The representative of the supreme religious authority, Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai, warned on Friday, about the spread of the phenomenon of drug dealing and using, which is threatening the Iraqi youth and society alike.
Al-Karbalai said in the Friday sermon held at the holy shrine of Imam Al-Hussein "pbuh" on February 1, 2019, that "The phenomenon of drug dealing and using threatens society, especially the present and future of Iraqi youth".
"The dangers of drug dealing and using are not limited to the health aspect alone, but the mental, psychological, cultural and intellectual aspects of the youth," he said.
The representative of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani, stressed that, "When this phenomenon targets the young generation, it's not threatening with a serious disaster on society alone, but it's is considered as one of the most serious social problems".
"This phenomenon has two parts, which are the dealing part committed by corrupt souls, and the victims who fall as a result to this phenomenon." he explained.
Al-Karbalai pointed out that the first reason for the spread of this phenomenon is the weakness of the legal deterrent, which is caused by the lack of laws and legislations made to deter this phenomenon, and the ineffectiveness of the executive bodies to address this phenomenon, not in purpose but for many other reasons.
"Some of the reasons behind this phenomenon, is not giving the sufficient freedom and appropriate means and powers to the executive bodies to address it, and the incompetence of devices and means that give these bodies the ability to detect narcotics,. " he noted, stressing that "There is interference by some powerful parties in the jurisdiction of these bodies, which leads to weaken the legal deterrent to this serious crime."
He added that "There are other reasons such as bad economy, poverty and unemployment among graduates, especially that some of them would seek to earn fast money through the trafficking of drugs.", pointing out that "The lack of employment opportunities and the feeling of unknown future, leads to frustration and psychological anxiety that will result in this phenomenon."
"The other reason is social factors like bad companions, family and social problems, as well as the misunderstanding and exploitation of freedom, and the lack of cultural, educational and health awareness," he said.
Al-Karbalai called for launching an awareness campaign on social media, broadcasting outlets and at the level of the family, school and civil society organizations on the level and size of this phenomenon, adding that "Among the reasons for this phenomenon is that insufficient attention given by the state institutions concerned to combat this phenomenon, which is caused by the preoccupation of the ruling political class, with struggle for gains, special interests and political disputes."
The representative of the supreme religious authority said that everyone is responsible for this phenomenon before Allah Almighty. The responsibility of the family is to educate, guide and warn their children about bad companions and to monitor them, as well as to build a good relationship with their children. While the responsibility of the school and university is to warn against the dangers of this phenomenon and using conscious and effective methods in confronting it. "
In this matter, he addressed the university professors and schools teachers by saying, "As you pay attention to the scientific and academic curriculum, you should also have to pay the same attention to the educational and moral aspects when raising young people."
Al-Karbalai has called on the state institutions to provide employment opportunities for unemployed generations of young people who are increasing in number on yearly basis, and to activate the elements of the private sector to absorb the number of unemployed youth.", calling also for supporting the security services to play their role and not interfere in their work, and the implementation of the laws related to deter individuals trafficking with these toxic and lethal substances, and imposing accounting in a way that will limit them completely.
