JEDDAH, 5 March 2007 — Dr. Mohammad Badahdah, assistant secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), yesterday emphasized the significance of WAMY’s youth development program for young Saudi men and women, saying it would help tap their capabilities for community services and other constructive activities.
Badahdah, who assumed the post last month, made the comment while receiving Prince Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal in his office. He briefed the prince on WAMY’s various activities, especially on the youth development program, which will be implemented in association with relevant government agencies including the Education Ministry and universities.
“The program is aimed at building a new generation of young men and women who can make positive contributions to society and to the Ummah at large,” said Badahdah, who is a consultant surgeon at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah. The program aims at providing training, employment and guidance to young Saudi men and women and protecting them from deviant groups.
A variety of manpower training and development programs as well as sports and entertainment activities are part of the project. “We expect Saudi companies to join this project by sponsoring its various activities,” said Badahdah. The project will be launched first in the Makkah region, targeting more than 100,000 students.
Badahdah highlighted WAMY’s achievements during the last three decades as a pioneering organization that takes care of Muslim youth, providing them with proper guidance. WAMY was established in 1972 with a royal decree by King Faisal and became the first such international organization to take care of youth affairs.
“We intend to focus on the education and training of Muslim youth,” Badahdah said, adding that some 35 percent of the organization’s budget would be allocated for this purpose. “We’ll also provide scholarships to outstanding Muslim students in Arab and Islamic countries and in non-Muslim countries. We also sponsor a large number of orphans in different parts of the Islamic world.”
Spelling out WAMY’s activities and projects, Badahdah said they included construction of mosques and schools, sponsoring poor families and digging wells in poor Muslim regions. It takes up youth issues, conducts leadership-training programs and promotes cooperation between various Islamic organizations worldwide, especially those working for the welfare of youth. Badahdah commended the Saudi government for its moral and material support to the organization.
