We have just finished the first 10 days of Ramadan. Surprisingly, against all our expectations these days went very smoothly. During the last two Ramadans, the weather conditions in London remained harsh. We had been expecting similar weather this year as well. Thankfully, the weather turned out to be pleasant or at least not as hot as in the past two years. It is a huge relief for people living in countries with no air-conditioning. May Allah accept our good deeds during this blessed month and help us understand the true meanings of fasting.

From a religious perspective, the past few days have been great. However, from a political point of view, a certain decision taken by the United States’ Supreme Court has left many, if not all, speechless. Yes, I am referring to the recent decision of legalizing same-sex marriages across the US.

Being a Muslim, I don’t wish to express my opinion on an issue that has been clearly described in the Qur’an. It is the practice that has made religious people all across the world very uneasy. We don’t intend to judge any individual.

This decision is a result of over 100 years of lobbying and continuous attempts to make this “act” appear normal. Efforts had been under way for over a century to declare it a preference or a matter of choice instead of being a psychological or some kind of a disorder — something beyond normal perhaps.

Avid views of the idiot box would agree with this writer that during the past decade or so, this issue was publicized very “intelligently” so as to brainwash people in a very subtle manner by portraying it as yet another “normal.”

Even the global music industry also contributed to this “cause.” I still remember the song (All the things she said) by the band TATU released back in 2002, which advocated homosexuality. The song elicited mixed response at that time and in many countries it became a huge hit.

All these collective efforts led to the US Supreme Court decision.

Religious people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, particularly those living in the West are finding themselves in a tight spot. Being adults, they could very well deal with this situation. What about our children? How could we answer their innocent questions on this issue? In most of the western societies, sex education has been introduced at school level. They start teaching children about these sensitive issues at a tender age. My son, who is enrolled in a British school, is taught about respecting people’s choices in life as part of sex education.

I must admit I have had a hard time trying to explain certain issues to my 12-year-old son. I still do. It is very difficult to explain this erstwhile taboo issue to these young minds. The issue of homosexuality is very sensitive because it goes against the teachings of all divine scriptures.

I would like to once again clarify that we, who are opposed to such relationships strictly due to religious reasons, by no means wish to judge people and to treat them badly. No matter what anybody says, this writer strongly believes that the “act” in question is not at all personal. As parents we are facing a huge challenge.