5. General Goals of Incorporating Reproductive Health and Gender Concepts into Islamic Education Curriculum

5.1. In the Student’s Cognitive Aspect :

5.1.1. In the Field of Reproductive Health :

The student should be able to :

- define the goals of Sharia and its close relationship with the health dimension of human development, including reproductive health;

- determine the importance of the blessing of health and the student’s religious duty to preserve it through developing his health psychologically, socially and spiritually; 

- define the rewards of sexual abstinence and its role in the preservation of the self and progeny ;

- deduce Sharia rulings on reproductive health from their original sources.

5.1.2. In the Field of Social Gender :

The student should be able to :  

- grasp the message of God’s appointing the human being, man or woman, His vice-gerent on earth to people it and to serve Him on it ;

- define the role of the family as a nucleus in the edification of society, and Islam’s special protection of it by means of Sharia rulings that regulate it ;

- underscore the complementarity of the roles of the two sexes in shouldering the burdens of life on the basis of shura (consultation) and equality of rights and duties ;

- realize the importance of the two sexes’ endeavors to earn a lawful living ;

- define the characteristics of the Islamic social system that is based on solidarity and cooperation among the members of society.

5.2. In the Field of the Student’s Skills :

5.2.1. In the Field of Reproductive Health :

The student should be able to :

- exploit the Islamic texts and Sharia rulings pertaining to issues of reproductive health and social gender ;

- justify the virtues of abstinence in the preservation of health and the prevention of the sexually transmitted diseases ;

- classify and confute the superstitions, proverbs, customary laws and traditions that clash with Sharia rulings and which negatively impact reproductive health and the relationships between men and women in society.

5.2.2. In the Field of Social Gender :

The student should be able to :

- deduce the mutual rights and duties of family members towards one another ;

- infer the importance of the complementarity of the role of the two sexes in all aspects of life : economic, social, cultural, political, educational, and so forth ;

- confute the suspicions and the wrong concepts that are being circulated with regard to the position of woman in Islam (Qiwama(1) , inheritance, Hijab, the woman’s Islamic dress, Shahada, testimony, polygamy).

5.3. In the Field of Orientations and Values :

5.3.1. In the Field of Reproductive Health :

The student should :

- adhere to and assimilate Islamic values related to adolescent health and reproductive health ;

- appreciate the role of abstinence and keeping away from harlotry in securing the health and safety of the individual, the family and the community ;

- be imbued with Islamic morals not only in building family relationships, such as visiting one’s relatives, but also in one’s relationships with others, i.e., respect for one’s neighbor, leave to enter people’s homes, avoiding khulwa (the state of being alone with a person with whom one can be intimate), lowering one’s gaze, shunning slander, mutual forgiveness and assistance, and renouncing all forms of violence, oppression, coercion and threat ;

- fear Allah, be He exalted, to seek help in His Remembrance, to hold fast to His Book, and to abide by the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him) in interacting with the causes of tension, pressure and frustration.

5.3.2. In the Field of Social Gender :

The student should :

- acknowledge that human rights are part of the Islamic faith, and to undertake to respect them and  put them into effect ;

- undertake to respect others and to acknowledge their role in life and in maintaining its equilibrium ;

- acknowledge the importance of the two sexes’ equal right to education and health, and of the complementarity of their roles in building the family on the basis of shura (consultation) and justice whose bases are the principles of Sharia.

5.4. Subsistence Competencies in the Field of Reproductive Health and Social Gender :

5.4.1. Self-consciousness :

The student should :

- know his own strengths and weaknesses ;

- have self-control ;

- Be aware of  mutual rights and duties.

5.4.2. Sympathy :

The student should :

- grasp the similarities and differences between individuals;

- eschew stereotypes;

- look after people, namely the sick, the elderly, and those with special needs.

5.4.3. Personal Communication and Relationship Building :

The student should :

- develop relationships and building communication channels with others ;

- set up new and truthful relationships that do not conflict with Islamic teachings and values ;  

- seek counsel and advice when necessary from experts and Sharia scholars. 

5.4.4. Communication and Expression Skills :

The student should :

- enhance the basic verbal and non-verbal communication skills ;

- resist pressure and avoid risky situations.

5.4.5. Critical Thinking :

The student should :

- be firmly grounded in the methodology of critical thinking ;

-  be able to assess alternatives and risks, and issue objective judgments ;

-  Be able to resist peer influence on to lapse into a behavior that is risky or health threatening ;

- Be able to analyze informational messages, advertisements, and unsavory messages (cigarette ads, alcoholic drinks ads, pornography, etc.)

5.4.6. Creative Thinking :

The student should be able to :

- develop creative thinking abilities ;

- think up appropriate solutions to situations and answers to needs, using the means on hand ;

- adapt to the changing circumstances.

5.4.7. Handling Pressure, Tension and Frustration : 

The student should be able to :

-  identify the sources of pressure, tension and frustration ;

- deal effectively with the frustrating and tension triggering situations through relaxing, suppressing anger and shunning violence ;

- deal flexibly, reasonably and wisely with difficult situations.

5.4.8. Controlling his Feelings :

The student should be able to :

-  identify various feelings ;

- understand the impact of feelings on behavior, as well as handle and control emotional strain. 

5.4.9. Decision-taking :

The student should :

- learn the steps of decision taking ;

- take the right decisions on the basis of logical and lawful criteria ;

- take decisions in the right situations.

5.4.10. Problem-solving :

The student should :

- learn the steps of problem-solving ;

-  be able to create solutions to difficult problems ;

- be able to solve quarrels and renounce violence in all its forms.