Times are changing. Events in Egypt over the last year have shown us that young people expect their voices to be heard. No longer is it enough for them to accept “because I said so,” as a reasonable answer. Throughout the world, these changes are happening for good and bad. Progress is opening up new possibilities for so many. But along with progress there come other things that, perhaps, are not quite what people were looking for. If you ask for something strongly enough, you might even have the misfortune to get what you asked for! If you ask any group of young Malaysians anywhere in the world what they understand by the letters BGR, they will smile and react immediately. All of them know that BGR is becoming so common among youths in this very conservative Muslim-majority country that they have even coined a word for it. Where the very strict separation of the sexes was once the norm and the proper etiquettes of Islam were followed by young people, nowadays there is a blur of attitudes. BGR stands for “boy-girl relationships,” and it has been very common for Malaysia's youths to have relationships with the opposite sex, or at least to have friends who have boyfriends or girlfriends. Even boys and girls who pray five times a day might have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It is perhaps hardly surprising in this delightful country of 28 million people, 60 per cent of whom are Muslims, that along with rapid economic growth has come a rapid growth in Western attitudes to living and to relationships. The results of this are now quite stark. In 2010, for example, it is estimated that 70 unwanted babies have so far been left abandoned in the streets. The shame of giving birth out of wedlock and the lack of anywhere to turn for help and advice is causing many pregnant young girls in Malaysia to take the only solution they see before them: to abandon their babies. This, too, has produced its effect. For the first time ever, following the example of Germany, Pakistan, and Japan, a baby hatch was opened by the Malaysian NGO Orphan CARE in February 2010. The hatch is very simple. It has a small door that, when opened, allows the mother to deposit her baby in an incubator bed. An alarm bell alerts the NGO staff to the latest unwanted deposit. The chief minister of the Southern state of Malacca, Mohamed Ali Rustam, caused a furore in July when he announced that the state would be attempting to tackle the effects of the problem by setting up the first school for pregnant teenagers. Despite the objections of conservatives, who believed this measure would only encourage premarital sex among teenagers, Sekolah Harapan, or School of Hope, was opened in September 2010. The idea of the school is to provide education for 40 pregnant teenage girls, who will not have to interrupt their education because of their pregnancy and who will be shielded from the shame and gossip they would experience if they stayed in their own schools. They will carry on their schooling in privacy until they give birth and will then return to their mainstream schools. The all-female staff now provides normal classes as well as counseling and skills training. While no one in Malaysia is pleased with the need for such a school to exist, most people are nonetheless accepting of the fact that these young girls need to be given a second chance. They agree, too, that the dumping of unwanted babies is both tragic and shameful, and all are agreed that something needs to be done. No one wants to see the country reach the situation in Britain, for example, where in 2008 there were 210,000 abortions. Unlike girls in the West, who find themselves in what has become a very common situation, the Malaysian girls first have to apply formally to the Malacca Islamic Religious Department, whether they are Muslim or not. They then undergo a rather rigorous four-part application process: an interview, along with their parents; submission of the proper medical reports; background checks to determine their suitability; and a period of counseling. One wonders, if this situation of teenage pregnancy is to be tackled at the root, what counseling and guidance could be given to the fathers of these unwanted babies? Indeed, how honest is the sex education that is being given in Malaysia's schools? Lamenting or condemning an unsatisfactory situation is not enough to make it stop. As well as sex education, surely there needs to be more profound spiritual education, giving guidance to young people through credible mentors to whom they are prepared to listen. So, what hope does the “school of hope” give? It certainly provides help to young girls who would otherwise be ostracised by society. It is a step in the direction of admitting that a big problem exists. Maybe, though, there is a more profound question to be asked. In their relentless pursuit of economic growth, maybe it is time for Malaysians to step back and take stock of where their country is heading and what kind of Malaysia they will have in the future. What price are Malaysian Muslims prepared to pay for their economic miracle? Just as here in Egypt, giving young people every freedom and lifestyle choice yet leaving them without the counseling or even full knowledge of sex education is surely selling them short. Talking to them from the pulpit about how Muslims should behave without giving them the means to cope in such a whirlwind society is just so much talk. It is easy to give our children more money to amuse themselves, without sitting down with them from time to time to talk or even to give them a hug. The problem facing Malaysia is one that will be faced by all Muslim countries, in one way or another, unless the problem is addressed honestly and immediately. Until then, Sekolah Harapan is a welcome drop in the ocean. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University. The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.
