Abu Dhabi - The conference themed 'Building Future Leaders: Commitment, Integrity and Innovation' will continue on Sunday.
Published: Sat 7 Dec 2019, 8:00 PM
Last updated: Sat 7 Dec 2019, 10:42 PM
The Muslim youth needs to be empowered to take up leadership roles, announced policy makers and religious leaders from 250 non-Muslim countries at the inaugural edition of the International Youth Forum, hosted by the World Muslim Communities Council, in Abu Dhabi. The experts focused on the essence of Islam, education, innovative solutions and better understanding of new technologies, among other issues, to help the Muslim youth deal with multifaceted challenges in an ever-changing world.
Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of World Muslim Communities Council, said the two-day conference is a "hope" for the nation and for the Muslims.
"We are looking forward to a joint cooperation in order to find solutions to the problems of the Muslims around the world. We live in an era of rapid change, in which challenges are constantly renewed, that require creative and innovative solutions. The UAE doesn't live in the crises of the past, but in reality, and creates the future, which is our main goal," Al Nuaimi said in his keynote address.
He stressed on the need to listen to problems and challenges faced by the youth.
"The youth are facing massive challenges, and we have to give all we have to them. Our youth are the future and they may shape it by undertaking their responsibilities efficiently," Al Nuaimi pointed out.
'AI could govern thoughts'
Dr Robert Dickson Crane, adviser to the late US President Richard Nixon and deputy director of the US National Security Council, said artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to govern human thoughts. "Artificial intelligence may be the most important development in our lifetime. It may determine whether civilisation has any future. The key question is whether raw power or transcendent principle will govern AI. This is a new technology."
Crane underlined that the global powers should ensure that human paradigm of thought must control the machine, rather than the opposite. "The greatest challenge for the younger generations today may be to define civilisation by exploring truth and justice in order to shape it in accordance with the essence of the world religions. This must be done independently of the political rivalry among the great powers," the 90-year-old Muslim activist said.
Change begins with self
Leaders, including Koutoubou Moustapha Sano, Minister in the president office and Diplomatic Counsellor to the President of Guinea, focused on the importance of education to empower the youth.
Alyautdinov Ildar, Mufti of Moscow, Russia, gave a terse message: "Before changing others, we need to change ourselves. We need to spend our time doing good deeds. Once we develop ourselves, we can then be role models for others. We must start tolerance among Muslims themselves. We must maintain our identity as Muslims."
The conference themed 'Building Future Leaders: Commitment, Integrity and Innovation' will continue on Sunday.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
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