Islam and crime

[Muslims Are Good Folks]

Islam and crime

Crime in its different forms – organized crime, street crime, State
crime, social crime – is considered as a major threat to peace and
security in our world. A detailed discussion of the magnitude of the
problem of crime as a universal catastrophe is beyond the scope of
this study. Hence, we will present the Islamic viewpoint on the
matter.

A summary of statistics about the spread of crimes in the US, based on
US Government references, is presented below:

One crime index offense every 3 seconds
One violent crime every 27 seconds
One murder every 24 minutes
One forcible rape every 7 minutes
One robbery every 68 seconds
One property crime every 3 seconds
One burglary every 10 seconds
One larceny /theft every 5 seconds
One motor vehicle theft every 29 seconds

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports.

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) issued by the US Federal Bureau of
investigation (FBI) revealed that the number of reported crimes in the
US increased by 4.6 percent in one year, from 1984 to 1985. Arrests in
1985 totaled 11.9 million, an increase of 3 percent over 1984.

The UCR figures are widely believed by criminologists to be low. A
more reliable index is probably the US Bureau of Justice Statistics'
National Crime Survey (NCS), an annual report on household crime
victimization based on census surveyors. This survey under covers
crimes not reported to police. Its 1985 survey showed that 25 percent
of the US population (1 in every 4 households in the US) had
experienced crimes against individual members of the household or
against the household itself during that year.

As these statistics show, crime, in all its different forms has
become a major threat to societal and individual security.
Nevertheless, most of the methods used to fight against crime have
backfired and fall short of meeting such a challenge. The failure of
the Western methods of combating crime – as stated by the continual
rise of crime rates – leads one to suggest a solution, which treats
criminal activity not piecemeal but in the total scheme of life.

The Islamic solution

The Islamic concept of security is a very comprehensive one, more
comprehensive than any of the other existing systems. It looks at
humankind in relation to the universe and the factors influencing it.
It encompasses physical, mental, psychological and spiritual domains
as integral parts of an overall societal security system. Islamic
teachings do not merely provide solutions to exceptional instances of
criminal behavior, but emphatically focus on measures that halt their
existence. In other words, Islam executes as many means as possible to
avert temptation. While modern societies flaunt temptation – liquor,
pornography, violence, etc. – before the people, a true Islamic
society removes the sources of these temptations, and when the need
for correction emerges, the punishment is serious and effective.

Crime has prospered in modern society because a completely
contradictory approach is followed to controlling it. All forms of
temptation are prevalent and easily accessible and when the time comes
for correction or punishment of a crime, it is done leniently and
without seriousness. Sentencing is often biased and protective of the
criminal's rights over those of the victim.

Through the various practical forms of worship like Salaah (the five
daily prayers), fasting and Zakaah (obligatory charity), Islamic
teachings aim at implanting feelings of inner peace and security,
responsibility towards others and mutual respect. In a video film by
the Christian Science Monitor about Islam in America, a large portion
was devoted to describing the lives of maximum-security prison inmates
before and after becoming Muslims. Before reverting to Islam, many
were serial killers, drug smugglers, addicts and professional
criminals. When they embraced Islam while in prison, they turned into
dignified, secure and contributing citizens. Western statistical
indices show that in the majority of maximum-security prisons, the
criminals get involved in criminal acts and end up back in prison.
Such statistics are reversed when those inmates become Muslims. The
success of Islam in providing the best solution to crimes in the midst
of the American society, where all types of correction programs have
failed, is strong contemporary evidence for the universality of Islam
and the pressing need for adopting its teachings.

Note: Most of the statistical data collected are about Western
societies that are due to the availability of documentation on the
matter. We realize that crime is prevalent in all societies -- Eastern
and Western alike. The main thrust of our topic is that adopting the
Islamic solution is more fruitful than man-made solutions.

Summarized From: The Universality of Islam

http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=111762