Opinion: Not my child, so, it’s okay? By Sir Frank Peters (Bangladesh)

WHO DECIDED the smiles on the faces of children were too adorable for them to keep, and then set about removing them through corporal punishment? One cannot help but wonder what the citizens of Sweden think when they read reports about children who are beaten, bruised, and kicked so severely in schools and madrassas that they lose their eyesight, hearing, use of their fingers and limbs, self-esteem, and their will to attend school; often ending their suffering by committing suicide.

Back in 1979, Sweden became the first country to ban corporal punishment in all contexts, including homes, madrassas, and schools. It is so ungodly to beat or abuse His children. The use of corporal punishment is a horrific, demonic compassionless practice that is motivated by utter ignorance, a disregard for morality, and spits on compassion.

There is NO evidence that Muhammad, Jesus, or Moses ever beat children. Through unadulterated love, compassion, patience, and respect, they imparted their virtuous knowledge. Violence cannot be used to teach the word of God, but countless ignorant, misguided souls persist in trying.

The Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, declared: "Islam categorically forbids physical punishment of either gender. He asserted that fathers and husbands are not permitted to physically abuse their wives or children. Even bruising someone is strictly forbidden.

Islam: Religion of love - When Islam is marketed and hailed as one of the most compassionate and loving faiths ever to have existed, how does it appear to the outside world when a newspaper or online news article talks about a child who was maltreated, maimed, or permanently damaged because the helpless little soul mispronounced words from the Quran?

Or some mentally unstable "teacher" or imam who may have developed a dislike for the child and decided to mercilessly beat the poor youngster until he or she is black and blue in order to let out all their pent-up anger from personal issues.

This kind of behavior is categorically wrong, repugnant, inhumane, and has no place in a civilized, God-fearing, God-loving society.

When Bangladesh Supreme Court Justices Md. Imman Ali and Md. Sheikh Hassan Arif, Justices of the Bangladesh High Court, attempted to rid the biliousness of corporal punishment in 2011. They declared it to be "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child's fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom. No child is safe from physical or mental harm where there’s corporal punishment.

Consider the following most disturbing events: The10-year-old boy in India who was struck unconscious by his father because he skipped school. The boy, laid half-naked on the ground, hands and feet bound by rope pleading for his father to stop beating him with a long wooden stick. When that broke the deranged father continued his brutal assault mercilessly with a bamboo cane.

A teacher at Hawaithang Darus Salam Hafizia and Aliya Madrassa had to apologise to the school management after a boy had complained of extreme corporal punishment and physical and mental harassment. The following day the 11-year-old student was allegedly murdered in revenge. His throat had been slit.

After receiving a severe beating from one of the teachers at St. Teresa Primary School in Kericho County, Kenya, Enock Kipkoech (14), hanged himself in a dorm room. "Kipkoech requested permission from the school to call me, but he was denied. He had previously requested that we remove him from that school because of physical punishment, but I insisted that he complete this third term. His mother Emily Siele said, "I didn't know it would cause his death.

According to an autopsy report, Kipkoech had enlarged lungs as well as dead artery spots on his buttocks and damaged arteries at the back of his left arm.

A madrassa teacher in Hong Kong struck a 13-year-old boy so forcefully that his retina and cornea were torn from his eyes, necessitating a six-hour surgery.

According to reports, Oscar, a student at the Islamic Study Center of Pakistani descent, received a devastating slap from his 35-year-old Pakistani cruel ‘teacher’ after the boy made a mistake while reciting verses from the Quran.
These examples alone should be enough to convince anyone that corporal punishment has no place in a civilized society. It is crucial that parents/guardians are aware of what is going on at their child's madrassa or school. Parents have an obligation to God and a moral duty to their children to provide protection. So they should make it their business to know.

They begin by asking their children and their friends and build a picture in their mind of what’s happening behind closed doors. If there is even a hint that corporal punishment is active in the school or madrassa, they should make a beeline to there without delay; speak with the principal and teachers; and make it abundantly clear that they vehemently disapprove of their child receiving corporal punishment. Usually, that "warning shot across the bow" is sufficient to stop it from happening again.

REMEMBER that anyone who uses corporal punishment is a bully, and bullies are cowards. When you directly confront them, they quickly yield. Failing that, remove the child without hesitation. Think about how Mrs Emily Siele must now feel knowing her son told her he was unhappy at the school and wanted to leave because of its culture of corporal punishment. It will haunt and torment her for the rest of her life. (SFP)