Saudi Arabia is resolved to fight those expressing deviant thought and extremism and to dry up their resources as they are a force holding back the advancement of the Muslim Ummah, King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, said in Makkah Saturday in a speech during the 10th Holy Makkah Conference, called “Problems of Muslim Youth in the Age of Globalization.” In his speech delivered on his behalf by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, the King called on Muslim scholars to stand firm in the face of extremist ideology to prevent it from corrupting Muslim youth. “We are facing two enemies – the first, which is abroad and belongs to us but is away from our path, has distorted our image with irresponsible actions that we have been heavily paying for. The second enemy, which is inside with us, has seen the attempt to hijack moderate Islam by ignorant gangs, absolute liberals and advocates of politicization,” the King said. Extremism has sneaked into the Kingdom, but the fight against it has been fierce, including the fight against the infiltrators from Yemen who wanted to capture land and terrorize civilians at the southern border, the King said. But the Saudis were united, supported by the solid stance of Muslim and Arab countries, he added. “It is an open world and no one can live in isolation. The Ummah should take a leading role in providing our youth with modern technological education, besides the teachings of Islam, through a balanced and moderate approach. It is a shame if we don't take the initiative,” the King said. The conference seeks to find plausible solutions to the ideological, psychological, social and economic problems of young Muslims, said Ahmad Al-Mawri'iy, chairman of the scholarly committee of the conference. He called on Muslim scholarly societies and media to inspire youth with cultural and educational programs designed to instill the spirit of moderate Islam. Scholars are responsible for making young people aware of the true teachings of Islam and Islamic moral and social values to protect them from ideological and moral deviation. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Turki, MWL Secretary General, said that too many problems with young Muslims have been a source of “great worry” citing “media cultural invasion” leading to less religious young Muslims, lack of motivation to learn Arabic, the language of the Holy Qur'an, imitation of unrefined manners and behavior, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy etc.
