MUSLIM YOUTH AND THE PRESSING SOCIETAL CHALLENGES

OUTLINE
1. Introduction 2. Muslim youth and the pressing societal challenges

3. Islam 4. Muslim
5. Youth

6. Muslim Youth 7. The Ideal Youth 8. Challenges

9. Way forward

Introduction

Verily All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, see His help, implore His forgiveness, and repent to Him. We also seek refuge in Allah from the evil that lies in ourselves and from our evil deeds. For whomever Allah Almighty guides, none can lead astray; and whomever He misleads, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, He is alone and has no partner. I further testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah bestow His eternal peace and blessings upon him and upon his fellow Prophets who bore the message of monotheism-Tawhid, implemented it, and propagated it. Surely they all struggled for the sake of Allahs pleasure in the most faithful manner, until their noble souls answered the call of their Lord and departed this world. May He grant them His choicest, most exalted, and most complete rewards. We live today in a historic period of religious renewal. A time that we hope will witness the establishment of Islam and its followers upon the Earth. One that will, moreover, bring about the destruction of the enemies of faith everywhere. For it was the Muslim youth who was the main target of the modernization that was taking place at an uncontrollable pace in the Muslim world. It was the Muslim youth who encountered the most serious challenge to his/her faith under the impact of godless culture of modernity. The Muslim youth was being asked to give up certain family and social values that were part and parcel of his identity, and adopt in its place a sense of self-alienation, and become a selfestranged imitator of everything "modern" (whether he truly understood what "modernity" was all about or not). As the Prophet Musa pointed out to his people and followers when they complained to him:

{It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemies and make you inheritors in the earth; so
that He may try you by your deeds}. (Surah Al-Araf: 129) There is no doubt that the safest and best course that should be adopted by those who yearn for reform in our time or in any era is the way of the Prophets. May Allah commend them and grant them peace. Hence the revivers of the faith today ought to study the history of the first reformers (the Prophets). They ought to revisit this history in order to observe what the Prophets called to.

Furthermore, todays faithful must ask themselves: What was the true nature of the prophetic missions? How did they call to the people, and what fate befell them? All of these are important prerequisites that would enable the Islamic workers today to adopt the right course and preserve along it with sure steps and unfailing vision; without being distracted or disheartened by the length of the journey, the ferocity of the waves or the turbulence of the storms; that is Aspire to acquire the desire you admire even when you perspire, never retire or
despair until you achieve your initial goal of which you desire. It is in this context that we have

decided to review the call of the Prophets and Messengers; perhaps our effort may result in identifying some of the most important milestones along the way to success.

MUSLIM YOUTH AND THE PRESSING SOCIETAL CHALLENGES!

Youth are backbone of a society. That s why every organization, whether it s social or political, wills to have its own youth wing. However, there are a very few ones who takes care of the difficulties and challenges they face. The leader, the Imam, in the mosque functioned (at least, in theory) as a spiritual- moral guide through his knowledge and upright conduct. Nurturing the good human society, in brief, was the role that was assigned to these three important social institutions. They -the family, the school, and the mosque - mediated between individual and collective interests of Muslims. Let me hasten to add that it was precisely these three institutions that were regarded as the most cohesive forces in raising the Muslim youth to become a constructive individual for the betterment of the society. The central role assigned by Islam to the family in bringing up the future generation of Muslims underscores the heavy burden that the family shoulders at all times in dealing with the question: "What is to be done?" I will come back to the family below. The Adverse Impact of Mass Communications Through Television In Nigeria as well as other places in the "global village" today a large role played by mass communications, especially television, as moral and spiritual broker for individuals, has replaced the traditional institutions like Family, School and Mosque as the sole channels through which values were transferred to the coming generation. These three institutions were expected to ensure continuity and stability in times of severe social transformation. Television in particular has gone beyond its mandate to assist the family and the school in providing visual aid and education to the young. It has taken upon itself to appeal to the destructive and disintegrative instincts, to provoke greed, unlimited self-gratification, and absence of moral restraint in its young audience. It is sufficient to recall the ongoing debate among the legislators and the providers of the television entertainment to gauge the seriousness of the negative impact these programming are having on the youth in the society in which family relations are in shambles. It has alarmed people in all walks of life who care for their children. The situation has reached a level of crisis created by extreme forms of consumerism and the indifference to all moral values. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Western and Eastern Nigeria society as a consequence of the mass communication through the television has become selfindulgent and hedonistic, without a moral imperative to conduct its affairs without measure which mostly leads to crisis and other criminal act. The control of mass communications is so

thorough going that it is hard to imagine other means of countering its negative impact and once again taking charge of the process of developing of moral consciousness in our community. There is no home that can escape the intruding impact of the television on the moral development of our youth. The situation has taken a worst turn in the absence of parental supervision that was at one time available to the young ones when at home.

It is clear that the confrontation strategies devised against these threats and against the conditions that exacerbate their impact should harness all resources available such as the roles of family and school and the part played by the mass media, civil society, and religious guidance programmes from mosques and others. Convening on one specific topic within the broad scope of societal challenges and its threats, such as terrorism (militancy: Ebgesu in Niger Delta area, OPC in Yoruba land, Biafra and Bakasi in Igbo land and recently Boko haram in Hausa land). I believe all these were happening as the result of unemployment and level of illiteracy which lead youth to be come an agent of satan (an idle mind is a devil work shop) the youth today in general faced three kinds of challenges, they were of political, economic and socio-cultural nature. An ideal society can emerge only when these three challenges are tackled tactfully taking them into confidence. The youth today were running after money and going materialistic. That s why they are full of tension, stress and strain, in the name of capitalism and Socialism, and capitalism and Socialism were only 200-300 year-old whereas the history of Islam and Muslims was of more than a thousand years. Therefore, only Islam could come as a natural remedy to the youth. Whatsoever was being done at the government level, and how much it was effective, was known to the government, but the Muslim community should itself pay attention towards it. The youth had played their role in construction and destruction both in every age, and this was happening in this era too. It is the responsibility of those keeping an eye on the situation and issues to pay attention towards them help in resolving the problems and challenges faced by them.

y ISLAM:
Narrated By Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles): 1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle. 2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly. 3. To pay Zakat. (i.e. obligatory charity) 4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca) 5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan. (Bukhari) Narrated By 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: The Prophet said, "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue and hands."(Bukhari)

y YOUTH:
First: What is the definition of youth? Youth is defined by the United Nations as the age between 15 and 24.This definition is provided by the UN General Assembly, and is not legally binding. Individuals aged 15 to 18 are also included in the legal definition of children, according to international treaties. In particular, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) defines a child as everyone under the age of 18 unless, under the law applicable to the child, maturity is attained earlier. Similarly, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) defines a child as every human being under the age of 18. The underpinning rationale of this body of international legal norms is that children constitute a vulnerable category in need of special protection because of their physical and psychological immaturity. As an age category, youth positions itself across the boundaries of childhood and adulthood. The age cohort between 15 and 18 is sometimes also referred to as adolescents. However, this age categorization is not universally accepted. UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)15 define adolescents as boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 19. Young age is a crucial stage in Man's life. At the onset of this phase, Man begins to acquire maturity as his exposure to external dangers and factors increases. This ushers in the early stages of embracing life as the young man comes into contact with strong temptations, experiences the stirrings of reasoning and awakens to his surroundings with a natural curiosity and a desire for know-ledge. These temptations may lead him astray and his intellectual awakening and liberal thinking may steer him into the unknown or towards dangerous lines of thinking if he is not sensitized, guided and enlightened. To further complicate matters and exacerbate the need for an urgent solution, the growth of young people follows an upward trend in most Arab and Islamic countries where they account for 30% of the total population. Islam has conferred great importance on youth and laid down the foundations and rules of how to care for them. Much emphasis in laid on the role of young people and their deep impact on the dynamics of society. This important role of young people and the significance of their part in discharging the obligations of faith was referred to in the holy verse:

[They were youths who believed in their Lord, and we advanced them in guidance.]{Al Kahf, verse 13}

From here Allah begins to explain the story in detail. He states that they were boys or young men, and that they were more accepting of the truth and more guided than the elders who had become stubbornly set in their ways and clung to the religion of falsehood. For the same reason, most of those who responded to Allah and His Messenger were young people. As for the elders of Quraysh, most of them kept to their religion and only a few of them became Muslims. So Allah tells us that the people of the cave were young men. Mujahid said, "I was informed that some of them wore some kind of earrings, then Allah guided them and inspired them to fear Him, so they recognized His Oneness, and bore witness that there is no god besides Him.'' (and We increased them in guidance.) From this and other similar Ayat, several scholars, such as Al-Bukhari and others, understood that faith may increase, that it may vary in degrees, and that it may fluctuate. Allah says: (and We increased them in guidance.) as He said elsewhere: (While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their Taqwa.) 47:17 Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

y Muslim Youth
The Quran and life of the Prophet give numerous examples of outstanding youth. Islam praised the efforts of the youth in reviving religion through calling to the worship of God and fighting against disbelief as a form of backwardness and corruption. Indeed the image of Abraham peace be upon him in the Quran is one of extreme inspiration, enlightenment and uniqueness. It is the image of a young man rebelling against his peoples decadent traditions, a young man defying the dominant values of his society even in the form of a tyrant king who claims divinity. His son Ismail inherited these qualities of sincerity in worshipping Allah and sacrifice of everything for His sake, as clear in the story of the sacrifice when his father consulted him upon seeing in his dream that he is to sacrifice him, and he answered with determination and certainty to obey Allahs command Oh my father, do as you are commanded, you will find me, if Allah so wills of the steadfast. Again, facing the despotism of Pharoah, those who dared to declare their faith were a group of youth who defied Pharoah and joined Moses And none believed in Moses except some children of hid people because of fear of Pharoah and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them. The mission of Muhammad peace be upon him was also one for the youth as the eldest of those who first believed in the prophet was Abu Bakr as Siddiq who was only thirty five years old, and most had not reached the age of twenty, while some were as young as ten such as Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

y The Ideal Youth

One may define the ideal youth as a balanced individual exhibiting a highly spiritual life informed by absolute moral values and whose behaviour demonstrates qualities such as righteousness, honesty, humility and conscientiousness in everything he/she does. In this regard the Qur'an has reminded us more than once that "A man receives but only that for which he strives; that his endeavors will be judged, and only then will he receive his recompense in full." (Quran, 53:39-41)

y Challenges
Most of the problems facing today s youth are not restricted to any one ethnic or religious group, but affect young people generally. Most discussions on youth have focussed on issues such as drug abuse, crime, violence, sexuality and poverty. In addition to these, today s youth are afflicted by new challenges. These include: An Identity Crisis: Who am I? Lack of self confidence and low self esteem: I am worthless A sense of hopelessness: Where am I going? Confusion and ambiguity concerning moral issues: What is right and wrong? The negative impact of the electronic media: Entertainment ? Competitiveness in education: the uneven playing field: Excellence by whom? Not Me.

y Way Forward
1. To pay maximum attention in bringing up and character building of their children in Islamic perspective and also guide them in the selection of their career. 2. Improve networking among Muslims. 3. Improve Muslim representation in politics, public service and community service organizations. 4. Funding for Islamic friendly youth services. 5. Funding for youth camps. 6. Increased training for service providers in cultural/religious sensitivity. 7. Increase funding and training available for current youth workers most of them are volunteers. 8. Address bullying and discrimination against Muslims in public schools. 9. Building relationships with local councils and Muslim youth centres. 10. Fund further programmes to prevent or break the social isolation of Muslim youth. 11. Promote the duty of community service/volunteerism among young Nigerian Muslims so that they can continue to engage in the wider community. 12. Appeal to religious leaders and Islamic organisations to improve a sense of unity among the Nigerian umma. 13. Government sponsored education for the public on what Islam is. 14. Media campaigns promoting anti-discrimination including TV ads (similar campaign to the anti domestic violence campaign). 15. Grass roots communication between Muslims and non-Muslims through social groups, sporting groups, activities, and camps, etc. 16. Better education for Muslims about Islam. 17. Better education about the compatibility between Nigerian law and Islamic values. 18. School and university based interfaith activities. 19. A more proactive approach to promoting multiculturalism should be taken in schools. 20. Programmes for Muslims to experience and understand Nigerias Indigenous heritage. 21. Programmes and activities that increase the self-esteem of young Nigerian Muslims so they feel confident about their identity. 22. Identifying more successful and high profile Nigerian Muslims who can act as Ambassadors.