I thought the selection of the readings to conclude our IMG course were perfect since it spoke from a youth perspective and help understand the recent Arab uprisings from insiders point of view.
The three selections that talked about Muslim youth from three countries experiences Egypt, Morocco and France prove wrong the assumptions that the social and economic injustices lead the radicalization of young Muslims. Examples from Morocco and Egypt showed us that Muslim youth choose to accommodate Islam in their identity differently. There is also a clear understanding and differentiation between religion and politics. In Morocco the large distance between the ideas (or beliefs) and act (or commitment) illustrate a great example of how religion is part of the private life and how youth choose to avoid mixing religion with politics.
Youth in Morocco choose their self-interests over worshiping God which is a widely present trend in the Middle East.
Overall, I thought the three selections in class spoke from very truthful sources which exposed us to realities rather than theories. We also were able to connect the accommodation of the youth of Islam to many aspects of modernity that we have been examining during the course. In other terms, the youth stances toward the religion of Islam and government are very modern because they seek, although with limited means such as internet, to bring about change.
The readings also gave a great exposure to the definition of youth and youthfulness and how these two share similarities and differences with their global counterparts.
I was really glad that this course ended with a very fruitful discussion about a pretty sensitive topic that drawns many scholars and media attentions.
S.A.A
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