THE MENACE OF PORNOGRAPHY: A CASE STUDY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC

UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PORNOGRAPHY

BY

RAFIDAH BINTI ABDUL RAZAK

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Sociology

and Anthropology)

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

International Islamic University

Malaysia

JULY 2011

ii

ABSTRACT

This research examines the attitudes toward pornography by 240 Malay male and female students of Human Sciences undergraduate programme at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) within the age-range of 20 to 25 years. Today, technology in particular the internet is a contributory factor to the development of pornography. Amounted to about 4.2 million web pages, pornography on the internet has the biggest consumers who are from diverse socio-demographic backgrounds. Despite the legal and Islamic prohibitions, many Malaysians and Muslims, in particular are consuming the sexually explicit materials (SEM) containing pornographic images and explicit scenes in their daily lives. There are three objectives of the research, firstly to identify the attitudes of students toward pornography and its effects; secondly to compare the documented effects of pornography with the attitudes of the students; and thirdly to create awareness of the harmful effects of pornography to society at large. In collecting the data, the two methods of research applied were questionnaire and semi-structured interview. From non-random sample 240 students who were involved in the quantitative research, ten of them were interviewed. The major finding of the research showed that pornography is not always positive to the students. The effects of pornography are numerous. Majority of the respondents believed that the consumption of pornographic materials may lead to pornographic and sexual addiction; breakdown of family institution; aggressive behaviour toward women; involvement in sexual crimes; and the false perceptions of sex and women among the young individuals. Towards the end of the research, useful strategies that could control the problem of pornography in Malaysia were proposed. Among the proposals suggested by the respondents are sex education at school, frequent police raids and enhancement of spiritual values of the society.

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خالصة البحث

الماليو في درجة من الطالب والطالبات ٢٤٠يتناول هذا البحث مواقف

البكالوريوس بكلية العلوم اإلنسانية بالجامعة اإلسالمية العالمية ماليزيا تجاه عاما. وتعد ٢٥إلى ٢٠راوح أعمار أولئك الطلبة مابين المواد اإلباحية. وتت

في نشر مساهمًا التكنلوجيا في وقتنا الراهن، السيما شبكات اإلنترنت عامًالمليون صفحة، تسيطر ٤،٢غ شبكات اإلنترنت نحو احية. وتبلالمواد اإلب

المواد اإلباحية في تلك الشبكات على أآبر عدد من المستخدمين، من آافة الخلفيات االجتماعية والديموغرافية المختلفة. وعلى الرغم من الحظر القانوني والشرعي، يستخدم العديد من الماليزيين والمسلمين على وجه

الجنسية الصريحة، والتي تحتوي على صور إباحية الخصوص تلك المواد تحديد ومشاهد تمثل حياتهم اليومية. ويضع هذا البحث ثالثة أهداف، أوًال

مقارنة اآلثار الموثقة مواقف الطلبة تجاه المواد اإلباحية وآثارها، ثانيًاخلق الوعي بأضرار المواد اإلباحية للمواد اإلباحية بمواقف الطلبة، ثالثًا

لى المجتمع آكل. ومن خالل جمع البيانات، استخدم البحث أسلوبين في عالبحوث التطبيقية وهما االستبيان والمقابالت شبه المنظمة. ومن العينة غير

ي، أجري لقاء العشوائية من الطلبة الذين شارآوا في هذا البحث الكّم شخصي مع عشرة منهم. وأظهرت النتائج الرئيسية للبحث أن المواداإلباحية ليست إيجابية بشكل دائم على الطلبة. آما أن آثار تلك المواد على

ويعتقد غالبية المستطلعين أن استخدام المواد اإلباحية قد يؤدي الطلبة عديدة. إلى إدمان اإلباحة والجنس، وانهيار المؤسسة االجتماعية، والسلوك

، والتصورات الخاطئة العدواني تجاه المرأة، والتورط في الجرائم الجنسيةعن الجنس والمرأة بين الشباب. وفي نهاية البحث، تم سرد عدد من المقترحات واالستراتيجيات المفيدة التي تمكن من السيطرة على مشكالت المواد اإلباحية في ماليزيا. ومن بين تلك المقترحات، تدريس التربية

تلك المواقع، إضافة الجنسية في المدارس، ومداهمات الشرطة المتكررة ل إلى تعزيز القيم الروحية في المجتمع.

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Sociology and Anthropology).

………………………………….. Rohaiza Abd. Rokis Supervisor I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Sociology and Anthropology).

………………………………… Pute Rahimah Makol-Abdul Examiner This thesis was submitted to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Sociology and Anthropology).

………………………………….. Noor ‘Azlan Mohd. Noor Head, Department of

Sociology and Anthropology This thesis was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as the fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Sociology and Anthropology).

………………………………….. Badri Najib Zubir

Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except

where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently

submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.

Rafidah Abdul Razak

…………………………………… Date…………………………

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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION FOR FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

Copyright © 2011 by Rafidah Binti Abdul Razak All rights reserved.

THE MENACE OF PORNOGRAPHY: A STUDY OF ITS EFFECTS BASED ON ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

This unpublished research must not be reproduced or used in any form including copying without prior permission from the researcher except in the following cases:

1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.

2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic)

for institutional and academic purposes.

3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.

4. The researcher will provide IIUM with her address with notification in case of change

of address.

5. It will be kindly required for individuals to contact the researcher to acquire her permission for copying this unpublished research through her mail address, or e-mail provided in the IIUM library, and if the researcher does not reply within ten days of the date of request, IIUM shall practice its right to provide the required copies.

Affirmed by Rafidah Binti Abdul Razak

…………………… ……………….. Signature Date

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I humbly dedicate this thesis to special persons in my life who have been together with

me through my happiness and sadness, through my rise and fall. With their endless

love and support, this thesis is finally a reality.

My father,

Abdul Razak bin Abdul Karim

My mother,

Azizah bte. Said

My fiancé,

Mohd Halif bin Mohamad Mahyaodin

My brothers and sisters.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillah, all praise be to Allah, the creator of the universe and all its contents. Thanks to Him for the strength, patience and endurance He bestowed upon me in completing this research. Peace be upon our messenger, Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, his family and his companions. I would like to express my profound gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Rohaiza Abd. Rokis, for her mammoth guidance and sincere supervision, as well as for her precious time spent on me throughout my study. May Allah (S.W.T) in His infinite mercy reward and bless her. Million thanks to Dr. Pute Rahimah Makol-Abdul for her immense assistance and advice in my study. To the Head of the Department, Dr. Noor ‘Azlan Mohd Noor, I thank him for his assistance too. Thank you very much to Dr. Hafiz Zakariya, the Deputy Dean of Post Graduate and Research Human Sciences, for being very kind and helpful. From the deepest part of my heart, I extend my appreciation to all lecturers in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The knowledge they gave me during my years at IIUM are priceless and I pray that I can apply them for the betterment of the ummah. May Allah reward them in His mercy and love and may He give them strength to continue their jihad. Thank you.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................................... ii Abstract in Arabic .................................................................................................... iii Approval Page .......................................................................................................... iv Declaration Page ...................................................................................................... v Copyright Page ......................................................................................................... vi Dedication ................................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ........................................................................................................... ix List of Graphs .......................................................................................................... x List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................... Xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1

1.0 Overview of Pornography ...................................................................... 1 1.1 Pornography: the Malaysian Situation ................................................... 4 1.2 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................... 7 1.3 Assumption of the Research ................................................................... 8 1.4 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................... 8 1.5 Research Questions ................................................................................. 9 1.6 Significance of the Study ........................................................................ 9

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ...................................................... 11

2.0 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................... 11 2.0.1 The Definition .............................................................................. 11 2.0.2 The Terminologies ....................................................................... 13 2.0.3 The Legal Issue ............................................................................ 14 2.0.4 Statistics on Pornography ............................................................. 17

2.1 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................... 19 2.1.1 Structural Functional Theory ....................................................... 19 2.1.2 Operant Conditioning Theory ...................................................... 20 2.1.3 Imitation or Modelling Theory .................................................... 21 2.1.4 Feminist Theory ........................................................................... 21 2.1.5 Theoretical Framework: the Synthesis ......................................... 23 2.1.6 The Effects of Pornography ......................................................... 24

2.1.6.1 The Positive Sides of Pornography ................................... 24 2.1.6.2 Psychological Effects of Pornography .............................. 26 2.1.6.3 Effects of Sexual Satisfaction and Family Values ............ 30 2.1.6.4 Behavioural Effects of Pornography ................................. 33

a. The Effects of Violent Pornography .................................. 33 b. The Effects of Non-violent Pornography ........................... 35

2.1.6.5 Social Effects of Pornography ........................................... 37 a. Pornography and Sex Crimes ............................................. 37 b. Pornography and Young People ........................................ 41

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2.1.7 Pornography: the Islamic Perspective .......................................... 44 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 47

3.0 Quantitative Method – the Use of Questionnaire ................................... 47 3.0.1 The Setting and Sampling ............................................................ 47 3.0.2 The Data Collection Process ........................................................ 48 3.0.3 The Questionnaire and the Method of Analysis ........................... 50 3.0.4 The Fallouts of the Questionnaire ................................................ 52

3.1 Qualitative Method – the Semi-structured Interview ............................. 56 3.1.1 The Process of the Interview ........................................................ 59 3.1.2 The Insiders and the Outsiders ..................................................... 61 3.1.3 Other Problems of the Interview .................................................. 63

3.2 The Pilot Research .................................................................................. 63 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ...................... 64

4.0 Socio-demographic Background of the Respondents ............................. 64 4.1 Respondents’ Attitudes toward the Effects of Pornography .................. 68

4.1.1 Addiction Effect ........................................................................... 68 4.1.1.1 Thinking about Sex ............................................................ 69 4.1.1.2 Masturbation ...................................................................... 70

4.1.2 The Effects of Pornography on Marriage and Family Values ..... 72 4.1.2.1 Sexual Techniques ............................................................. 72 4.1.2.2 Emotional Poison ............................................................... 73 4.1.2.3 Humiliation ........................................................................ 74 4.1.2.4 Infidelity and Extra-marital Sex ........................................ 75 4.1.2.5 Non-commitment Relationship ......................................... 76

4.1.3 Pornography as an Influence to Male’s Aggressiveness .............. 77 4.1.3.1 Empowerment of Men and Exploitation of Women ......... 77 4.1.3.2 Rape Myth ......................................................................... 78 4.1.3.3 Abnormal Sexual Appetites ............................................... 79

4.1.4 Pornography and Sexual Crimes .................................................. 80 4.1.4.1 Rape and Child Molestation .............................................. 80

4.1.5 The Effects of Pornography to the Young People ....................... 84 4.1.5.1 False/bad Messages ........................................................... 85 4.1.5.2 Unhealthy Mental Development ........................................ 86 4.1.5.3 Addiction ........................................................................... 86 4.1.5.4 Social Problems ................................................................. 87

4.1.6 The Functions of Pornography ..................................................... 90 4.1.6.1 Entertainment .................................................................... 90 4.1.6.2 Sex Educator ...................................................................... 90 4.1.6.3 Relationship Saviour ......................................................... 91 4.1.6.4 Safe Release of Sexual Desire ........................................... 93

4.1.7 Can People Lose Interest with Pornography? .............................. 93 4.1.7.1 Boredom ............................................................................ 93 4.1.7.2 Escalation Effect ................................................................ 94

4.1.8 Reactions to Pornography: Sexually Aroused, Fun, Normal, or Disgusting, Sinful, Humiliated? ................................................... 96

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4.2 Other Issues ............................................................................................ 99 4.2.1 The Understanding of the Term ‘Pornography’ ........................... 99

4.2.1.1 Sexually Aroused Materials .............................................. 99 4.2.1.2 Negative Interpretations .................................................... 100

4.2.2 Sex and Pornographic Usage ....................................................... 101 4.2.3 Major Sources of Pornography in Malaysia ................................ 103

4.2.3.1 Internet ............................................................................... 104 4.2.3.2 Cell Phone ......................................................................... 106 4.2.3.3 Videos ................................................................................ 107 4.2.3.4 Magazines .......................................................................... 108 4.2.3.5 LAN ................................................................................... 109

4.2.4 Strategies to Curb Pornography ................................................... 110 4.2.4.1 Sex Education .................................................................... 110 4.2.4.2 Religious Education ........................................................... 112 4.2.4.3 Multiple Strategies ............................................................. 113 4.2.4.5 Parents’ roles ..................................................................... 113

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................ 115

5.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 115 5.1 Recommendations .................................................................................. 117

5.1.1 Policy Implications ...................................................................... 117 5.1.2 Future Research ............................................................................ 119

5.1.2.1 Males Use Pornography More than Females ..................... 119 5.1.2.2 Attire and Attitude of the Victims as Factors Leading to Rape ........................................................................................... 120 5.1.2.3 Technology Eases the Sharing of Pornographic Materials ........................................................................................ 122 5.1.2.4 Pornography is not a Harmless Entertainment .................. 123 5.1.2.5 Pornographic Consumption is not a Normal Activity ....... 124 5.1.2.6 Pornography as an Accepted Culture or Norm .................. 125

BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. APPENDIX I .......................................................................................................... 141 APPENDIX II ......................................................................................................... 142 APPENDIX III ....................................................................................................... 148

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

3.1 Fieldwork schedule (Questionnaire) 49

3.2 Fieldwork schedule (Interview) 61

4.1 Gender of respondents 64

4.2 Age of respondents 65

4.3 Year of study of respondents 66

4.4 Place of origin of Respondents 66

4.5 School background of respondents 67

4.6 Pornography leads to sex addiction 69

4.7 Pornography teaches people sexual techniques 73

4.8 Pornography increases the tendency for a male to rape a female

81

4.9 Pornography carries bad messages to the youngsters 85

4.10 Feelings of looking at naked people 97

4.11 Exposure to pornography 101

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Page No.

4.1 Porn hardly stops people from consuming it again after the first exposure

71

4.2 Pornography makes men believe that women like to be treated harshly during sexual intercourse

79

4.3 Porn develops the assumption that sex before marriage is normal

87

 

 

 

 

xiv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency System CD Compact disc etc. (etcetera): and so forth pages that follow Ibid. (ibidem): in the same place IIUM International Islamic University Malaysia LAN Local Area Network n. d. no date P.B.U.H. Peace Be Upon Him SEM Sexually explicit media/materials STDs Sexually transmitted diseases S.W.T. Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala (Praise be to Allah and the Most High) VCD Video compact disc

1

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION 1.0 OVERVIEW OF PORNOGRAPHY

Social problems exist in every society. Whatever they are, they definitely serve as

challenge and threat to the people of that society and probably to the whole world. A

social problem that falls under the concern of this study is pornography, which is a

global rather than an exclusive problem of a particular community. Although its

production is centred toward certain countries, its dissemination and usage are

worldwide, with fans coming from diverse backgrounds and comprised of every layers

of society.

By history, pornography is not new. Its elements were found to have existed

since the era of ancient Greece, Rome and India. Taking a different form from today,

pornography in the pre-modern era was more likely to appear in the artistic form such

as sculptures, paintings and cave drawings (Hill, 2006). The discovery of scenes of

intercourse on the walls of a brothel at Pompeii and Kamasutra of eastern cultures are

among examples that show the descriptions and depictions of sexuality have been

around since ages (Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, 1986).

With the advent of electronic mass media in the later era, pornography became

popular among the masses and it increased their demand for the materials. The

improvement and the modernisation of technology in coming years expand the ways

in which people can access pornographic materials (Sullivan, 2006). To name a few,

books, movies, magazines, video games, photograph, cell phone, cable and satellite

television, and chat line, are among the medium in which pornography is presented.

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Nowadays, Internet turns out to be the consumers’ favourite medium for pornographic

access. Numerous statistical facts revealed that approximately 420 million

pornographic web pages are available on the net (Houck, 2008), causing it to be

inevitable and easily accessible to anyone including to the minor users of the

technology.

The unique features of Internet make pornography famous than it had been

years ago. Ong (2004) mentioned that the fundamental quality of Internet is it can be

accessed from anywhere as long as there is a computer and the feeling of guilty one

used to feel out of buying and hiring pornographic materials has vanished. This is

because Internet provides anonymity where it was needed the most and has allowed

users to engage with any type of pornography desired. Carroll (2007: 622) added on

saying that “via Internet, the consumers of pornography can either view the obscene

images online, or visit sexually oriented chat rooms, or may engage in sexual

activities with an anonymous person online.”

Pornography is not a healthy phenomenon. One of the reasons to such

statement is it effects are most likely to be negative and harmful. It would be good if

we can start up our discussion on the effects of pornography with some true cases as

presented below.

a) Among the elderly patients of Thorupgaarden nursing home in the Danish

Capital, the usage of pornography and prostitutes were found to have a

greater calming effect than traditional medical treatment such as drug

therapy. As stated by the Danish government, sexuality is an integral part

of the life for elderly and disabled, hence the fulfilment of their sexual

need is urgent. For that purpose, sex magazines and videos are provided

3

by the nursing home as part of the facilities to be enjoyed by its residents

(Moller, 2001).

b) To a 27-year old Canadian man, pornography allows him to develop

fantasies on sex and helps him to achieve sexual gratification when his

partner is not available for real sexual intercourse. He explained that

masturbation to online pornography keeps him satisfied when his

girlfriend has her period, while at the same time offers ideas for positions

and scenarios (Gunsaullus, n.d.).

c) After two years of marriage, a 26 year old wife known as Niza lodged a

report to the media about his husband’s abnormal sexual appetite.

According to the young wife, her sex life with her husband seems to

reflect the sadomasochism theme in violent pornography. Sometimes, she

was tied up to the bed, beaten up, and being inserted with different objects

into her vagina, just to get him turned-on (Shamran Sarahan, 2010).

d) One girl told she was 8 when her father showed her pictures of girls doing

sex with men and other pornographic pictures. Since then, she was used by

her father to fulfil his sexual fantasies and desires. He raped her for 8

years, and when she was 16 she found that she was infected by a non-

communicable sexually transmitted disease (STD). All this put her in great

dilemma (Sheldon, 2001).

Obviously pornography is depicted by the above cases as having positive and

negative effects. Therefore, this study is taking the challenge to elaborate the effects

of pornography based on the attitudes of the respondents and supported by the

empirical findings of other researchers.

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1.1 PORNOGRAPHY: THE MALAYSIAN SITUATION

This study focuses on the problem of pornography from Malaysian context. Despite

the increasing concern on the negative effects of pornography, empirical investigation

on this phenomenon is largely absent. Although pornography is not legalised in

Malaysia, yet that does not make it a free-porn country. In fact, the problem is

growing worse day by day. Obviously the rapid development of communication

technology is making a contribution here. Most of the cell phones sold in market

today are fully built with camera and equipped with the some advance functions such

as multimedia messaging service (MMS) and Internet. The difficulty to look at dirty

images has been reduced by the advent of modern gadgets into people’s life.

Furthermore, the materials that depict sexually explicit contents such as video

compact discs (VCDs) are rampantly sold to the public, regardless of the buyer’s age.

At present, public places like cyber cafes are offering unlimited service for

pornographic access (Lukman Moidin, 2009).

Today, technology is undoubtedly human’s necessity, but the misuse of it

often leads to troubles. Empirical investigations showed that there is an increase in the

degree of attachment to pornographic materials among the Malaysian youngsters. In

one survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board, 80

percent of Malaysian teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18 years old admitted to

have been exposed to pornography through either viewing or reading it (Hizbut Tahrir

Malaysia, 2008). Another research by Amaludin and Khadijah in 2006 confirmed that

viewing and keeping pornography are two out of twenty four social problems

committed by rehabilitee males and females nationwide (Zahir Zainudin, 2009). The

worst part of pornography is its usage can be a root to variety of problems such as

early sexual experiences, unwanted pregnancies, and abortion.

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The booming rate of baby dumping cases in this country, for example, is

believed to be partly contributed by the easy accessibility of pornographic materials

and the weakening of familial ties, as said the director of Federal Crime Investigation

Department (FICD), Datuk Bakri Zinin (Lim, 2010). Although there is no specific

research that can be referred to confirm the link between pornography and baby

dumping rate, yet the statements made by the Malaysian government are sufficient to

support the assumption that porn has an influence on the growing rate of the problem.

Mohamad Khir Toyo (2010) wrote that sexual related problems among youngsters in

Malaysia are caused by their exposure to Internet pornography. On other occasion,

Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen spoke to Harian Metro newspaper that among the

strategies to combat the problem of baby dumping among Malaysian youngsters is by

eliminating the vigorous dissemination of negative materials including pornography

(Administrator keruak.com, 2009).

Some people argued that the usage of pornography by Malaysians is partly due

to too much restriction society puts on sex. Without doubt, the subject of sex is too

sensitive that many Malaysians perceived it as a taboo. Dr. Jas Laile stated that the

conservative attitude of Malaysians in discussing sexual matter with the youngsters is

a factor leading to their use of pornography. At their age, the urge to know about

sexuality in understanding their physical changes is so effervesce (Salhan K. Ahmad,

2006). As an attempt to curb this matter, the government has proposed a sex education

policy at school that aims to equip the young ones with sexual knowledge,

subsequently drives them away from the social problems. Beside teachers and schools,

the role of educating the children about sex also lies on the shoulder of the parents

(Selvarani, 2009).

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Other than that, the content rating systems for television and films were

established by the government to give the viewers an idea of the suitability of a

programme for children and adults. Both rating systems for television and films were

introduced in 1996, and in case of the later, every film will be scrutinised and

categorised by the Film Censorship Board before it is screened to the public. The

ratings include U, PG 13, 18 SG, 18 SX, 18 PA and 18 PL. A movie or a TV

programme that is rated other than U and PG 13 are not suitable for the young

viewers. However, for PG 13, parental supervision is advised for children under 13

years old (Caroline, 2009; Wikipedia, 2010).

Pornography on the Internet is also popular and being widely used by the

Malaysians. It was once reported by the Star Daily’s Sunday news paper that among

the most popular searched words on the Internet are Malay language words of bogel

(nudity), gambar bogel (nude pictures), seks Melayu (sex involving Malays) and

cerita seks (sex stories) (Anak Malaysia, 2006). Due to this matter, the Malaysian

Communications and Multimedia Commission or MCMM (translated as Suruhanjaya

Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia) established the content code to regulate the

dissemination of porn materials on the Internet. The code classifies nine categories of

the prohibited content and two of them that closely link to pornography are indecent

content and obscene content. Ida Madieha Azmi (2004) elaborated on these two

contents in her study as outlined by the MCMM:

Indecent content is material which is offensive, improper and against current standards of accepted behaviour. This category is further divided into two groupings, namely (i) nudity and (ii) sex and nudity. Obscene content has been described as content that gives rise to a feeling of disgust because of its lewd portrayal and is essentially offensive to one’s prevailing notion of decency and modesty. The test of obscenity is whether the content has the tendency to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such communication. Among the classes of

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content that falls within this category are (i) explicit sex acts/pornography, (ii) child pornography, and (iii) sexual degradation.

The dissemination of prohibited content throughout the Internet will entitle a

person a maximum fine of RM 50,000 and imprisonment up to two years, or both, as

provided by Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 (Mohd Azis Ngah, 2008).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research examines the attitudes toward pornography by 240 Malay male and

female students of Human Sciences undergraduate programme at the International

Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) within the age-range of 20 to 25 years. This kind

of study is considered necessary since the respondents are the present Muslim

generation who live in the world that is highly threatened by the risks of indecent

images. Although Islam provides its followers with al-Qur’an that clearly forbids

pornography, yet elements like modernity and technological development can lead

people toward disobeying the Islamic principles. As suggested by Lukman Moidin

(2009), the era of multimedia and information technology serves as a challenge to

people’s faith and their basic religiosity. Thus, whether they live in Malaysia or other

places, Muslims are not excluded from being bombarded with the crises of

pornography. A 2007 report from the google trends show that eight out of the top ten

countries searching for the word ‘sex’ on the Internet are Muslim countries, and

shockingly that include Malaysia. Other Muslim regions that were listed are Pakistan,

Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia and Iran (Google Trends, 2007; Rafik

Beekun, 2007).

By the above explanation, the study is interested to know how the young

people look at the issue and how they understand it. Because they are students of high

8

learning institutions, they are expected to have some ideas about pornography, which

besides useful for the study, is important for the betterment of Muslim ummah.

1.3 ASSUMPTION OF THE RESEARCH

Pornography, as various studies showed, affects the whole areas of life – psychology,

behaviour, family and social. The main assumption of the research concerns with the

harms of pornography from the lens of the respondents. It is assumed that the more a

person consumes pornographic materials, the more likely he or she has positive

attitudes toward pornography. In their analysis of the stage of pornography addiction,

Dr. Victor Cline and Partrick Carnes refer to this condition as desensitisation (Cline,

1999). It is where the habitual users of pornography are no longer affected by what

they see in pornography, or in the case of the hypothesis, they treat it as positive.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this research are:

1. to identify the attitudes of students toward pornography and its effects.

2. to compare the documented effects of pornography with the attitudes of

the students.

3. to create awareness of the harmful effects of pornography to society at

large.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions developed for this study include:

a. What are the students’ attitudes toward the pornography and its effects?

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b. To what extent do the attitudes of students toward the effects of

pornography differ from the documented ones?

c. How can the research possibly benefit the whole society? 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Since the study on pornography from Malaysian context is largely absent, this

research can be the first step to it. Most of the studies on pornography were conducted

by western social scientists, which sometimes can be irrelevant and not applicable to

Malaysian, Muslim community. At the same time, this research could serve as

reference for further social scientists that are interested in studying the issue.

In addition to that, it is too naive for us to still consider that pornography is an

exclusive problem of the west or more general, the problem of the non-Muslims. If we

observe carefully, we will be able to identify that our Muslim brothers and sisters are

greatly involve with buying, selling and consuming pornography. To make the matter

worse, some of them even engage with producing the sex materials.

Based on the above point, we need for a research that can update our society

with the current status of pornography. We have to make them realise of how

pornography is negatively affecting their whole area of life. While morality is the key

to society and individuals’ development, pornography destroys it. Pornography and all

its contents, thus, shall not be let exist. In connection with that, the research is hoped

to be helpful in providing effective discussion that can further understand the matter,

as well as to assist the Malaysian government in their policy implementation,

especially the sex education policy.

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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.0 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This part elaborates the literatures on various aspects of pornography including its

definition, terminologies, legal issue and statistics.

2.0.1 The Definition

The word pornography derived from the Greek words of pornographos, which

literally means the writings by or about harlots (Bennion, 1991; Carroll, 2007; Clinard

and Meier, 2008; Glick and Miller, 2008; Hagan, 2002; Siegel, 2008). However, to

exactly define what is meant by pornography is a complicated task since the term is

highly value laden (Harris, 1994), and thus subject to different interpretations (Thio,

2010). The term is value laden in a way that an individual’s interpretation of what

action or image constitutes pornography can be distinct from others. For instance an

image portraying a woman in her nudity may be pornographic to one person but it

may not be so to others. Sullivan (2006: 294) stated that “as currently utilized, the

term pornography describes sexually explicit writings, still or motion pictures and

similar product designed to be sexually arousing.” Intended to stimulate people’s

sexual desire is the key feature of pornography that distinguishes it from other forms

of media.

Another way to define pornography is by drawing a distinction between it and

erotica. According to Steinem (1996) and Dwyer (1995), although both pornography

and erotica involve representations of sexual activity, yet erotica can be distinguished