Adultery and fornication have been decriminalized in the West due to the rapidly
changing moral standards. Consequently, critics of Islaam often point the finger of blame at the severe punishments assigned to them.
1. The laws regarding adultery and fornication are purely based on morality.
It is a part of a system in which all acts and relationships are measured by a scale of moral evaluation. The Western moral principle of consenting adults rejects punishment in cases where there is no discernable harm to the adults involved. On the other hand, Islaam holds that adultery and fornication are crimes against society when they become public knowldege. They attack the foundations of the community; the family.
2. Proof of guilt is limited to pregnancy, confession or the testimony of four adult
Muslim eye-witnesses to the act. The chances of such an act occurring publicly are very small, especially in Muslim society where PDAs (public displays of affection)
are strongly discouraged. On the other hand, in the West where it is common for a man to kiss his guest’s wife and his guest to kiss the man’s wife, and PDAs are considered normal, the chance of public sex occurring is greater. For example, on a recent New York-London flight in the first-class section, a married man copulated with the woman sitting next to him after a few drinks. They completely ignored the protests of other passengers and the flight attendants and were both arrested on arrival in London Heathrow airport.
3. The law is primarily a deterrent as it requires four eye-witnesses for implementation.
The punishment for fornication, 100 lashes might seem sufficient to cause death in many people. However, the one implementing the punishment is not allowed to raise his hand above his shoulder level. It is the embarrassment and shame to one’s family and reputation which discourages people from breaking the law. The fact that the penalty is executed publicly (24: 2) clearly indicates that its goal is to protect public morality and safeguard it against corruption.
4. The goal of such punishments is the protection of the family structure which
represents the foundation of the society. A society in which adultery and fornication are condoned is one in which family has little or no meaning. In fact, once adultery and fornication became decriminalized in the 60’s, wife-swapping parties and orgies became country wide rages. Since that period, such practices have entered mainstream behavior at parties and no longer cause any surprise.
Ref : www.irf.net
