Woman Between Islam and Western Society
4. The Problems Facing Modern Civilization
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children would enjoy the protection of their parents
for as long as they required it.
However, in advanced societies, a prolonged period
of guardianship has become the exception rather
than the rule, for the simple reason that the modern
concept of living has destroyed the sanctity of
marriage. Either children are born out of wedlock
and are unwanted right from the very beginning, or
they find themselves bandied about between
parents who have decided to separate shortly after
marriage. Their “orphaned” state during their
parents’ lifetime soon becomes one of social
alienation.
The rising incidence of this kind of orphaning is
creating complex problems in modem society, one
of which goes by the name of “deprivation
dwarfism,” a disease, according to medical experts,
that can cause sleeplessness and severe bowel
disorders, and used to kill many children in
orphanages. A recent report by western medical
authorities says, “Lack of love can stunt children’s
physical growth, retard their intellect, or even kill
them.” Pediatricians say that as late as 1915, some
