The Impacts of Western Movies on Muslim Youths
By Ladidi Aliyu and Amina Muhammad
A paper Presentation at Al’istiqama University,
Sumaila, Kano, Nigeria in December 2021
Abstract
This study which is a desktop review analyses the impact of movies on the moral decay of Youth in the Islamic world. Such issues like Moral deterioration which refers to the failure to uphold sound morality of the individual or the society, Morality according to Islamic injunction which is the ability to uphold sound morality as laid down by the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Good character, Modesty and Humility in Islam are analysed. The study went ahead to examine and analyze the impact of both Western and Home movies in contributing to the deterioration of morality of Youth living in an organized, sound and ideal society. A society that is guided by the holy Qur’an and the teachings of the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). At the end of the study, it is concluded that movies whether western or home movies have more negative effect on the moral lives of the Youth than they have positively.
Therefore, it is recommended that: the concerned government should put in place strong legal tools to ban the negative elements that promote moral decay such as media, films, dramas, advertisements, literatures e.t.c in our Society most especially among the Muslim Umma. Organizing local communities to combat social ills and Organizing Muslim Civil Societies to take on the role of building morally upright Muslims. Revitalising the function of Masjids as an effective institution to strengthen the character of the Muslims. Engaging with Muslim public preachers to effectively raise the problem of moral decay amongst Muslims. Islam prevents moral decline by explaining the nature of man (i.e., his strengths and weaknesses, his potential to do good and his propensity to do evil) Differentiating right from wrong, warning about the risks and dangers of moral decline, Providing complete guidance (dos & don’ts) on avoiding those risks.
Presenting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as a model of moral excellence. It may be an uphill task, but it must be undertaken, with the teachers engaged in teaching Islam and they should be conscious that their task is ordained as guides. They must be instilled with a sense of mission and commitment and spirit to build their students’ character. The government should increase censorship of both Hollywood and Home movies. The Censorship Board should extend their scope to foreign films and ban the importation of these films that are suicidal to the moral values of our Youths. Courses on film production should be introduced as general course in our institutions to enable our Youths realize that, what they see in films are in most times mere imaginations of the directors and films producers and they are far from being real. While selecting films to watch especially those produced in Hollywood, Youths should be discerning enough to choose one that teaches good morals.
INTRODUCTION
The value of movies as a medium of mass communication is esteemed all over the world. These movies portray messages that have an influence on the viewers, mostly the Youths. Research has shown that there exists a relationship between mass media, social ills, behavioural and attitudinal change in society. For instance, the media are attributed considerable power to shape opinion and belief, change habits, and actively mould behaviour. O’Rork (2006) and Wogu (2008) argue that audiences are more likely to emulate models of behaviour seen on the media if they expect to receive gratification from emulating another person’’’…Behaviour is influenced not only by personal or live models but by those presented in the mass media. In another development, Okunna (1999) opines that because of their special power to affect the way people think, feel and behave, the mass media have been credited with the incredible persuasive ability to change attitude and behaviour. Culturally, this media influence could be in the area of language, behavioural response, the pattern of eating and dressing.
Moral deterioration
In the world in its present age of material progress, one finds a great paucity of love for learning, and for religion. The instinct of hunger has completely dominated human existence. Everywhere people talk of problems concerning the flesh. Issues relating to spiritual or moral aspects of life are rarely to be heard in society. The moral teachings of the Prophet (SAW) is somehow challenged by the ebbing tide of the changing times. The moral deterioration had spread a great deal in the Islamic world and this has devastating consequences. Moral deterioration refers to the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of morality and is seen as preceding or concomitant with the decline in quality of life as well as the decline of societies and nations. It has destroyed individuals, families, dynasties and nations alike from within. It starts slowly with seemingly harmless choices by some individuals but then it spreads like an epidemic affecting the society at large. Moral decline begins when transcendent moral values, which have proven to be beneficial over time, are discarded for vain lustful desires. Going by history, the world has never seen a period where a proper sense of morality prevailed. Thus it is only Islamic history that projects a period of about thirteen (13) years where the Holy Prophet (SAW) established a society in Madina which can be termed as immaculate: that is free of evil and exploitation. One of the major objectives of Islam is to extirpate all social evils from the society and in order to achieve this, Islam instilled a sense of high Morality amongst its first followers. Contrary to such superb teachings, a cursory look at our society today reveals an all-around state of moral decrepitude; it faces numerous problems, but the most horrendous in the Islamic world today is the declining of moral behaviours amongst Muslims which is more worrying.
Morality according to Islamic injunction
Morality encompasses the concept of righteousness, good character and virtues. Teachings on Morality and moral conduct constitute a major part of Islamic literature. The Quran and the Hadith are the central religious texts of Islam serving as the primary source for these teachings. Both the Quran and the hadith often instruct Muslims to adopt a morally upright character. The Quran, which Muslims believe to be the verbatim word of God, serves as the primary source of moral teachings in Islam while the Sunnah is the teachings, deeds, sayings and silent permissions (or disapprovals) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Also, the various reports about the Prophet’s companions, also serve as an important source for Islamic moral teachings. Besides these, the works of Islamic scholars, philosophers, and the moral examples set by important Islamic personalities (such as the four rightly guided caliphs) are other sources for Islamic ethical and moral guidance. Islamic secondary sources and later Islamic scholarly works have made detailed discussions and laid down detailed instructions on moral issues. According to Islamic Sharia, a Muslim is expected to act only in good manners as bad manners earn vices. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is reported to have said: “It is not possible that you indulge in rebuking and reviling and remain righteous at the same time”. (Sahih Muslim, 32:6251)
Emphasis has been attached to Islamic tradition on developing strong moral values, faith is considered incomplete without having a sense of morality. In Islamic Sharia, a worshiper devoid of morality is seen as someone who has failed to realize the true significance of worshipping. In other words, the prayers which cannot keep a person away from wrongdoings are seen as worthless. Prophet (S.A.W) is reported as saying: “A real poor person is he who will appear on the Day of Judgment with a lot of rewards earned by his prayers, fasting and zakat; but in his life, he had also abused someone, had falsely accused someone, had illegally taken another person’s property, had murdered somebody; and so all his virtues will be distributed to the victims, and he will be thrown to hell” (Sahih Muslim, 32:6251). Islamic tradition holds that moral qualities and good actions elevate the status of a man. Since the pursuance of moral qualities is more of a voluntary nature, their observance falls into the category of supererogatory worshipping and are seen as the key to attaining the nearness of God. Again the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) was reported to have said, “The best among you are those who have the best manners and character.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 8:73:56).
Good character according to Islamic injunction
Character primarily refers to the assemblage of qualities that distinguish one individual from another. The character can be good or bad. A good character is one that has good moral qualities. Islam promotes the idea of good character as is evident from its canonical texts. The Quran describes Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as being ‘on exalted quality of character’ (Qur’an, 68:4) and refers to him as ‘an excellent example’ (Qur’an, 33:21) which ultimately means that the religious and moral examples, set by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), are to be followed and cultivated by the Muslims in order to construct a morally good character. Muslim moralists have discussed the ethnic-religious importance of having a good character as well as the ways of acquiring it. Imam al-Bargawi, a 16th-century Muslim scholar and moralist, says that “To cure yourself of a bad feature of character is an obligation”. Continuous practice of moral virtues and a conscious effort to internalize those qualities can lead to the formation of a morally good character. Bargiwi further asserts that changing of a character depends on such things as ‘a person’s wish’ and ‘the strength of one’s understanding’, therefore, the preservation of a good character requires the avoidance of the company of evil character people who indulge in indecent activities.
Modesty and humility in Islam
Every religion has its characteristics, and the characteristic of Islam is modesty. The saying of Prophet (S.A.W), collected in al-Muwatta, shows the unique position modesty holds in Islam. Islam has strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty. Here, modesty is seen as no less important in speech and behaviour than in dressing. Again, modesty has a dual aspect in Islam: modesty is to be maintained in public which is generally related to people, as well as in private which is related to Allah (S.W.T). Islam expects that a Muslim who believes in Allah (S.W.T) will feel shy in front of Him, and this shyness will prevent him from disobeying Him (S.W.T), from committing any sinful or immodest act, whether in public or private, because he has awareness of Allah (S.W.T). The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has said, “Modesty is part of faith” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 8:73:139). Thus Islam has linked modesty with faith. Islam also expects that a Muslim will be polite in his behaviour with others. Display of anger, indecent behaviour, or indecent exposure of body parts are highly discouraged. Modesty is seen as a human trait that distinguishes human beings from other animals.
Modesty in dressing has particularly been emphasized. According to Islamic Law, Muslims are required to cover their body parts with proper dressing. Sharia has also laid down specific guidelines for men and women regarding their dressing. Covering everything from ‘navel to knee’ is mandatory for men. In some Muslim societies, women wear the hiqab, a veil that covers the whole face except the eyes, or the full burqa, a full-body covering garment that occasionally does cover the eyes. The following is the most frequently cited verse of the Quran regarding modesty: Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. God is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their chests, and not to reveal their adornment. (Qur’an, 24:30-31). Therefore it is in line with what has been said above that this study sets out to analyse the impact of movies on the deterioration of morality of Youth in the Islamic world.
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Western movies and the moral deterioration of Youth
Western movies in the form of Hollywood movies have come to dominate the way of thinking of the Youth in the Islamic World. The Youth tend to adopt the lifestyles represented in the movies for example, the way the Youth behave, dress or express their feelings are in most cases in accordance with the movies Youth have been exposed to. And some of these lifestyles appearing in the movies are, for example, dressing half-naked, partying, smoking, and drinking alcohol. Others might be the language effect as people may turn to speak American accent, adopt American slangs and jargons to their daily lives which have seriously caused the change in the behaviours and thoughts of the Youth. A study carried out by psychological researchers at Dartmouth and published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science confirms that Hollywood movies are sexually charged and that fact has negatively impacted teenagers who watch them.
The study asserts that Youth who regularly view movies with sexual content have a greater tendency to begin engaging in sexual activity at a younger age and also have more casual sexual partners. Much research has shown that adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behaviours are influenced by media. Prior to the study, O’Hara and his fellow Dartmouth researchers surveyed nearly 700 of the top-grossing movies from 1998 to 2004, rating the movies for sexual content ranging from heavy kissing to sexual intercourse.
According to O’Hara, the research found that those Youth who had been exposed to sexual content in movies tended to be more highly sexualized than those who are sheltered from such content. In analyzing films over the past six decades, the researchers found that among Hollywood films produced from 1950 to 2006 around 85 percent contained sexual content. And by Hollywood ratings, 88 per cent of R-rated movies had sexual content, 85 percent of PG-13 movies, 82 percent of PG-rated movies, and, surprisingly, 68 percent of G-rated films. The researchers found that sexually explicit content has increased steadily over the past decade for both PG-13-rated and R-rated movies. They also found that 70 percent of the sexual acts depicted in movies from 1983 to 2003 occurred between newly acquainted partners and 89 percent of those sexual acts resulted in no consequences. Impressionable children and teens are influenced by the media they consume. Over 60 years of research and over 3,000 studies now have linked violent media content, aggression, cigarette smoking in films and the likelihood teens will take up smoking, and more recently, exposure to sexual content in entertainment and early onset of sexual activity is evident in teens.
Globalization as pointed out by (Hachten & Scotton, 2011) is on the rise, thus, the media has made it easy to access everything that one needs without much effort. It is possible to get all the movies and music that one wants in all parts of the world. Western movies tend to reflect the Western lifestyle, which is luxurious in nature and full of freedom. When people watch American lifestyle from these movies, for example, the shows are bound to affect their attitudes. The movies may make such individuals question what they have always believed in for a long time. Hence, many Youths are often influenced by these lifestyles since most of them want to live the way the actors live. Parents believe that these movies are the source of queer behaviours among the Youths. Even though most Youths are passive audiences, there is the fear that they tend to pick the wrong ideas and practices. Youths are most likely to be affected given that they are very flexible both culturally and socially. The flexibility allows them to shift easily from one culture to the next. Youths are the main targets due to the high rate of unemployment in the world (Mahdi, 2003). The Youths have a lot of time at their disposal, and most of them spend it watching American movies. In fact, Western movies are easily accessible. Some of such movies are shown on televisions that most Youths watch through satellite, buy or rent from the internet. The level at which exposure to Western movies is influencing the Youths identities has increased. The relationships between sexes have increased, Girls’ modes of dressing have changed to be revealing and daring. The conservative nature of Islamic morals is slowly being eroded out (Khalil & Kraidy, 2009). According to Meltzoff and Moore (1977), heavy exposure to television is believed to be one of the causes of aggressive behaviour, crime, and violence in society.
Home movies and moral deterioration of Youth
The inventions of technology in the form of home movies has unfortunately made people to be carried away by the pleasure of television without cross-examining the negative impact of it on our lives, especially with particular reference to the Youths. A situation where young people spend hours watching television movie or videos could justify the fact that home movies viewing among young people have engendered myriads of bad habits and behaviours. In most homes, many adolescents and Youths glued their eyes on the television watching movies of all kinds. Some movies that are may adversely affect their emotions, psychic, moral behavior and cognitive development. Most importantly, the prevalence of immoral behavior among Youths has been linked with the types of programs and movies that they view. Recent research has shown that high rate of crimes in the Islamic world could be related to influences of bad movies that Youth watch. For example, the display of pornographic films or shown during most of our movies have affected many Youths and exposed them to all forms of sexual harassment like the practice of homosexuality, lesbianism, rape, incest etc. Practices like adultery, witchcraft and ritual practices are glamorously shown and most young people do not border about the end of the practice which is usually shown at the end of the movies. Psychologists and sociologists have confirmed that people especially the Youths are highly influenced by what they see to a great extent very gullible. Most young people accept it as subconsciously as an acceptable code of conduct.
Kalin (1994) in his study of media effects says television program serves as a blackboard from which the children and the Youth copy violent behaviour. Bandura, (1977) concurs with Kalin by saying that, research has shown that human beings begin imitating other humans at a very early age, and the observation of the behaviours of others is the likely source of many of young child social skills. Access to visual media has increased dramatically in the past decade, with cassettes recorders, cable, and satellite television greatly expanding the children and young adults to movies and programs intended for adults. Although propensity for violence is unique in America, in Nigeria the same can be said of televised sexually explicit materials.
This is believed to have an effect on how children perceive the world and how they behave. The mass media exert great persuasive effects on the thoughts and behaviour of Youth, by encouraging people into new lifestyle patterns, fashion, etc. Among all media, films play a major role is effecting the thinking pattern of society (Evra, 1990). Films also referred to as motion pictures, involves projecting a series into the screen to create an illusion of motion. It is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, enabling people to immerse in an imaginary world for a short period (Olaleye, 2007). In recent times, subtitles that translate different languages have increased the appeal of films, especially those from foreign cultures. Subtitles give the audience the opportunity to watch films that were not produced in their primary language. This innovation, therefore, created room for the rapid spread of films from their country of origin to other countries. Today in Islamic World, films made in Hollywood USA, France, India, China, etc are always in high demand. Our present society now has a Europeanized look. The Youths now strive to talk, walk, behave, eat and dress exactly like characters in foreign films, to the detriment and abandonment of our indigenous cultures.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, watching Hollywood films is just one factor that affects the moral values of Youths. Although these Youths are from different backgrounds and orientations, it has been established that Hollywood films determine the social and moral attitudes of Youths in the Islamic Society. Although Youth are learning about new cultures from Hollywood films, yet the negative effects outweigh the positive.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Since it has been proven that Hollywood films have no good effect on the Moral values of Youth in the Islamic World, I, therefore, recommend the following as correctional measures:
That there should be strong legal tools to ban the negative elements that promote moral decay such as media, films, dramas, advertisements, literature e.t.c in our Society most especially among the Muslim Umma. Organizing local communities to combat social ills. Organizing Muslim Civil societies to take on the role of building morally upright Muslims. Using the Muslims forums e.g effective Khutbah (sermon) and every Islamic celebration to raise consciousness on moral development. Rehabilitation programs of Muslims who have gone astray from Islam.
Reforming Islamic Education and Mass education on Islamic Akhlaq amongst all levels of the communities. Continuous engaging with leaders and government authorities to focus on moral issues of the Ummah. Campaigning, spreading and reading of powerful Islamic literature such as Quranic Guidance to daily living. Revitalising the functions of Masjids as effective institutions to strengthen the character of the Muslims. Engaging with Muslim public preachers to effectively raise the problem of moral decay amongst Muslims.
Education in the Muslim nations should be given the highest priority. There have been continuous meetings, seminars, workshops and conferences on this subject matter. However, the creation of schools, madrasah, colleges and universities have not stemmed moral decay that is becoming rampant within the Ummah. Therefore there is an urgent need to rethink the contents of Islamic textbooks, training of teachers and evaluate them vis-à-vis the objectives that are supposed to be the aims of education in Islam. Islam prevents moral decline by explaining the nature of man (i.e., his strengths and weaknesses, his potential to do good and his propensity to do evil) Differentiating right from wrong, warning about the risks and dangers of moral decline, Providing complete guidance (dos & don’ts) on avoiding those risks Presenting the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) as a model of moral excellence. It may be an uphill task but it must be undertaken, with the teachers engaged in teaching Islam and they should be conscious that their task is ordained as guides.
They must be instilled with a sense of mission and commitment and spirit to build their students’ character to shape a future society that is free from exploitation, corruption and deception. The government should increase the censorship of Hollywood films. The censorship board should extend their scope to foreign films and ban the importation of these films that are suicidal to the moral values of our Youths. Courses on film production should be introduced as general course in our institutions to enable our Youths realize that, what they see in films are most times mere imaginations of the directors and films producers and they are far from being real While selecting films to watch especially those produced in Hollywood, Youths should be discerning enough to choose one that teaches good morals. Films that are morally corrupt are highly detrimental to the mores and general lifestyle of Youths, therefore every Youth should avoid such films.
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Ladidi Aliyu Muhammad And Amina Aliyu Muhammad
Sa’adatu Rimi College Of Education
Zaria Road, Kano State
