Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti, Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas, states: “In Islam, child sexual abuse is both criminal and sinful act. Moreover, this abuse has some destructive effects on the physical and mental life of the child.
According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “a child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal. Some children who have been sexually abused have difficulty relating to others except on sexual terms. Some sexually abused children become child abusers or prostitutes, or have other serious problems when they reach adulthood.”
Children are an amanah (trust) that Allah has given the parents, and it is a great responsibility to protect them from sexual abuse, because it destroys their lives.“