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Within the framework of the presidential initiative "A New Beginning for Human Building," the Education and Student Affairs Sector at Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Supreme Committee for Outreach Affairs at the Islamic Research Academy, is organizing the 15th Annual Islamic Outreach Week under the title: "Youth Between the Objectives of Religion and Attempts at Westernization." The event will feature a distinguished group of professors and scholars from Al-Azhar University specializing in this field, and will run from Sunday, December 7th to Thursday, December 11th.

The event is held under the patronage of His Eminence the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar; Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University; and Prof. Rami Maher Ghali, Vice President of the University for Education and Student Affairs. It is under the general supervision of Prof. Mohamed El-Dweiny, Deputy of Al-Azhar, and Prof. Mohamed El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, with administrative supervision and coordination by Mr. Ibrahim Saeed Hamza, Assistant Secretary of the University for Education and Student Affairs.

In his opening remarks at the launch of the week's events, Prof. Rami Maher Ghali, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Education and Student Affairs, emphasized that Ain Shams University's hosting of these awareness and outreach seminars underscores its national and societal role in promoting awareness, instilling core values, and fostering a conscious and responsible student.

He affirmed that the university's commitment to its students extends beyond the academic sphere, encompassing continuous efforts to shape their awareness, develop their intellectual and human capabilities, and contribute to building their well-rounded personalities capable of facing the challenges of the modern age with a conscious vision and an open mind. He added that young people are the driving force of development, the cornerstone of progress, and those capable of protecting national identity and shaping the nation's future.

He added that the university is committed to holding such events regularly, believing in the importance of awareness and intellectual engagement in protecting our youth from destructive ideologies and attempts at distortion and polarization, especially those that infiltrate through media outlets and social media platforms. The university views these meetings and seminars as a genuine opportunity to enhance students' ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and to understand the intellectual and cultural challenges they face in a scientific and thoughtful manner.

He emphasized that an informed student is the first line of defense against misleading thought, and that sound knowledge and constructive dialogue are the best way to build a generation capable of understanding its reality, analyzing the ideas it encounters, and interacting with challenges consciously and responsibly.

Prof. Rami Maher Ghali expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the scholars and professors participating in this week, who are offering the essence of their knowledge and experience to serve the university's youth and contributing their efforts to building awareness and protecting the intellectual and cultural identity of our students.

The students were urged to actively participate in the events of this week, and to take advantage of this opportunity which provides them with intellectual and cognitive enrichment that contributes to shaping their personalities and building their awareness.

In his address, Prof. Mohamed El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, expressed his delight at participating in the Islamic Outreach Week activities at Ain Shams University. He conveyed the greetings of His Eminence the Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, emphasizing that Al-Azhar's message is needed by society today because it conveys the objectives of religion, which serves as a compass guiding behavior and aspirations, and directing humanity towards a righteous future.

He further explained that Islam focuses on the objectives of religion, which work to solidify awareness and empower the mind to analyze what it receives and distinguish between what benefits and harms it.

He emphasized that the building of civilizations is inextricably linked to the objectives of religion and Islamic law, for without them, humanity loses its bearings and its clear vision is obscured. With the rapid technological transformations, we are witnessing today, we need "antivirus programs" targeting minds. These programs consist of purposeful initiatives that clarify the objectives of Islamic law and the tolerant nature of Islam. He stressed that the internet intensively targets young people, necessitating the strengthening of their capacity for sound understanding and rational awareness.

He pointed to the importance of integration between Al-Azhar and universities to achieve sound knowledge, expressing his deep appreciation for Ain Shams University's warm welcome and its commitment to the success of this collaboration. He expressed his hope that this week of outreach would be beneficial and fruitful in enhancing students' human and existential awareness.

The first event was a seminar titled “Westernization: Its Manifestations, Dangers, and Ways to Confront It,” presented by Prof. Mohamed Abdel-Dayem El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, and Prof. Hassan Yahya, Assistant Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Outreach. The seminar was moderated by Prof. Mohamed Wardani and held in the main conference hall at the Guest House.

The Islamic Outreach Week aims to clarify the objectives of Sharia in building the character of young Muslims, explain how Islam came with a comprehensive system aimed at purifying youth, shaping their awareness, and preparing them to carry the message of the nation. It also seeks to expose the methods of Westernization and its attempts to distort the identity of young people, through an analysis of the most prominent means of intellectual and cultural invasion targeting thought and behavior, particularly through media and social media platforms.

The week also aims to highlight the Islamic balance between cultural openness and adherence to values, and to clarify that Islam is not hostile to civilization or progress, but rather guides them in a way that preserves identity and serves the higher purposes of religion, and to consolidate the concept of belonging to the homeland and pride in the Islamic identity, by instilling awareness in the hearts of young people that their strength lies in their adherence to their religion, and that authenticity does not conflict with mature modernity.

The activities also aim to develop practical solutions to protect young people from deviant intellectual currents, and to present educational, advocacy and media visions that contribute to building intellectual and spiritual immunity among young people, protecting them from being swept away by waves of Westernization or extremism, preserving the civilizational achievements and material gains of the nation, and confronting destructive calls.