Muhammad Al-Ashaikh
YOU must have seen “For Families Only” signs when walking around in malls and places where social and entertainment activities are in full swing. In fact, these signs can always be seen in such places. They are inappropriate and unfair and should not be displayed because they tell young men not to take part in entertainment activities. Some think that these signs will eradicate all forms of sexual harassment and prevent young men or teenagers from entering these places.
While this is true, it is not fair to other young men who want to have fun and participate in these events without harassing anyone. Those young men will look for other places to get together and might get involved in illegal activities or illicit acts.
For example, Captagon pills are widespread in our country because, according to national security experts, young men have a lot of free time and do not know what to do with it. Moreover, there are no entertainment places for them, as most malls do not permit them to enter. Car drifting is another illegal practice that has been increasing and spreading in our society.
As far as I know, there is no country in the world that puts up such signs in malls and other places. If we assume that segregating young men from families can have more positive than negative effects, other countries would have segregated young men from families a long time ago. But other countries realize very well that alienating young men and not providing them with places where they can have fun will have very negative consequences on the behavior of youth. Look at our young men; many of them are depressed and are ready to blow themselves up in terrorist operations, take drugs or joyride in our streets.
Not allowing young men to enter malls can have a negative impact on businesses too, as some businesses target young men and what they are selling is unsuitable for families.
I strongly believe that this is a serious issue that we should deal with. Young men have feelings and we should care about their feelings. Ignoring them can lead to grave problems, such as terrorism, drugs and joyriding, let alone immoral behavior. Young men should be allowed to enter malls and participate in entertainment events. If one of them misbehaves, then that individual should simply be punished according to the laws of the Kingdom.
Over time, such negative practices will decrease, but will not go away forever because it is impossible to eradicate all negative practices.
