The Head of Department, Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Abuja, Dr. Musa Olaofe, has urged parents to be the guiding light for their children to navigate a changing world where modernity is posing a serious threat to religious practices and affecting moral values.

He gave the advice at the 18th Annual Ramadan Lecture/Iftar of the Abuja chapter of the Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduate Association (UNIFEMGA) on Wednesday night in Abuja themed: ‘Sustaining Faith In A Fast-changing World: Islam and the Challenges of Modernity’.

Dr. Olaofe, who is also the Chief Imam of the Ansar Ud Deen Mosque, Maitama, Abuja, said that one of the significant challenges for Muslims in the modern era is how they strive to balance their commitment to Islamic principles with the demands of modernity.

He said that while modernity has brought many advancements, it has also created an environment where religion is often viewed as a secondary to material progress, which has led to moral decadence and crave for worldly acquisitions at all cost, especially among the youths.

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To navigate the challenges of modernity, Olaofe urged Muslims to cultivate the acts of deep critical thinking and discernment as encouraged by Prophet Muhammad, including embracing education and innovation while still upholding Islamic principles.

He said, “The modern world is evolving at an unprecedented pace bringing both opportunities and challenges for religious communities. As technological advancements, scientific discoveries and socio-political changes reshape human civilisation, religious traditions, including Islam, face the task of maintaining their core principles while adapting to new realities

“Faith, which has historically served as a guiding light for Muslims, is now confronted with the pressure of secularism, individualism and globalisation. Modernity is characterised by industrialisation, technological innovation, globalisation and secularism. It has led to a shift from traditional religious authority to a society where science and rationalism often take precedence.”

He also listed strengthening religious education, adoption of Islamic values, leveraging on technology for Islamic learning and da’wah and promoting Islamic scholarship as some of the strategies to sustain one’s faith in a modern world.

In their separate remarks at the event, the chairman of the occasion and chairman, UNIFEMGA chapter, Abuja, Justice Abeeb Wale Abiru (JSC) and Alhaji Ismail Okunlola respectively urged youths to take positives from the social media in order to secure success in this life and in the life hereafter and be able to positively contribute to national development.