Consequences on lack of knowl­edge about Hijab can cause Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

 Lack of knowledge about the use of Hijab and its role in promoting modesty can contrib­ute significantly to immoral behaviour in societies, which in turn increases the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

In Islamic teachings, the Hijab is not only a piece of clothing but a broader concept of modesty, dignity and moral conduct.

When society underestimates the value of modesty in behaviour, dress and interactions, it can lead to per­missiveness in relationships, unsafe sexual practice, and other behaviours that increase the risk of STDs.

Peer Pressure and Western Influ­ence in Urban Areas

In Urban centres like Accra and Ku­masi, younger generations are often influenced by Western media and fashion trends that promote revealing clothing and casual attitudes towards relationships.

This cultural shift, coupled with inadequate education about Islam­ic principles like the hijab’s role in promoting modesty, can lead to high incidence of promiscuity.

For instance, young women and men engaging in risky sexual be­haviour without understanding the consequences often do so under the influence of societal trends. This increase exposure to sexually trans­mitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, which remains a public health issue in Ghana.

Misinterpretation of Freedom and Modernity

In higher educational institutions, some students perceive wearing the hijab as outdated or limiting their freedom. This lack of knowledge about the hijab’s significance can lead to adopting lifestyles that priori­tize fashion over modesty.

For example, a university student might choose to attend social gather­ings where alcohol and casual sexual encounters are common, driven by peer pressure and a desire to fit in.

Without the grounding principles of modesty and chastity, the chances of unprotected and reckless sexual ac­tivity rise, contributing to the spread of diseases like gonorrhea or syphilis.

Both scenarios highlight how a lack of knowledge about the hijab’s deep­er values can lead to behaviors that put individuals and society at risk.

While the hijab alone does not guarantee moral behavior, its prin­ciples, when understood and em­braced, can foster a culture of self-respect and responsibility that mitigates the spread of STDs.

Education on these values, coupled with awareness of sexual health, is critical for addressing this challenge in society. Casual relationships con­tribute to the spread of STDs, which harm both individuals and communi­ties.

Fundamental Human Rights: Reli­gious Freedom

Ghana, like many democratic nations, guarantees the right to freedom of religion. Article 21(1) ( c ) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana explicitly states: “All persons shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice.”

This provision protects every citi­zen’s right to practice their religion, including the wearing of Hijab, with­out discrimination or intimidation.

Similarly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, Article 18, asserts:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.”

These legal provisions recognise Hijab as part of the manifestation of Islam and affirm that Muslim women have the right to wear Hijab in public institutions

By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, the Author

 This sin gave Satan the firm foothold he had been looking for. Sin and Satan now held the world in a vice-like grip. God’s people now walked in darkness: oppressed by Satan. Spiritually speaking, they lived in a never-end­ing winter: rarely experiencing the warmth of God’s love.

Enslaved by sin as they were, they were doomed to die both physically and spiritually. ‘(Adam’s) sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race be­cause everyone has sinned.’ – Romans 5:12

Who could rescue God’s creation from the curse of Satan, the enemy? Mankind’s rescuer would need to be someone strong enough to engage in battle against the power of Satan; someone who would fight compromise with evil, for evil cannot combat evil; only goodness can do that.

There was only one person who could even attempt the rescue bid: God Himself. So God entered the world in the form of the perfect man: Jesus Christ. ‘God in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself.’ – 2 Corinthians 5:19

Jesus knew the solution to the sin-problem. He, the man-who-nev­er-sinned, would need to take upon Himself every sin each individual in the world had ever committed and would ever commit. It would be as though He Himself had committed the crimes of the cosmos. He would, therefore, pay the penalty in per­son. He would die: ‘Without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes; a thing de­spised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces He was despised and we took no account of Him.

And yet ours were the sufferings He bore, ours the sorrows He car­ried. But we, we thought of Him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low. Yet He was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On Him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through His wounds we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh burdened Him with the sins of all of us.’ – Isaiah 53:2-6

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, help me to drink in these facts:

Mine were the sufferings you bore

Mine the sorrows you carried

You were pierced through for my faults

Crushed because of my sin

God laid on you the punishment that brought me

Peace

Joy

And a whole new start in life

Help me to say an adequate

Thank you.

RANSOMED

A man was once caught stealing from his employers. When the court case was heard, the judge imposed a fine of GH¢50. Failure to pay the prescribed fine, he said, would result in imprisonment. The night of the court hearing, the man despaired. He had no money. That was why he had resorted to stealing in the first place. How was he to pay the fine? The thought of a period in prison filled him with horror. Next morn­ing, a brown envelope fell through this man’s letter-box. It contained ten, crisp, new GH¢5 notes and a hand-written explanation: To pay off the debt. The offender never discovered where the money had come from. The only information he could glean was that a member of the nearby church heard of his plight and decided to set him free from the threat of imprisonment.

When Jesus died on the cruel cross, He brought our release from the clutches of the evil one. He also set us free from the bondage to sin in which we had been trapped. And He delivered us from the effects of the sin-stained past and from the guilt that enshrouded us: The death of Christ ‘One act of perfect righteous­ness, presents all men freely acquit­ted in the sight of God.’ – Romans 5:18. ‘God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, that every­one who has faith in Him may not die but have eternal life.’ – John 3:16

This article has been heavily inspired by Joyce Hugget in “Ap­proaching Easter, Meditations for Lent.”

By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, the author