This is a guest post submitted by H.S. Awan. All views expressed in this article are of the contributor.

It has been a while since news of religious clerics, raping minors in madaris, has started to surface. We read about such news at least once in a month. It is some qari teaching Quran to students of some mufti teaching at some madrasa.

People talk about such incidents on social media and after an uproar, an arrest is made, people calm down, and then some other cleric rapes another child. Why?

These places are supposed to be the most sacred for us and these men are supposed to teach the most sacred book (Quran) to our kids. This alone makes this whole issue so much more hideous and unforgivable. So, what is root cause for all this and why hasn’t anything done to prevent this from happening?

Prime Minister Imran Khan Blames Immodesty for all the Rapes and Sexual Harassment

Our PM blames immodesty for all the rapes and sexual harassment cases in our country but that’s not completely true. Pakistani women don’t wear immodest or short clothes and we have read about sexual harassment cases in the whole Muslim world, including places like the Holy Kaaba.

I will also like to mention that Pakistan is among the top countries that watch porn. If you really want to “blame” someone, other than the rapist, for rapes, the answer is porn!

All the rape victims were dressed modestly. The young kids of Kasoor, the students of madaris, the dead women in graves, and rapists haven’t even spared the animals. So it is pretty evident that one just cannot blame it on the victim for bringing this upon themselves.

So, What is the Answer?

We already know that the victims weren’t dressed immodestly and Pakistan culture is not immodest either – women here are covered. Majority wears hijab or dupatta and no one roams around in shorts or mini skirts. The problem is the rapist and what we need are strict laws.

Since sexual abuse of children has become a norm, we need special task forces to deal with this issue. All madaris must be regulated under the government. They should be evaluated and anonymous feedback should be collected every month to make sure that no child is being abused.

Strict laws should be made and every rapist, irrespective of his social status, should be strictly dealt with. They should be prosecuted and an example should be made out of individuals who are doing such heinous crimes while hiding behind Islam.

And while we expect state and law enforcing agencies to play their part in protecting us and our kids, a huge responsibility falls on the parents as well. Do not send your kids to strangers or leave them alone with them.

Everyone knows how to read Quran. Spare some time from your everyday routine and teach your kids Quran. In times like these, it is your responsibility to protect your kids.

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