The Pride Felt by many as they Witnessed the Youth of Gaza Inflicting Heavy Losses on the Enemy

Leaders of Jihad became Role Models for Muslim Youth in Sacrifice, Devotion, Patience, and Steadfastness

Qur'anic Themes Resurfaced in the Minds of Youth, Resounding in their Ears and Resonating in their Hearts

The Events of the Prophet's Biography Reclaimed their Radiance When the Battles of the Prophet ﷺ Were Recounted

On the morning of October 7, 2023, Muslim youth woke up to a devastating blow dealt to the Zionist entity. Gaza’s brigade, described as an invincible force composed of Zionism’s elite soldiers, was crushed. Its electronic jamming systems were breached, hundreds of its soldiers were captured, and countless others were killed. The Zionist army became the laughingstock of the world after its image as “the invincible army” was shattered. This resulted in several notable outcomes, including:

1. Halting the normalization train that Arab countries had rushed toward, with others ready to follow had it not been for the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” The lies of the “Abrahamic religion” and the “New Middle East” were also debunked.
2. Shattering the myth of the “invincible army” as cameras documented its flaws, revealing its weakness to the world.
3. Restoring the Muslim Ummah’s confidence in its ability to act when it wills, showing that it is not always a passive victim. The real issue lies in the absence of will among leaders and their surrender to the bitter reality they themselves have created.
4. Exposing the falsehood of the Zionist narrative that prevailed in Europe and America for decades, portraying the Zionist state as a peaceful entity surrounded by barbaric savages. Massive protests with tens of thousands of participants denounced Zionist atrocities, labeling them as terrorism, violence, and bloodthirstiness.
5. Embarrassing Arab regimes with massive armies and weapons stockpiles. It became evident that these arms are not for use in critical battles or defending the Ummah but are reserved for suppressing and humiliating their own people.

After more than a year since the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” it is valid to ask: how has this monumental battle impacted our youth? To answer, we must first examine the state of Muslim youth, who had been enveloped by despair and surrounded by causes of defeat after the failure—or sabotage—of the “Arab Spring revolutions.” This political backlash led to further oppression and terrorism, pushing some youth toward violence and extremist groups. Others turned to atheism, seeking refuge in it like escaping from the frying pan into the fire, after their faith in promises of victory—often reiterated by Islamic group leaders during the revolutions' early successes—was shaken. A third group remained silent and bitter, witnessing the scholars and leaders of the Ummah being dragged to prisons, exile, or the gallows.

We can summarize some effects of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” on the youth of the Ummah as follows:

1. Many felt pride and dignity seeing the youth of Gaza inflict severe wounds on the enemy and document their actions with undeniable visuals. On the pulpits, they recalled Allah's words:
   “And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.” (Al-Munafiqun: 8)
2. Muslim youth began adopting new role models, unlike those glorified by deceitful media. While such media had succeeded in making celebrities out of the insignificant, after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and the trials endured by Gaza’s people, leaders and ordinary individuals alike demonstrated extraordinary sacrifice, devotion, patience, and resilience. Figures like “The Masked Commander” became exemplars to follow.
3. Youth revisited the jurisprudence of jihad in light of the new reality, asking about defensive and offensive jihad, the conditions for each, the ruling on killing captives, the rules of using human shields, and the duties of the present time. These terms, previously neglected, gained renewed significance, underscoring the enemy's attempts to distract youth with irrelevant ideological debates and philosophical disputes of no practical benefit.
4. The battle exposed to Muslim youth the presence of internal enemies—individuals from within the Ummah who outwardly appear as part of it but align their hearts with its adversaries, selling their religion for worldly gains.
5. Qur'anic themes, long forgotten, were revived in the minds of youth. These themes resonated deeply, as when hearing ayahs about individuals characterized as: “The hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumors in al-Madinah.” (Al-Ahzab: 60)
   Witnessing Zionists weeping over their dead and marching for their captives reminded many of Allah's words: “If you should be suffering - so are they suffering as you are suffering, but you expect from Allah that which they expect not.” (An-Nisa: 104) And, “If a wound should touch you - there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people.” (Aal 'Imran: 140)
6. Youth saw how a small, besieged group for 17 years, labeled as terrorists by the tyrants of the so-called international community, could shake the entire world with near-miraculous bravery. This offered a vivid example to young Muslims, showing that while the Ummah may sleep, it never dies, for, as the Prophet said: “A group of people from my Umma will always remain triumphant on the right path and continue to be triumphant (against their opponents). He who deserts them shall not be able to do them any harm. They will remain in this position until Allah's Command is executed (i.e. Qiyamah is established).”
7. Individual initiatives and noble acts emerged, such as youth in Egypt, Jordan, and elsewhere avenging the martyrs and oppressed people of Gaza from the Zionist criminals. These young heroes became icons of courage and sacrifice in their homelands.
8. The events of the Prophet's Seerah regained their brilliance and relevance. As the Prophet's ﷺ battles and struggles were recounted, youth saw a reflection of these events in the steadfastness, courage, and resilience of Gaza’s fighters. This showed them that the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions is not mere fiction but finds real-world parallels even today.
9. Youth recognized the grave danger of hypocrisy as they heard some with apparent religious credentials belittling the significance of jihad and criticizing the Mujahideen, claiming they brought ruin to Gaza, as if Gaza was relishing in a blissful Meanwhile, these same individuals remained silent about regimes proven to support the Zionist entity, supplying it with goods, food, meds, intelligence, and coordination.
10. Youth renewed their faith in Qur'anic truths that had been obscured by doubts. Witnessing the steadfastness, bravery, and profound trust of the Mujahideen in Allah, they were reminded of the ayah: “How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.” (Al-Baqarah: 249)

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Read the Article in Arabic

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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