We are a group of
young activists who strive towards achieving the objectives of Islamic law,
which we are proud of belonging to, we know our rights and duties, and we do
not accept that anyone questions our adherence to Islam or our patriotism, and
we do not accept that any movement or faction to speak in our name in a manner that claims the right
to teach, guide, and advise us and act
as our guardian in the pretext of protecting us, and keeping us immune of ideas
that differ from their intellectual framework, or engaging in battles
against their opponents on the pretext of defending us.
As young Muslims,
we reject this patriarchal guardianship which
declares us
as incompetent of exercising our right for the freedom of thought and
conscience, as we can listen and judge everyone for ourselves without a distrustful
tutelage of our minds that claims to fear us getting misled.
What we have seen
in the last period of sharp conflicts, endless debates and antagonization among
the youth and community leaders and various social currents can please only those
who stand as an obstacle in the way of development and reform and doesn't lead to
the interests of the country. In our opinion, it is an issue that cannot
be stood by silently without issuing a statement, whether we agree or disagree
with that party or the other party, we inevitably have to take the right stand to
express our belief in the rejection and disapproval of any attempt to suppress
the other and obstruct its projects.
The return of the
culture of incitement that is still practiced by some, against those who
disagree with them intellectually, the seeking to repeal and incite them both
in politics and security, and the questioning of their religion and patriotism,
is distressing and does not bode well, leading the momentum and activity among the religious,
cultural, developmental and educational sectors to an abyss of negative conflicts, which doesn't reward the nation and the citizen with any good and does
no benefit.
The generation before
us lived in the past two decades in the maze of these rival conflicts,
in which each movement was seeking the abolition of the other opposing movement
by all means immoral. This has led to the deviation of religious and cultural
discourse from core issues that interest and touches the welfare of the nation and
the citizen, and has led to sliding in partial, partisan, factional and narrow embroilment.
As the generation
of today's youth, we deplore and strongly reject the return of this confrontational
exclusionary and inflammatory culture, which does not believe in pluralism, freedom
with responsibility, civil society, and one nation that encompasses everyone in
all colors and constituents. The return of such culture means that the biggest
loser is: our nation.
Accordingly, we– the
youth – have formulated this statement. It is a declaration of young people's
stance against these repressive tactics towards any youth revival projects that
are cultural or intellectual.
We call for and demand
the following:
1. Establishing the
rules of the dialogue and the manners of disagreement and criticism, without
personifying attitudes and opinions and turning them into fierce conflicts aimed
to bring down the opposing party and accuse them of disloyalty.
2. Confrontation
of ideas with ideas and projects with projects along with the conservation of
the right of everyone to establish their projects, and the conservation of the opposing
party's right to express their opinion without guardianship and with no attempt
to impose consensus.
3. Going beyond
the stage of mutual battles, and the renunciation of all forms of incitement
and bullying power and influence to the exclusion of the other.
4. Seeking to
build civil society institutions to accommodate everyone, as the arena doesn't
belong to a group or movement, and no one can claim a monopoly of truth and
righteousness in the name of Sharia law.
5. Moving
towards what unites the society and deepen national common interests and
unifying efforts to reform and build a state of rights and institutions.
And after..
We are preparing
this statement as a record of the position of a group of young people who believe
in their role in the development of their nation. Youth who respect and honor scholars,
as they respect intellectuals and thinkers, and is not satisfied that exclusion,
repression and incitement is their means of exchanging views. We are youth who seek to create a healthy
environment and a community that follows the example of the Prophet peace be
upon him, under pluralism of thought in which no right is wasted and no void
is formed.
********************************************************************
