RIYADH, 1 November — A survey of Islamic websites has disclosed that 70 percent of them are in Arabic followed by English (27 percent).
Speaking at the Ninth International Conference on “Youth and Globalization,” yesterday, Dr. Adnan Khalil Basha, secretary-general of the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), pointed out that 88 percent of the Internet users covered by his survey went online for Dawah purposes.
Further, the survey revealed that the technical supervision of these sites was carried out by individuals and not by organizations. Dr. Basha called upon the ministries concerned with Islamic affairs to pay special attention to this medium in view of its growing popularity in all sections of society, especially the youth.
In his presentation on the “Impact of globalization on mass media and youth in the Muslim world,” Mustafa Yousuf Ali, a Ph.D. student from Pakistan, said the “Western media has raised the threatening specter of Islamic fundamentalism‚ and Muslim terrorism‚ and is wary of resurgent movements in the Muslim world...” He said they use such expressions deliberately to qualify Islam and Muslims by these terms. “So pervasive have been their use that out of naivete, the Muslims are using these abusive names themselves.” At the same time, he observed, the news agencies cover up human rights abuses against Muslims by using neutral expressions like “targeted killing‚ for assassination, “killed in crossfire” (for shot by soldiers), “respond” (for attack), “collateral damage” (civilian casualties), etc. He called upon Muslim intellectuals to address these challenges by making use of the Internet.
In his presentation on “Drug addiction among Muslim youth: Challenges in prevention and rehabilitation,” Dr. Mahmood Nazar Mohamed, professor of psychology in the University of Malaysia, cited financial problems, unemployment, lack of proper parenting, divorce, single parents, poor schooling, weak moral foundation, physical, mental or sexual abuse as some of the factors promoting drug abuse among the youth.
On the subject of “Social consciousness and its impact on the youth,” Dr. Hanafi Mohammed Nor of the University of Malaysia said a number of factors contributed to what he termed the “loafing or loitering syndrome”. He quoted a study commissioned by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, according to which 70 percent of the youths covered by the survey smoked, 41 percent used drugs, 25 percent consumed liquor, 40 percent viewed blue films, 18 percent had premarital sex, 28 percent gambled, 16 percent committed thefts, while others read pornographic material during their free time.
The conference will conclude today with a special session for women.
