By Kwabena Osman
In a recent interview with CNN Dana Bash, Governor Kasich advised ladies to be careful at parties with alcohol use due to concern for a sexual assault. Rather than wondering if his advice constitutes victim blaming I wonder if the Governor’s advice is enough. Many such parties result in sexual assault cases and many other crimes even while victims are attempting to “be careful”. Instead of just being careful why not avoid these settings altogether?
A recent survey by the Associate of American Universities (AAU) found that about 23% of female college students said they have experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact, ranging from kissing to touching to rape, carried out by force or threat of force, or while they were incapacitated because of alcohol or drugs. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what alcohol and drugs can result in.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that in 2010 excessive drinking was responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth and resulted in $24 billion in economic loss. In the same year, there were approximately 189,000 emergency room visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol. Similar statistics are reported each year. The CDC list numerous consequences of underage drinking, notable among which are high risk for suicide and homicide. And again, this is just underage drinkers. If one should take a look at the effect of alcohol on the society as a whole, the statistics are mind boggling.
Clearly alcohol continues to cause lots of problems in society and since we live in a society where alcohol is not forbidden it is important that people who truly believe in a Creator and are answerable to Him, go by what prescription or admonitions He has given in regards to the use of alcohol.
Islam forbids the use of alcohol or any intoxicant. The Holy Quran says, “O ye who believe! Wine and the game of hazard and idols and divine arrows are only abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So shun each one of them that you may prosper. Satan desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and the game of hazard, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer. But will you keep back?” (5:91-92).
In the verse above the Arabic word (al-khamr) translated as wine actually refers to all intoxicants or substance that alter the mind. Thus believers are admonished to shun such substances because they may lead to immoral behaviors like sexual assault, domestic violence, killing and other crimes which cause enmity and hatred among us. Another reason to shun such substances is that it can cloud our minds and keep us away from our duty to our Creator.
Some people infer from the Bible (New Testament) that it allows you to drink alcohol but you should not get drunk. While I find this contradictory to clear verses of the Old testament that prohibit the drinking of alcohol (Leviticus 10:9, Isaiah 5:22), I have yet to come to terms as to how one can ascertain for sure how much will not make him drunk since the body can react differently to any amount of alcohol at any time. Moreover, many people initially intend to drink a little but end up getting drunk. This is a slippery slope which even people who think they have self-control often fail. People who become heavy alcoholics started as casual drinkers.
Telling someone that he can drink alcohol but doesn’t get drunk is like telling a child who wants to play with a burning fire that he should make sure not to get burnt. Obviously the child may not appreciate how intense the fire may be and hence risk getting burnt. Instead of advising that the child can play with the fire but shouldn’t get burnt, it will be better to tell the child to move away from the fire due to the risk it poses to him. This is exactly what God through the Holy Quran has admonished all who truly believe in Him.
As true believers (Jews, Christians, Muslims) living in a free society which sanction sthe use of alcohol, it is only by understanding the true philosophy behind the complete absence of alcohol intake (or any intoxicant) that we can avoid the ills that comes with it. It is therefore not enough to advise ladies (or any person) to be careful at parties where there is use of alcohol, but rather advise them to avoid the use of alcohol itself and stay away from parties where there is the use of such.
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
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