Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that that sex crimes had increased sharply in societies and the same case was with corruption as these issues were not confined to one country. He opined that a society had to take a stand against corruption making it unacceptable.
He said this while taking part in the second part of the dialogue with Muslim scholars held by the National Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority, on the topic of “Riyasat-e-Madina, Islam, society and ethical revival.” They dotted down certain collective efforts by the Muslim countries to brace the negative impacts of modernity upon the Muslim youth.
The prime minister hinted that he would be holding a similar dialogue with the renowned scholars in the future so as to get their enlightening views about contemporary issues.
He said that his idea of the establishment of the National Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority in Pakistan was to unite human beings under the teachings of Seerat and raise standards of morality and ethics in society.
A number of eminent Muslim scholars stressed upon the need to grapple with issues emanating from globalisation and a plethora of untamed information on the internet through proper guidance of the Muslim youth.
Sharing their thought-provoking views, they highlighted that through the creation of adequate awareness about the Seerat and Sunnat of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), the Muslim youth should be educated to glide through the current age challenges.
The prominent scholars included Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, Dr Timothy Winter/Abdal Hakim Murad, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Dr Recep Senturk, Dr Osman Bakar, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
They responded to various questions raised by the prime minister about the unbridled availability of social media material, corruption, rising sex offences against women and children and other contemporary challenges posed to the Muslim youth and society.
Taking part in the discussion, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington, US, alluded to the impacts of the modernistic trends upon the Muslim youth which could be felt much more than ever.
He said that the youth should be taught that spirituality was a real phenomenon while the mundane attractions were temporary.
“Today, the world is more precarious and dangerous for the youth,” he said, adding that the Muslim youth should be guided through the teachings which were authentic and pertaining to the current challenges.
Dr Nasr also denounced that in the West, certain non-serious elements talked about Islam in a negative tone, which was tantamount to attacking the religion.
He maintained that Islam offered solutions to the most urgent issues of today, adding that the Muslim countries were blessed with tremendous resources and they could utilise it to revive and preserve their culture on the basis of faith in the religion. Dr Nasr further said that solutions to present-day challenges could not be resolved within 24 hours as there was a dire need for gradual awareness.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, an American scholar, responding to the prime minister’s query about the corruption and increasing trend of sexual offences against women and children, agreed that these were the profound problems arising from greed in society.
Dr Yusuf further likened the issue of corruption to a rotten apple that could decay a society. He said the Holy Quran had explained the issue of corruption and its impacts upon individuals and society. .—APP
