can think that society has a healthy attitude about sex. Lets ask the south asian maids in KSA about that?
And no offense intended towards you, Maha… i don’t even know you. But you are the one who decided to take a cheap shot at “Westerners” on this issue. I was just going to read without commenting until I saw what YOU had to say. Lack of tact? Excuse me, but how is it even possible to be “tactful” when discussing a society that punishes women for being raped, and lets the men go free? How INSANE is that?