In a time where most youths in the Western world receive the
rights to express their opinions and receive the justice from the society,
there are many youths in the Arab world, which are still having difficulty
consulting about their struggle for a lifestyle that most western youths can
achieve. Youths in Egypt even barely express their plans for the future, and
what kind of a citizen they want to be. The text “Being Young and Muslim”,
edited by Linda Herrera and Asef Bayat focused on discussing this on chapter 8.
They wrote that even though youths are allowed “little scope to question,
reject or offer alternative visions for societal change (127), they are not
given the opportunities to be directly part of the economy as they lack job
opportunities, and receive limited trust from the older generation.
As the current power holders, the older generation does not
have any interest in enhancing the skills of these young people by giving them
a chance to feel what it is like to be part of the “real world”. Children and
“youth” have often remain their ‘silent others’, or their voiceless enfants terribles (129). The writer of
the article, “Young Egyptians’ Quest for Jobs and Justice”, Linda Herrera,
pointed out how this situation can cause a complicated problem in the future.
She mentioned that without regular work, the youth would remain dependent on
their families and the government, which is bad for the economic growth. In the
era of globalization, youth’s creativity and energy is essential to shape a
stable and prosperous future. Without the opportunity to practice the theories
of knowledge they get from school, they will have less time to shape and plan
their future, which collectively means the future of Egypt.
Herrera brought Karim and Dina to the picture, and used
their stories to illustrate the challenges as Egyptian youths they are facing
in the globalizing era. Karim, a male youth, age 22, spends most of his time
hanging out worrying, sometimes working, indulging in drug, and hoping.
Although he has an interest in an academic subject, politics, he does not like
school and feels that school is only a waste of time. In school he witness
violence, injustice and financial difficulties. In addition to that, school
does not determine his success to be able to get a job in the future. Dina on
the other had, a religious, veiled 21 year old from a more financially stabled
family also have similar perspectives as Karim. She feels that corruption and
nepotism has been a negative aspect of her culture for a long time. She and
Karim both argue that the government and Mubarak as the head of State is
dictating the nation, making Egypt seem like it is ruled by a king instead of a
president. She stresses that the government is ignoring the needs of the people
and prioritizing self-interest. This is also a challenge to the youth as they
lack the chance to continue build their own nation and cope with the
globalizing world.
This situation in Egypt pushes them to desire studying in
the west as the west give the chance for youths to make something out of
themselves, by the freedom, justice and opportunities that they grant for young
people. These youth challenges in Egypt are also an issue for many of the
Muslim countries. The only problem is the influence this brings to the youth’s
perspective on how they can have a good future. This influence makes them feel
that modernity may be a path they should take in order to receive the rights
that they never have. The impact of this is there involvement in the many
globalizing tools, such as the media, the Internet, and society. They sometimes
seek for attention in order to grab the older generation and government’s
attention. We should protect the youths so they don’t need to seek alternatives
to feel useful, and lead themselves into the paths that we don’t desire, such
as terrorism.
Rossa D.
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