The contemporary reality witnesses a tremendous shift in ideas and theories, accompanied by a growing state of abandoning the values and ethics that nations have upheld through sound human nature, replacing them with slogans that contribute to altering ethical and value-based constants, while Atheistic currents are emerging in every society.

The contemporary changes have become an undeniable reality, akin to the air that no one can avoid. It has either become an imposed reality in institutions or a chosen reality that people adopt themselves.

Zahra Al-Khuroosia says: The wave of atheism is significantly increasing. Whereas it used to occasionally surface timidly, today it has mobilized all social media platforms to achieve its goals. Its ease of access to people and rapid spread allow it to disseminate its destructive ideas, shaking the youth in their faith, leading them to a life of confusion, torment, and conflict, erasing the identity of religion and Arabism under dazzling names that appear merciful but conceal torment. ⁽¹⁾

Youth in the Face of Intellectual Bombardment

All international institutions and those raising development slogans aim to target youth, planning for their involvement in their programs because youth represent the power of change, the element of transformation, and the awaited creative energy. When we look at the value and impact of the transformation led by the youth, we find it profound.

In this era, atheistic currents advocating for the removal of religion from people's lives have proliferated. Some, like the French philosopher Auguste Comte (1857), considered religion a phase of primitive man. For some, this theory is firmly rooted, representing religion as a primitive stage and a form of backwardness.

Thus, religion was depicted as primitive, and its followers as backward. This view was reinforced by the evident disparity between religious leaders' preachings and their practices. While they urged people towards asceticism and chastity, they indulged in luxury and vice. They advocated for righteousness but fell into deviation themselves.

Here lies the first thread of atheism among the youth, which can be expressed as: the separation between theory and practice among religious leaders and preachers.

Additionally, the expansion of atheism is facilitated by the unrealistic idealism imposed by religious leaders, making religion appear difficult and unattainable, causing the behavior of the devout to sometimes diverge from natural human tendencies and other times from the needs of the body and soul.

Moreover, waves of moral decay in some societies have significantly contributed to the spread of atheism. The self cannot reconcile between piety and vice, or between desire and righteousness. It either remains upright or deviates, and the self is dominant over its owner, with free temptations being irresistible to the weak.

On another front, atheism has spread due to the widespread injustice in the world, leading the subconscious mind of the youth to perceive the world as lacking a vigilant overseer.

The spread of atheism is also reinforced by a flawed religious understanding that assumes divine power must fulfill our desires and wishes whenever we want. When these hopes are not met, the self deviates towards apostasy.

Moreover, the misconception of divine promises as immediate results is a severe flaw in worship. True worship entails submission, striving in work for stewardship, and understanding that Allah's promises have their appointed times, arriving as He wills, not as we decree.

Thus, the youth perceive the perceived delay in divine promises as a sign of a world without a wise overseer, leading the self towards deviation.

Youth in Our Societies

In our Arab and Islamic societies, the situation is no different. The state of civilizational defeat experienced by the Ummah has led the youth into paths of confusion, further exacerbated by persistent defeat and oppression, fostering restlessness among the youth. Additionally, the intellectual bombardment and Westernization currents target them specifically, aiming at them through educational missions and delegations.

Thus, the youth have become easy prey for seemingly official institutions with malicious intents.

This is reinforced by educational curricula that completely sever their connection with religion and link them solely to the tangible and what is produced in laboratories and research facilities.

Proposed Measures to Counter Atheism

Atheism undermines societal stability, destroys its civilization, and exacerbates family disintegration and the erosion of values. Protective measures are essential to counter the growth of this phenomenon. Although our Arab and Muslim societies rank low in atheism prevalence, the phenomenon is growing, its causes persist, and its spread is facilitated. The overall framework of culture, education, art, and the press, including religious discourse, does not encourage the decline of atheism; in some cases, it even promotes it.

Effective measures to counter atheism must be practical, feasible, and easy to implement, focusing on individual efforts and sincere initiatives by those concerned with combating the phenomenon, given that official institutions often neglect this issue.

Thus, the solutions cannot lie solely in calling for educational reform, as that would make the matter contingent upon its improvement.

Nor is it permissible to link the phenomenon to the renewal of religious discourse, as that would tie it to something that is subject to much attention and considerable disagreement.

Recommendations for Countering Atheism

To Neutralize atheism, we can do as follows:

1. Family Care: The family, especially in Arab societies, is the primary educator. Couples should be prepared for marriage and child upbringing based on dialogue and persuasion, starting prevention before the onset of issues.
2. Supplementing Education: Since formal education does not prioritize teaching the Quran memorization and contemplation, charitable institutions or individuals should undertake the task of linking youth to the Quran and Sunnah.
3. Protecting Youth from Social Media: Engage in dialogue rather than prohibiting social media usage, managing discussions with youth effectively.
4. Correcting Religious Misconceptions: Addressing the flaws in how the biography of the Prophet, Sunnah, and legislations are taught, instilling the Sharia as a constant practice in the youth's lives.
5. Individual Responsibility: Every Muslim has a role in this effort, as societal well-being depends on the righteousness of its individuals. Collective disaster affects both the righteous and the corrupt.
6. Utilizing Modern Technologies: Swiftly employing modern means to counter atheism, as ignoring them will entrench atheism among the youth, making them captives to these technologies.
7. Promoting Broader Knowledge: Expanding the scope of knowledge to include both scientific and rational understanding, recognizing that knowledge extends beyond sensory perception and should not be validated solely by laboratory results. Using the observable world to understand the unseen aids in comprehending what the mind might consider impossible. From the beautiful examples, the hadith: “You will die as you sleep, and you will be resurrected as you wake up.” and the Quranic ayah: “And he presents for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, 'Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?' Say, 'He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'” (Yasin: 78-79)

Thus, the indications of Sharia guide by comparing the unseen with the seen, making what the mind deems impossible attainable. The blessed individual who engages in educating youth following this approach.

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(1) Atheism among Gulf Women: Causes and Effects, p.73.

(2) Paths of Guidance and Righteousness (2/323).

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The International Youth Day, celebrated annually on August 12, passed by without the fanfare or media, political, and societal attention that such an event, and this rising and capable force, deserves. This force consists of 1.2 billion youths, representing 16% of the world's population.

The Arab region holds an advantage in this regard, as it possesses a youthful energy that makes it the leading region in terms of the largest youth population, compared to Europe, which is the most aged continent, according to data from the United Nations.

Arab countries are characterized by having an average age under thirty, especially Egypt, the most populous with over 100 million people and an average age of 23.9 years, Libya with 26.3 years, and Saudi Arabia with 29.8 years. In contrast, for example, the average age in Italy is 46.3 years, in Germany 44.9 years, and in France 41.6 years.

Despite this qualitative advantage, Arab societies, besides ignoring the event, impose many pressures and challenges that hinder the political, economic, and societal empowerment of the youth. This might even push them behind the walls of frustration, oppression, unemployment, crime, and suicide, with a deliberate marginalization of this immense energy from the circles of influence and decision-making.

Where are the Arab youth in governance institutions? Where are they in parliaments and legislative councils? What is their impact in the spheres of finance and business? What is their influence on the economy and politics of their countries? Where are they in the fields of science, innovation, invention, and production? And why the insistence on keeping them in the realms of sports, entertainment, and amusement?

Many pressing questions arise, given the lack of benefit from this demographic growth in youth numbers, compared to the aging problem faced by the West, which grants Arabs a rare advantage to make a substantial change in the future if this energy is revolutionized and well-utilized in improving the quality of the state's and society's sectors, advancing them to promising horizons.

When you realize that over 92% of the Middle East's population is between 15 and 29 years old, meaning that about a quarter of the region's population (108 million) are young people, we are looking at a massive army, invaluable, made up of energy, vitality, courage, and the ability to innovate and overcome challenges if given the circumstances, with a free will and wise management towards change.

However, the stark contradiction is evident when comparing the current situation to the rising unemployment rates worldwide, which reached 13% last year, with Arab countries among those suffering the most from youth unemployment, according to data from the International Labour Organization.

From unemployment to suicide, there is one person in the world dying by suicide every 40 seconds, with more than half of the suicides being people under 45, and suicide being the second leading cause of death among young, according to the World Health Organization.

The indicators of unemployment and suicide reveal what young people suffer from globally, especially in the Arab world, amidst political exclusion, economic marginalization, societal oppression, educational deterioration, and media degradation. This casts enormous burdens on this group, which should be the lever of progress and advancement, but instead, has become captive to need, deprivation, disintegration, extremism, and illegal migration, among other challenges that prevent youth empowerment and granting them full rights in building society and leading the ship of progress and advancement.

Although some Arab countries, particularly in the Gulf, enjoy enormous financial and economic capabilities, the youth in these societies are being rapidly and systematically pushed towards football fields, entertainment arenas, music festivals, and wrestling rings, while Palestinian youth are writing a legendary epic of resistance and resilience against a brutal arsenal of killing, violence, and destruction.

It is a grave and serious mistake for International Youth Day to pass without serious reflections at all political, legislative, economic, media, religious, cultural, and intellectual levels, provided that a serious and objective evaluation of the realities on the ground, and the available capabilities and budgets for these promising generations, takes place.

We are in urgent and dire need of genuine accountability for everyone regarding what we have provided for Arab youth, so that we can excel with their vitality and energy, for once, over the West that suffers from illness and aging. The goal here is not to excel in numbers, but to achieve qualitative excellence in the fields of science, work, production, innovation, technology, and exports, among other areas of life.

We also have a noble message, which is to summon the Arab youth anew, sharpen their energies towards attempts, restore hope, self-confidence, work towards reform, constructive cooperation, exchange of experiences, and building bridges of understanding between the components of society. This includes forming support and motivation groups that adopt their causes, work towards achieving their dreams, and influence the course of events positively, constructively, advancing, not retreating.

Where are the youth? How do we awaken the energies of this massive army? When will the present and future belong to them?

Pressing questions remain in need of answers from everyone!

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Muslim youth today face immense challenges in Western societies, with the most significant of these being the challenge of religious identity. With increasing cultural, political, and economic pressures, these young people find themselves in a struggle that threatens their psychological and social stability. They must reconcile the demands of their faith with the demands of the society in which they live, leading to a division where some become negligent in their faith, while others become extreme.

The Islamic identity stems from the doctrine of monotheism, which forms the core beliefs of a Muslim and governs their interactions with others, as well as their appearance, reflecting their affiliation with Islam. Preserving one's religious identity does not imply isolation or disengagement from other cultures and religions. Instead, a Muslim should be an honorable example, correcting the misconceptions that have been unfairly associated with Islam and Muslims.

According to Pew Research Center statistics, the number of Muslims in the European Union countries reached about 26 million by 2016, a number that continues to grow along with numerous obstacles and challenges. After the events of September 11, Islam has often been perceived as a terrorist and extremist religion, leading to increased racism and persecution of Muslims in America, in particular, and Western countries in general, due to rising hostility towards them. For instance, in 2009, Switzerland's largest party proposed a referendum to ban the construction of minarets. In 2019, a pregnant woman in Australia wearing a hijab was severely attacked and had to be hospitalized. A study by researchers at Charles Sturt University found that 96% of women who reported physical assaults and sexual harassment were hijabis. Additionally, a survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights revealed that about 92% of Muslims have experienced racial discrimination in various forms, with 53% of them due to their names. A study by Rice University showed that Muslims in America are five times more likely to be harassed by police because of their religion compared to other faiths.

Thus, Muslim youth find themselves between two extremes: some are afraid and seek to assimilate into these societies without facing persecution or assaults, leading them to abandon their identity. Others may join extremist groups, isolating themselves from a society that rejects them. According to Dr. Sana Asad, a researcher at San Francisco State University specializing in the identity crisis among youth, one in three children aged 5 to 9 hides their Muslim identity from their peers. One in two children is unsure if they can be both Muslim and American at the same time, and one in six children sometimes pretends not to be Muslim to fit into society.

There are three main reasons exacerbating the identity crisis among Muslim youth in the West:

1- Lack of true understanding of Islam: They do not comprehend the greatness of this religion, do not truly know Allah, and lack the knowledge that would strengthen their faith and certainty in the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. Consequently, they have no connection to this religion that qualifies them to follow it and bear its obligations.

 2- Fear of affiliation with Islam: Many Muslim youth in the West live in constant fear of revealing their Islamic identity due to racism and persecution, preventing them from freely practicing their religious rituals. For instance, Muslim women might remove their hijabs to avoid unemployment, Muslims might change their Islamic names to Western ones, and some prefer to miss prayers rather than being seen praying in public places.

3- The dual-generation crisis: Muslim youth suffer from the intergenerational conflict, feeling caught between the generation of immigrant parents who do not fully understand their problems and force them to follow a religion that seems inconsistent with the life they live and the societies that surround them, and the Western society that does not accept them and sees them as intruders, reinforcing their feelings of alienation and lack of belonging.

 The Solution

Youth need to learn the true Islamic religion, away from the negative models that distort its image. This can only be achieved by learning the correct creed, the noble Prophetic biography, and the stories of the great companions and followers so that they can take pride in their Islamic identity and defend it. Here, the importance of institutions in strengthening the youth's connection to their identity becomes evident. The family, mosque, and Islamic centers should support and be a refuge for this confused youth. If they lose their identity, they lose themselves and fall victim to psychological disorders and extremist sects, potentially taking an irrecoverable path.

And as Dr. Essam Hashim states: “When the individuals of the Ummah lost their identity and began to flounder in the darkness of contemporary civilization in search of an identity, a distorted version of Western civilization appeared among the youth of Islamic countries. There emerged those who imitate them in their dress, food, drink, and hairstyles, and even in their self-indulgence of pursuing their desires. Among the Muslim girls, there were those who abandoned their hijab, appeared on satellite channels as singers, dancers, or presenters. Worse still, there are those among our people who speak our language, who, in the name of culture and progress, seek to further erase the Islamic identity; they strive to uncover the hijabi, corrupt the well-behaved, and bring out the hidden and modest.”

This is the price we have to pay when we let go of our identity, we become a joke among other nations!

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1. The Identity Crisis of Muslims in Non-Muslim Societies, paradigm shift.
2. The Identity Crisis of Muslims In Non-Muslim Society | Sheeren Salama.
3. Youth and Islamic Identity, Islam Web.
4. Youth and Islamic Identity, Al Jazeera Net.
5. Muslim Youth in the West Investing in Social Media: Identity and Integration, Civilization Center for Studies and Research.

A common phrase suggests that more than half of the jobs that our children will perform today have not yet been invented! This means that we need generations equipped with the necessary skills to face an uncertain future, and this is the role of education, which is not limited to transferring knowledge but building minds capable of adaptation and innovation.

In most of our Arab countries, educational systems still contribute to stifling young minds, confining them to narrow circles that prevent them from venturing into the realm of thinking and creativity. This is achieved through the “triangle of destruction;” its first side being “rote memorization and recitation,” neglecting the development of critical and creative thinking skills. The second side manifests in fostering a culture of “conveying minds” rather than creative and innovative minds, resulting in individuals lacking critical thinking skills and living within a culture of conformity. The third side is the failure of these systems to keep pace with major transformations such as the digital revolution and artificial intelligence, which hinders the preparedness of youth for the future labor market.

Developing the minds of our youth requires a new educational philosophy that focuses on fostering critical and creative thinking.

As a result of this decline, our schools and universities are producing stagnant minds and limited abilities. The role of education in shaping young minds and building critical and creative thinking skills has diminished. It has become necessary to reimagine education to align with contemporary demands and comprehensively and sustainably enhance human intellect.

Developing the minds of our Arab youth requires a new educational philosophy that focuses on fostering critical and creative thinking through promoting scientific methods and analytical thinking. Additionally, educational policies should align with digital transformations and artificial intelligence, linking them to the regional and global labor market.

Importance and Challenges

Science is not merely knowledge that is transferred and inherited but rather comprehensive development of all necessary life skills. Through it, an individual gains the ability to think outside the box and find innovative solutions to problems, cooperate, and work in teams. It elevates the mind and enhances communication and negotiation skills. Education is not just a means to obtain certificates but an investment in the future, creating minds capable of building advanced societies.

Education plays a vital role in shaping an individual’s character and developing self-awareness and social consciousness. It provides the knowledge and skills necessary to understand oneself and one’s capabilities, build self-confidence, and make informed decisions. It also contributes to instilling values of good citizenship, tolerance, and cooperation and raises awareness of societal issues, preparing individuals to actively contribute to building more prosperous communities.

Young people in most of our Arab countries face numerous challenges that hinder their access to quality education. The most prominent of these challenges can be summarized as follows:

• Digital Gaps: These pose a significant barrier to quality education. When millions of young people lack access to good internet services or possess outdated and low-quality devices, it certainly hinders their ability to learn through the modern technologies necessary for advanced education. Moreover, many suffer from a lack of essential digital skills to interact with new education systems.

Major Challenges in Education in Our Countries: Digital Gaps, Weak Curricula, Lack of Resources

• Weak Curricula: This is one of the most significant issues that most Arab countries have not overcome. Most curricula are stagnant and lag behind contemporary developments, focusing on rote learning rather than critical and creative thinking. They lack periodic updates, making them poor and insufficient to meet labor market requirements, thus weakening the readiness of youth to create or even face the future.
• Lack of Resources: In many developing countries, a lack of resources leads to poor-quality education, starting from a shortage of qualified teachers to deteriorating school infrastructure and a lack of basic educational materials. This negatively impacts the educational process as a whole, resulting in generations incapable of contributing significantly to human progress.

Stimulating Young Minds

Amid the enormous challenges facing our Arab world, developing young minds emerges as a top priority for building a promising future. The youth are the backbone of the nation and the ones capable of creating solutions to contemporary problems. To achieve this, experts recommend creating an environment that stimulates young minds and develops their creative abilities through various strategies, including:

• Constantly exposing the mind to new ideas and experiences, which acts as a mental exercise enhancing its capabilities. Reading, for instance, opens wide horizons and develops critical thinking. Additionally, listening to different opinions and engaging in intellectual discussions broadens our perspectives, increases our mental flexibility, and confronting new experiences consistently enhances the mind's flexibility and ability to learn and adapt.
• Engaging in sports: It is not just a physical activity but an investment in brain and mental health. Studies indicate that physical exercise significantly improves brain functions by enhancing circulation and increasing oxygen flow to the brain, thereby boosting its thinking and analytical abilities.
• Breaking the daily routine and trying new ways of living is a powerful stimulant for the mind. When we change our daily path or try new activities, we push our brains to work in different ways. This change forces us to think creatively and adapt to unexpected situations, enhancing our mental flexibility and problem-solving abilities.

We are in dire need of a generation of youth with intellectual flexibility and the ability to learn and develop continuously.

Our era desperately needs a generation of youth with intellectual flexibility and the capacity for continuous learning and development. This is where the importance of a “growth mindset” comes into play, believing that abilities and talents are not fixed but can be developed through effort and perseverance.

According to psychology professors, those with a fixed mindset believe their abilities are limited and unchangeable, while those with a growth mindset believe they can continuously improve themselves through effort and perseverance. This difference in belief significantly impacts their motivation and self-confidence.

Psychologists assert that when young people adopt a growth mindset, they view failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, boosting their confidence and driving them to exert more effort. They understand that success requires perseverance and hard work, not just innate talent.

Adopting a growth mindset contributes, according to psychology experts, to instilling a spirit of initiative and innovation in youth. The intellectual flexibility characteristic of this mindset drives them to think outside the box and seek unconventional solutions to challenges, transforming them into a driving force for creativity across various sectors, from entrepreneurship and technology to cultural and social fields.

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1. “The Impact of Using a Growth Mindset on Motivation for Learning and Productive Thinking,” Al-Azhar Journal of Education: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Educational, Psychological, and Social Research, 42.199 (2023), 1-30.
2. “Challenges of Digital Education in the Arab World (A Foundational Vision),” The Arab Journal of Specialized Education 4.12 (2020), 91-108.
3. Report: “The Brain Needs Exercise to Grow... Here Are Ways to Improve Mental Performance,” Al Jazeera website.

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