Sex education and awareness book launched

Author wants youth to have accurate information and not be misled by quacks.

To counter all the mixed messages about sex and sexual disorders chalked on walls, thrown into buses and posted outside the dingy offices of quacks, Dr Syed Mubin Akhtar launched his first book on sexual education for young adults.

The book Sexual Education for Muslims was launched, on Saturday, at the Arts Council Karachi. It is published in both Urdu and English and is the first book of its kind launched in the city. The book has references from the Quran, Shariah and the law.

Literature published on this topic in Pakistan, in the past, has been derived from foreign publications and not from local research. CDs and audio cassettes accompany the book for those who want a brief overview of the topic.

Dr Akhtar, emphasising the need for sexual education for young curious minds, said that he had written the book “especially for single people”. He said that our youth are unaware of the physical and psychological changes that their bodies go through and act on the misinformation quacks dole out regarding sexual health. This, he said, leads to crime and suicide. “The stigma keeps us (family elders) from discussing sex with our children and they have no way to learn about all these topics and the changes they are undergoing,” he added. Speaking with The Express Tribune, Dr Akhtar said that he faced many problems in getting the book published. He said he had been writing on this “taboo topic” since 1979 and even had to face threats from the home ministry during Zia’s regime. “The criticism was so intense that even doctors warned me that I was acting like a quack by discussing this topic and I said only we should be talking about this, not quacks,” he added.

Professor Ahsanul Haq, chairman of the Department of Arabic at the University of Karachi, termed the launch of the book “a step in the right direction to get the right information”. He said that this was an achievement as it would not have been possible some 25 years ago. He said nowadays education is science and it’s important to spread knowledge. The only downside, he said, is that too much information about the biological act will kill the element of “surprise and mystery”.

Urdu poet, critic and linguist Dr Saher Ansari said that while local writers such as Abdul Haleem Sharrar, Maulana Maududi and others have written on the topic, there was no such text available which is written by a doctor and an expert. He appreciated that the book was in Urdu and said that Dr Akhtar has given a “treasure” to the country.

Dr Ishaq Sirhandi, a psychiatrist, said the book, in both languages, was very detailed and had crisp explanations in simple and understandable language so that the message could be easily conveyed. “The best thing is that it helps you differentiate between normal and abnormal changes in your body,” he said. Advocate Qadir Khan Mandokhail described the book as “very complete”, especially with references to law where relevant issues were concerned.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2010.