Man is the center of the universe because he was created to worship God. Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur`an: “And We have certainly honored the children of Adam.” This was the opening speech of Dr. Magdy Ashour –the academic counselor to the Grand Mufti of Egypt- delivered a lecture at the NCSCR during which he explained that the command to worship God is based on intellect which is exclusive to man.

During the lecture, he mentioned that the five objectives of Islam are necessary in that they strive to preserve communal and not individual interests with respect to religion, life, intellect, honor, and property.

He mentioned the importance of spreading a sound moral system in the society through education and raising awareness.

Dr. Ashour added that the Prophet’s example during the time he spent in Mecca before emigrating must be the standard for establishing a society. This can be achieved by raising awareness [through the media], education, and mind cultivation. Once the community enjoys stability, knowledge and morals increase, thus preventing disputes and struggles. It is only then that conditions become conducive to establishing a state which, in turn, must be regulated by law.

Dr. Ashour also discussed several social phenomena and their causes which include:

- The phenomenon of an unhealthy society that exploits the concepts of freedom of conscience and freedom of opinion and expression. He explained that this results in atheism, strictness and accusing others of disbelief, ultimately destroying moral values.

- The phenomenon of sexual harassment. He said that the main reason behind this is neglecting the value of gender equality which was mentioned in the Prophetic hadith, “Women are the twin halves of men.”

- The phenomenon of street children. He explained that its most important cause is ignorance of the nature and importance of the family as a component of Islamic society.

Islamic law tackled all of these phenomena by implementing the punishments prescribed by Islamic law to deter those to resolve to harm either themselves or the community. These punishments were not meant per se but were only instituted as a last resort after taking all precautionary measures.