“当今儿童所面临的大多数障碍，都与成年人中流行的一种观念有关：即个人的首要责任是尽力享受自己的人生，而不是为他人的福祉作出贡献……

“Most of the obstacles children face today are linked to the belief among adults that the prime duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others...

"过度的个人主义正在给儿童带来一系列问题，包括：家庭破裂率高、青少年之间的刻薄行为、商业压力下的早熟性化、缺乏原则的广告宣传、教育中竞争过于激烈，以及对收入不平等的接受。"——英国《良好童年调查》 西方关于虐待儿童行为的报道日益增多，清楚地表明越来越多的父母为了追求自身的满足而虐待子女。在英国，一名母亲为了继续自己的生活，反复折磨其17个月大的婴儿直至死亡，这一臭名昭著的案件只是冰山一角。尸检时发现，这名婴儿身上有50处伤痕，包括8根肋骨骨折、脊柱骨折，手指甲也不见了^xvii。初步调查结果显示，尽管存在多个预警信号，社工、警方人员和卫生专业人员却未能将虐待的线索拼凑起来。此外，还有一个骇人听闻的案例：来自谢菲尔德的一名56岁男子经常性地强奸自己的两个女儿，并与她们生下了9个孩子。

excessive individualism is causing a range of problems for children including: high family break-up, teenage unkindness, commercial pressures towards premature sexualisation, unprincipled advertising, too much competition in education and acceptance of income inequality.” -- UK Good Childhood Inquiry he ever-increasing reports of child neglect in the West clearly demonstrate that more and more parents are mistreating their children to pursue the fulfilment of their own needs. In Britain, the notorious case of a mother who repeatedly tortured her 17 month old baby to death, so that she could carry on with her own life is just the tip of the iceberg. When the body of the baby was examined he had 50 injuries including 8 broken ribs, a fractured spine and missing finger nailsxvii. Preliminary findings suggest that social workers, police officials and health professionals failed to piece together the jigsaw of neglect in spite of several warning signs. Then there is the horrific story of 56 year old man from Sheffield who routinely raped his 2 daughters and fathered 9 children with them.

根据英国全国防止虐待儿童协会（NSPCC）提供的最新数据，英国共有32,700名儿童被列入儿童保护登记册。在英格兰和威尔士，平均每十天就有一名儿童遭其父母杀害。最有可能遭受暴力死亡的是不满1岁的婴儿，他们被杀害的可能性是英格兰和威尔士普通人的四倍。16%的儿童曾遭受父母的严重虐待，其中三分之一经历了不止一种形式的虐待。警方记录在案的强奸案中，超过四分之一的受害者是16岁以下的儿童。近79……000

According to the latest available figures from National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), there are 32,700 children on child protection registers in the UK. Every ten days in England and Wales, on average, one child is killed at the hands of their parent. The people most likely to die a violent death are babies under 1 year old, who are four times more likely to be killed than the average person in England and Wales. 16% of children experienced serious maltreatment by parents, of whom one third experienced more than one type of maltreatment. Over a quarter of all rapes recorded by the police are committed against children under 16 years of age. Nearly 79,000

目前，英国地方当局正在照料的儿童人数…… Let me correct that: the translation is: 目前，英国的儿童由地方当局照管，这一数字是有依据的。需要注意的是，实际数字很可能远高于此，因为许多儿童或因害怕而不敢举报虐待行为，或根本不知道如何举报。

children are currently looked after by local authorities in the UKxviii. It is fair to assume that the actual figure is much higher, as many children are either too scared to report abuse or simply do not know how to report it.

每当出现儿童被忽视的案件时，政府几乎已成惯例，会启动公开调查。过去，这类调查的结果要么是社会服务部门在预防虐待儿童方面发挥更大作用，要么是出台新的立法，旨在为儿童提供更多保护，使其免受施虐父母的伤害。然而，这些调查往往未能遏制正在英国社会中蔓延的儿童虐待之风。这促使一些人呼吁采取更严厉的措施，例如永久性地将儿童从残忍的父母身边带走，甚至剥夺其生育的权利。现任政府不太可能在减少虐待儿童方面取得任何进展。原因在于，导致儿童虐待的主要根源是肆无忌惮的个人主义，而政府、社会学家和父母们却一再拒绝承认这一点。

It is almost customary for governments to respond to cases of child neglect by launching public inquiries. In the past the outcome of such inquiries has led to either the social services playing a greater role in the prevention of the illtreatment of children or new legislation aimed at offering children greater protection from abusive parents. All too often these inquiries fail to stem the growing tide of child abuse pervading British society. This has led some to call for tougher measures such as permanently taking children away from cruel parents or even stripping them of their right to reproduce. It is highly unlikely that the present government will make any headway in reducing the ill treatment of children. This is because the main cause behind child abuse is the unbridled individualism, which governments, sociologists and parents alike have repeatedly refused to acknowledge.

个人主义是西方世俗主义的一大支柱，支配着西方社会中人与人之间的许多关系。个人主义主张人们应当把自身利益放在首位。这使人养成自私的心态，鼓励人们先满足自己的需要，再考虑他人的需要。此外，个人主义使人把责任视为负担，视为实现自私动机的障碍。因此，在西方，尤其是在社交领域，人们进入和离开恋爱关系以逃避责任的现象十分常见，这一切都对社会产生了有害影响。由此可见，泛滥的通奸、堕胎、单亲家庭、父亲逃避子女抚养费用、母亲为追求事业而抛弃子女、父母把孩子送到寄养家庭，以及肆无忌惮的虐待儿童，都是个人主义的表现。

Individualism is an important pillar of Western Secularism and dominates many of the relationships that exist between people in Western societies. Individualism stipulates that people should put their interests first and foremost. This imbues in people a selfish mentality and encourages people to satisfy their own needs before the needs of others. Furthermore, individualism leads people to view responsibility as a burden and a hindrance towards the fulfilment of their selfish motives. Therefore, it is common to find people in the West, especially in the social sphere, entering and leaving relationships in order to avoid responsibility - all of which has a detrimental effect on society. Hence rampant fornication, abortions, single parent families, fathers avoiding child maintenance costs, mothers forsaking children to pursue careers, parents giving up children to foster homes and wanton child abuse are all symptoms of individualism.

西方政府无力应对个人主义的影响及其对社会造成的危害。原因在于，政府的职责是保障公民的个人主义，而不是对人们的个性施加限制。因此，政府的首要关注点是个人的福祉，而非家庭或更广泛的社会。以处理虐待儿童问题为例，西方政府将儿童及其权利与母亲的权利、父亲的权利区分开来看待。自然，由这种思维产生的任何解决方案，都会更侧重于维护儿童、母亲或父亲的个体性，而非保护家庭或社会。如此一来，家庭与社会对儿童所遭受的虐待不承担任何集体责任，因为法律与责任只在个人层面适用。

Western governments are unable to deal with the effects of individualism and the harm it causes to society. This is because the role of the government is to guarantee individualism for its citizens and not to impose restrictions on people's individuality. Therefore, the primary concern of government is the welfare of the individual and not the family or wider society. For instance, when dealing with the issue of child abuse, Western governments view the child and its rights as separate to the rights of the mother and the rights of the father. Naturally any solutions arising from this type of thinking will focus more on preserving the individuality of the child, mother or father than protecting the family or society. In this way, the family and society bear no collective responsibility towards the mistreatment of children, since law and responsibility are solely applied at the level of the individual.

在伊斯兰教中,个人主义的概念仅限于人与真主之间的关系,以及人与自身的关系,即在功修、饮食、衣着和道德等事务方面。在涉及他人的关系中,个人可以满足自己的需求,但前提是不侵犯其他个人的权利,也不逾越伊斯兰为社会福祉所设定的界限。在各种关系中,穆斯林都必须依照伊斯兰所规定的律法行事,以求取真主的喜悦。这些律法一经实践,便能塑造人独特而鲜明的品格,这种品格以利他为本,而非自私。伊斯兰不仅提升并推崇父母与子女之间的关系,也提升并推崇家庭与社会之间的关系。

In Islam, the concept of individualism is limited to the relationship between man and God and the relationship of man with himself i.e. in the matters of worship, foodstuffs, clothing and morals. In relationships that involve people, individuals are permitted to satisfy their needs provided that they do not violate the rights of other individuals or transgress the limits imposed by Islam for the welfare of the society. In all types of relationships Muslims are required to seek the pleasure of God by conducting themselves according to laws prescribed by Islam. These laws when practiced produce a unique and distinct character for the human being, a character shaped by altruism and not selfishness. Islam promoted and raised high, not only the relationship between the parent and child, but also that of family and society.

伊斯兰教赞美家庭。安拉的使者(SAW)说:"你们当娶虔诚且多子的女子,因为在复活日,我会因你们的人数众多而在各民族面前为你们感到自豪。"[《艾布·达伍德圣训集》,《提尔米兹圣训集》]伊斯兰教禁止杀害和虐待儿童。《古兰经》中提到:"你们不要因为恐惧贫穷而杀害你们的子女,我将供给他们和你们。"[TMQ 17:

Islam praised the family, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "Do marry the devoted and prolific women, for I will be proud of you before other nations on the Day of Judgement." [Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi]. Islam forbade the killing and torturing of children. It is mentioned in the Qur’an: “Kill not your children for fear of want, We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you.” [TMQ 17:

31] 伊斯兰教禁止忽视子女，并规定父母有义务为子女提供食物、衣物和住所，同时满足子女的其他各项需求。安拉的使者（SAW）说："一个人忽视自己负有责任照顾的人，这本身就足以构成罪过。"［艾卜·达乌德圣训集］因此，在伊斯兰的框架内，子女被视为一种恩赐，而家庭则被视为在社会稳定中发挥着关键作用。

31] Islam has forbidden the neglect of children and has made it obligatory for parents to provide food, clothing and shelter in addition to fulfilling the various other requirements of their children. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “It is enough sin for a person that he ignores those whom he is responsible for.” [Abu Dawood] Thus, within the Islamic framework children are regarded as a blessing and the family is viewed as playing a pivotal role in the stability of society.

当今，个人主义正通过侵蚀家庭价值观和侵犯公民权利，威胁着英国社会的社会结构。若对个人主义不加质疑、不加约束，它必将导致穆斯林社群与非穆斯林社群的分裂。相比世俗主义自私的世界观，伊斯兰对家庭和社会的态度要负责任得多。

Today, individualism threatens the social fabric of British society through the erosion of family values and violation of civil rights. Left unquestioned and unchecked, individualism will result in the fragmentation of both Muslim and non- Muslim communities. The Islamic attitude towards the family and society is much more responsible than the selfish outlook of secularism.

2008年11月28日

November 28, 2008