Moral Decay Through Cinema… Where To?

Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes:

The film (Wahdana) deals with the concept of cohabitation, that is, a romantic relationship between a young man and a young woman outside the framework of official marriage in Egyptian society, and this idea is presented with a great deal of romance and sympathy, which may delude young people into thinking that it is a natural alternative to married life.

This promotion, even if it appears on the surface to be personal freedom or rebellion against customs, carries within it a real threat to, and destruction of, the basic religious and social values on which society rests, such as respect for the sanctity of marriage and moral commitment towards the other.

We may soon hear of the film winning some awards, since it is in line with the thinking of the internet monsters who have made moral and religious chaos into true freedom, as they presented at the Olympics in Paris.

Some see cinema as one of the most powerful tools of cultural influence because of the values and principles it reflects and puts before the awareness of society and the behaviour of its members. And that such films promote and market the idea that individual freedom can replace social, moral and religious obligations, and that the film may reflect the moral decay that has begun to penetrate the depths of society.

Others see that we face many problems relating to the balance between individual freedom and respect for religious beliefs and social morals, at a time of accelerating cultural change and contradictory messages such as (sexual freedom and cohabitation) as modern models of self-expression, with the dominance of technology and the absence of boundaries, while religious and social values are sometimes presented in a rigid mould unable to develop a critical cultural and religious discourse calling for a balance between freedom of creativity and preserving the moral identity of society.

Others see the importance of encouraging cinema and the role of culture and theatre to produce works carrying positive messages that contribute to strengthening public morals, instead of films of thuggery, drugs and revenge, and adopting a new, aware and open discourse to discuss the problems and ideas that break through all natural and artificial barriers to reach our children, in light of the deterioration of the cultural and educational level of a broad sector of society.

Another side sees that the internet monsters are the greatest devil, and that we are lax in focusing on building the human being, starting with the young and children, and on paying attention to their education, enlightenment and awareness, compared with our attention to construction and building the largest, longest and tallest towers; we must pay attention to both tracks together.

There are many visions and opinions.. How do we build a critical vessel in an unstable world? How do we offer a contemporary discourse that blends national identity, personal freedom and global openness? How do we build a generation able to distinguish between facts and illusion, and between building and destruction... To be continued