'Child-free': Liberals to be blamed for trend - PAS MP

Liberals seem to be controlling the country resulting in among others, married couples adopting a child-free lifestyle, claimed PAS MP Salamiah Mohd Nor.

“I’m speaking in terms of family. Now, we have a situation where (married) couples don’t want to have children… (be) child-free.

“Ladies and gentlemen, in Islam, matrimony is about getting offspring but now we have something like a grand promotion where you don’t have to have children after getting married,” she said.

She was speaking at the “Gelombang Selamatkan Malaysia” (Save Malaysia Wave) event at Kolej Universiti Islam Zulkifli Muhammad in Gombak, Selangor yesterday.

On June 29, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the trend of couples opting to be “child-free” due to the perception that children are a burden is contrary to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.

He said the Federal Territories Mufti Office had issued a fatwa stating that choosing a child-free lifestyle to avoid responsibilities is considered makruh (discouraged) under Islamic law.

“According to a hadith of the Prophet, he encouraged marrying loving women who can bear many children, as he expressed pride in his numerous followers on the Day of Judgment.

“Additionally, another hadith mentions that when a person dies, all their deeds are cut off except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child who prays for their deceased parents.

“Based on these hadiths, I advise especially the younger generation to see that children are not a burden,” Bernama reported him as saying.

Blaming LGBTQ+ group

On that note, Salamiah dismissed the reasons couples have given for not wanting children including life pressures, work commitments and lack of funds.

“Were we born rich in the past? How did our parents cope? In Islam, every child born is endowed with rezeki (blessings),” the Temerloh lawmaker added.

Salamiah then made a bizarre statement, claiming it was the result of certain groups championing the rights of LGBTQ+.

“Men marrying men, women marrying women… they don’t produce children.

“Now it’s being reflected in marriages involving a man and a woman where they no longer want children. This is a perversion and is against Islam,” she added.

Offering solutions, Salamiah urged leaders to administer the nation using Islamic principles.

With Islamic principles, the PAS leader added, the people would benefit and the economy would flourish.

“No matter how much a leader claims himself to be good, if they don’t follow Islamic principles, there will be cruelty.”

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