CHALLENGES BEFORE

MUSLIM YOUTH

About 1/5th of the total world population are youth and India has about 243 million youth in
the age group of 15-19 and it will cross over 300 million if the upper age limit is extended to
24 years. We can imagine the strength of the Muslim youth in the country although their
exact figure is not available to us. Muslims are the second largest community in India
estimated to be about 15% and so the Muslim youth will be around 45 million here. Our role
in every field of national activity is vital for unity, development and prosperity of the country
and we have been doing that in our own way despite many hurdles and discriminations.

The 2002 Gujarat riots and some other inhuman atrocities perpetrated on the minorities are of
course a big blot on our countrys beautiful secular image. The judicial verdicts, which have
been pronounced recently in the Gujarat cases, though delayed, have exposed the culprits to
the nation and the world. The governments at the Centre and in the States should pay heed to
them and take strong remedial measures to keep communal forces at bay, severely punish the
guilty and compensate or rehabilitate the victims of the riots and cleanse the politics of the
country from anti-national and criminal elements.

The world, particularly our country, has been discussing issues like drug abuse, violence,
linguistic chauvinism, religious extremism, etc. which are faced by the youth. Besides these,
there is also degradation in moral values of the people in general and the youth in particular.
It has become difficult for the youth to be safe from harmful entertainments like ugly and
obscene dance, uncultured and brute music, free flow of alcohol, etc. Almost every house has
a TV either bought or given by the government as a free gift for voting it to power in states
like Tamil Nadu. One feels that it is mostly misused, and good educational and national
programmes are seen only by a few interested people. Newspaper reports say that students
are the worst sufferers in the TV mania to which people are addicted.

In this scenario the community has the responsibility to save the youth from going astray.
Parents, teachers, social activists and the society as a whole has to be alert and train the
children properly in accordance with Islamic thoughts and values.

The old adage that a man is known by the company he keeps is right. The youth will suffer if
they are not in good company. There is a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allah be to him) that Arrajulu ala deeni khaleelihee falyenzur ahadukum man yukhalilu
It means that a man follows his friend and so each of you should be careful who you
befriend.
Youth are the backbone of a nation and it is they who have to shape its destiny. Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) has said that he was supported by the
young and poor and rejected by the old and rich. It is also a fact that most of the
revolutionaries were youngsters who proved to be forces of change for the better.

An ideal person gives importance to spirituality, moral values such as righteousness, honesty,
humility and endeavours to practise them in life. The holy Qurn says that man can have
nothing but what he strives for: Wa an laysa lil insane illa ma saAAa (53:39).

The Muslim youth are not in a jungle. They are in the glare of the fast changing world. A
majority of Muslims are poor. They have to depend on others for survival. The main reason
for erosion of traditional systems and institutions is lack of joint efforts by ulema and
intellectuals to find solutions by ijtihad to the problems faced by them. The community and
the nation can be safe only if they are on the right track discharging their responsibilities well.

The Muslim youth, as others, are confronted with the deafening noise of individualism,
materialism, atheism, selfishness, disregard for family bonds, etc. They are in a fix. They
need best possible counselling. Muslim organisations have to give right guidance to them in
the light of the holy Qurn and Hadith for their and the countrys bright future.

We are in a secular, plural and democratic country. Globalisation has many plus points.
Muslims have also started learning the importance of better modern education and are
sending their boys and girls to science and arts, engineering and medical colleges for studies
and quite a large number of Muslim youth are working in BPOs, Call Centres and IT
companies where merit counts and there is no room for corruption, nepotism or
communalism. Mostly young boys and girls belonging to different faiths work together in
these companies and so problems crop up sometimes. We see some people going astray. It has
therefore become a must for the Muslim community to create an Islamic atmosphere more
than ever before in their families, mohallas and institutions so that their identity as a
disciplined Islamic community remains intact.

The Muslim community is passing through a difficult period facing many problems such as
dowry demands, lavish marriage expenses, increase in divorce incidents, etc. If ulema and
umara in the jamaats enact necessary norms for marriage and other functions and try to
follow and implement them, things can change for the better. They are the powerful people in
the society and hence they are expected to practise Islamic austerity, simplicity and dignity
before giving sermons.

As far as Muslim youth are concerned, they are mostly confused and in a dilemma in the
present world over some other issues also like taking bank loans, doing bank service, getting
higher education, birth control, participation in functions like Deepavalli and birthday
celebrations, maslaki controversies, controversial fatwas, etc. Apart from these, ugly display
of wealth by the rich without any concern for the poor living in pathetic conditions in slums
also shocks them. Undoubtedly, the rich and the poor do not see eye to eye with each other as
the bond of Islamic fraternity which kept them together without any big differences seems to
be on the wane now. They seem to have become two different castes. I remember having read
a report somewhere that one of the causes for the severe infightings witnessed in Pakistan is
due to the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

The tragedy of the community is that while Islamic scholars are hesitant in taking suitable
actions on some issues like triple talaq which according to all schools of thought is an
undesirable and condemnable act, some so-called liberal Muslims, brought up in an un-
Islamic atmosphere but interested in Islam, are almost waging a war for changes in the
Shariat laws as per their understandings without any regard for the respected scholars who
enjoy confidence of people and are considered pillars of the society. It is not that the demand
for changes on certain issues is altogether wrong in the present changed times. But the way
they present their arguments is somewhat worrisome. It must be clear to us that nobody will
be able to do anything without the support of Islamic scholars. Moreover the demands should
also be in accordance with the holy Qurn and Hadith. There is need for us to see what the
Shariat says and why and not to change it as per our whims and fancies. The print and visual
media are bent upon tarnishing the image of the Muslim community and Islam today. Hence
both ulema and moderate Muslims should be cautious in echoing the affairs of the
community to the press.

Even Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal said that the claim of Muslim liberals to re-interpret the
legal principles in the light of their own experience and the altered conditions of modern life
is perfectly justified. He regretted for not recognising the modernity of the Qurn.

Hence the need of the hour is to bring these two sections of the Muslim community together
for finding solutions to the problems in the light of the holy Quran and Hadith.

Islamic institutions like Darul Uloom, Deoband and Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow can come
forward to join hands with different Muslim organisations and institutions and find solutions
to the social, cultural and religious problems confronting the community and work for its
onward march in the national affairs.

Let us have some community consciousness. Allama Iqbal says: Mubtalaye dard koi uzoo ho
roti hai aankh, Kis qadar hamdard sare jism ki hoti hai aankh. As our eye weeps and shows
sympathy when any part of our body is in pain, we should feel the pain of the suffering
people and go to their rescue. It is what Islam teaches and wants us to do. There is a hadith of
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him): Laa yoominu ahadukum
haththa yuhibbu leeakheehi maa yuhibbu linafsihi - Nobody from you will be a complete
Muslim until he is in a position to like for his brother what he likes for himself.