Impact of Globalization on Islamic Youth
Globalization has largely succeeded in achieving intellectual domination over generations of Muslims since the mid-20th century, starting with World War I and solidified in World War II, alongside the Western colonization of Muslim countries and the movement of Orientalism. It was further reinforced with the development of global cinema and the dominance of American cinema in world art, presenting a one-sided cultural vision in the absence of an Islamic identity, especially after the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate and the fragmentation of Muslims into closed-border states after having been a significant power.
Cultural Globalization and Its Mechanisms
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi articulates the dangers of globalization on Muslim cultural identity by stating: "The most dangerous form of globalization, with the farthest-reaching effects, is the globalization of culture, meaning the imposition of one nation's culture upon all other nations, or the culture of the dominant and powerful nation over the weaker and submissive nations.
In other words, it is the imposition of American culture on the entire world, be it Eastern or Western, Muslim or Christian, monotheistic or committed, pagan or libertine. The means to achieve this goal are the powerful tools and mechanisms that transcend continents and oceans — from media outlets and the influence of readable and audible words, to visual sound and images, live broadcasting, the information network, and others.
Cultural globalization seeks to skin us of our identity, to strip us of our skin, or to remove our identity, compelling us to spend in our nation its intellectual products and cultural goods that are filled with radiation and bear death and destruction."
Globalization's Influence on Fashion and Thought
For example, to illustrate the dominance of Western culture among Arab youth, it is sufficient to take a look at the types of clothing worn by young people of both genders and how Western fashion attracts most of them, evaluating individuals based on how much they embrace or reject it. The same applies to atheistic thought, capitalism, and the culture of mingling, women's work, feminism, marriage, and family building. The phenomenon of atheism has even become a new intellectual trend, with individuals choosing to be atheists simply to be labeled as cultured.
Westernization of the Arabic Language
As for the Arabic language and the attempts to westernize it in Arab countries, the situation is dire. One can barely find commercial shops using the Arabic language, and we see young girls mastering English vocabulary better than they know the Quran, making English their preferred mode of communication and a symbol of their progress or backwardness.
Devastating Effects on Religion, Education, and Morals
In this context, we find that globalization has devastating effects on religion, education, and morals that cannot be quantified. Efforts must be combined to confront it to steer the nation back onto the right path.
Distinctiveness of Islamic Universality vs. Western Globalization
Some may confuse the universality of Islam as a divine heavenly project that God Almighty has chosen for humanity, sending the final prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), as guidance for all worlds, with globalization as a project of earthly dominance that entices people toward all that is base, serving Satan and those who benefit from it.
Islamic Guiding Project
An impartial researcher can clearly distinguish between the universality of Islam and the Western globalization of the world, even if he is not a Muslim. The launch of the Islamic project from the dawn of history was based on the saying of the Companion Rabi' bin Amer to Rustam, the Persian leader: "We are a people whom God has sent to bring out whomever He wills from the worship of servants to the worship of the Lord of servants."
Call to Action
Islam is a guiding project from the Lord of the worlds, revealed by God to His Messenger to bring happiness to humanity in both realms. It does not seek gain for those behind it, nor does it request compensation from people.
Distinguishing Universal Islamic Call
The universal nature of Islam was not determined by the Messenger (peace be upon him) himself but is an inherent aspect of the religion as outlined by God Almighty in His Book. As it is stated: "It is nothing but a reminder for the worlds" (Sad: 87), and, "And We have not sent you except as a mercy for the worlds" (Al-Anbiya: 17). Additionally, "Indeed, the first house established for mankind is the one in Bakkah, blessed and a guidance for the worlds" (Al-Imran: 96), and, "Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner" (Al-Furqan: 1), and, "And We have not sent you except to all mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner" (Saba: 28).
The universality of Islam extends to the universality of the Prophet of Islam and his nation after him, as long as they carry the global project to guide humanity and show mercy towards them. It is thus a divine commission rather than just an honor for a nation; it is a constructive project, not a destructive one; a project of construction, not demolition; it advocates values and principles rather than gains and spoils.
On the other hand, globalization, which began with the idea of economic control and dominance to strip nations of their resources and subjugate them for the benefit of a group driven by European racism, is essentially a destructive project aimed at damaging minds, economies, and identities and attempting to detach individuals from all that empowers them and protects their roots.
Confronting Globalization with Islamic Culture
It is well known that flowing water drives away stagnant water if it stands in its path, and the project of globalization is stagnant, foul water, even if it appears otherwise to the observer. Its apparent strength through its wide-ranging means is merely a reflection of the weakness of those responsible for the divine Islamic project and their failure to renew their methods, contenting themselves with confinement and defending the idea in words rather than actions.
Educational Institutions and Intellectual Engagement
We must establish educational institutions and expand the specializations that assist in this field under the supervision of Arab and Islamic states; if this is not feasible, it should be under the supervision of major Islamic institutions, such as Al-Azhar for example, and the concerned and widely spread Islamic associations in our countries, as well as the International Union of Muslim Scholars, to devise a flexible educational plan to engage the minds of the youth and confront thought with thought.
Directed Artistic Production
Those responsible for the arts in general and businessmen in particular should focus on directed artistic production. The importance of art lies in the ease of conveying information and educational value in an accessible and appealing manner.
Media Development
We must develop media and guide distinguished minds to meet the nation’s needs in this critical area, ensuring the discourse matches the events and the tasks at hand.
Empowering Youth and Confronting Consumption Culture
Directing the nation’s energy and wealth towards production and employing youth to fill their intellectual and physical voids is essential. It is also important to prepare girls for a mission greater than just securing a job for financial and familial independence and to confront the culture of consumption that has transformed our countries into vast consumer markets for Western products.
Finally, these are broad guidelines to confront a serious issue that worries the scholars of the nation, but the weak resources in their hands remain a significant obstacle in facing this major dilemma, and the gap remains vast between us and our ability to confront it.
