SHAFAQNA- Alkafeel: The Supreme Religious Authority warned against the spread of drugs among young men and women, describing it as one of the most serious social problems at the present time if it does not have the appropriate treatments, because this phenomenon destroys the human potential in society. And it called on the concerned parties to limit and encircle this phenomenon as it has serious consequences on the society’s development.
These were the important points stated in the second sermon of Friday prayer of the 1st of Dhu al-Qi’dah 1440 AH, corresponding to July 5, 2019, which was held in the holy shrine of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and led by his eminence Sheikh Abd al-Mahdi al-Karbala’i, in which he stated:
Dear brothers and sisters, we point out in the second sermon a phenomenon that is considered one of the serious social problems at the present time if it is not properly addressed, because this phenomenon works on the destruction of human capacities in society, namely the growing phenomenon of the spread of drugs in some social segments, which is a worrisome fact, especially that it affects mostly the youth, girls and boys. This social segment is very important in building the present and the future of this society and country.
In fact, what’s worrisome is the proliferation of drugs among young people who form a very important social stratum, that drugs will drain young people’s potentials especially that drugs are now being promoted in a cunning and deceptive way for off-label use by persuading young people that such drugs can treat depression and anxiety.
And unfortunately, there is no means of spreading awareness to help people avoid the use of drugs, especially that concerned officials highlight the proliferation of this phenomenon among the youth in particular, which needs more attentions and awareness to develop effective and rapid solutions in order to protect these young people from falling into the dangers of this phenomenon.
And we want to stress the necessity that the authorities concerned and social bodies have to find solutions to such issue to stop its proliferation. And here we note some of the required steps in this field.
First: We need a strong legal and punitive deterrent to limit the rapid spread of this phenomenon, as this is a serious crime. The concerned authorities have to legislate a law that sets a severe punishment to drug traders, to be a deterrent force.
Some of those who trade in drugs have relations with influential people in the state, so they can quickly escape the penalties imposed on them by law. Therefore, the law must be strict on all, so we can treat this phenomenon.
This law must include also a deterrent punishment for the drugs abusers, so they do not benefit from the repeated amnesty.
Second: It is crucial to fill the void for young people by having them engaged in entertaining and self-improving programs, especially there are many young people suffering unemployment or emotional and social problems, so they do not find drugs as refuge.
We also called repeatedly to providing the young with job opportunities by revitalizing private sectors, industrial and agricultural sectors, and youth centers.
Third: The most important treatment that concerns all of us, which is the need for community awareness and enough attention to address such phenomena. So we call on families, schools, the media, and the government to tackle this phenomenon, which is a growing society problem at all levels, because we have lost the state of balance in attention and take care of the problems and challenges we are going through. We are more concerned by political problems and challenges, but the ethical and educational aspect and values in the society are forgotten while this is what it must be taken care of the way other academic fields are being handled.
I would also criticize some media outlets for they violated media regulations by feeding people with their ideology and thoughts, calling on all media outlets to be professional and compensate this lack of discipline by disseminating good ideas and methods to the community and to young people in particular. We need the media to encourage the youth to employ their energies and competencies in this field.
We also warn against the phenomenon of the spread of immoral centers, especially in Baghdad, because such centers give themselves social names concerning health, self-improvement, and entertainment, but in reality they encapsulate their activities with these names to be socially accepted.
Some of the concerned institutions of the state need to be aware of such centers that have to be under surveillance, for such places pose a threat to the society.
We ask the Almighty Allah to protect us from the corruption of our society and our nation. And, the latest of our prayers is; praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and Prayers and Allah‘s Peace be upon Mohammad and his pure and virtuous lineage.
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