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The Fifteenth Week of Islamic Outreach Launches with an Opening Seminar by Islamic Research Academy titled: “Westernization: Its Manifestations, Risks, and Means of Confrontation”
As part of the Presidential Initiative “A New Beginning for Building the Human Being,” the Education and Student Affairs Sector at Ain Shams University is hosting the fifteenth week of Islamic outreach, organized by the General Secretariat of the Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy under the theme: “Youth Between the Objectives of Religion and the Attempts of Westernization,” with the participation of a distinguished group of specialized Al-Azhar scholars and professors. The program includes five religious and awareness seminars to be held across several faculties from Sunday, December 7 to Thursday, December 11.
The activities are held under the auspices of His Eminence the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar; Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University; and Prof. Dr. Rami Maher Ghali, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs. The week is supervised by Prof. Mohamed Al-Duwaini, Deputy of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and Prof. Mohamed El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, with administrative coordination by Mr. Ibrahim Saeed Hamza, Assistant Secretary-General for the Education and Student Affairs Sector.
The week will kick off tomorrow with a seminar titled “Westernization: Its Manifestations, Risks, and Means of Confrontation,” delivered by Prof. Mohamed Abdel-Dayem El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, and Prof. Dr. Hassan Yehia, Assistant Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Da‘wa. The seminar will be held at 12:00 PM in the Grand Conference Hall at the Guest House.
The outreach week aims to clarify the objectives of Islamic Sharia in shaping the character of the Muslim youth, and to highlight how Islam provides an integrated framework designed to refine, empower, and prepare young people to uphold the mission of the Ummah.
It further seeks to expose the methods of Westernization and its attempts to distort youth identity by analyzing the most prominent tools of intellectual and cultural invasion targeting thought and behavior, particularly through media and social networking platforms.
The program also aims to emphasize the balanced Islamic approach that harmonizes civilizational openness with adherence to core values, underscoring that Islam does not oppose civilization or progress, but rather guides them in ways that preserve identity and serve the higher objectives of religion.
Additionally, the week seeks to reinforce the concepts of national belonging and pride in Islamic identity by instilling in young people an awareness that their strength lies in their adherence to their faith, and that authenticity does not conflict with enlightened modernity.
The activities further aim to provide practical solutions to safeguard youth against deviant intellectual currents, presenting educational, religious, and media-based perspectives that contribute to building their intellectual and spiritual resilience, protecting them from drifting toward waves of Westernization or extremism, while preserving the nation’s civilization achievements and material gains and confronting destructive ideologies.
