The Maker Majlis at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Islamic Studies (CIS) organized the Qatari Educational Experiences forum to examine the education of faith-based values towards the development of local youth.

The forum brought stakeholders from across the Qatar community, including government and nonprofit entities and platforms, to explore how they can effectively engage youth in the country with Islamic values and strengthen existing initiatives. It featured presentations given by various participating parties highlighting their own activities in this field, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Doha International Family Institute, the Barzan Youth Center, the Qatar Scouts Association, as well as other educational and cultural centers that engage with youth from across the country.

The event also included a brainstorming workshop which saw the participants discuss challenges facing Islamic organizations today, including ethical and intellectual issues faced by young Muslim people and the prevalence of social networking in informing the youth of today.

Commenting on the forum, Dr. Mustafa Elamin, Chair, Maker Majlis, said: “It is critical that we  preserve the faith among Qatar’s youth. This forum allowed us and other like-minded organizations to gather and exchange insights on how we can better guide and support young people as they engage with Islam.”

Several CIS faculty took part, including Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, Director of Muhammad Bin Hamad Al Thani Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization (CMCC), CIS, who called for the importance of faith in enduring adversity in a speech to the forum’s participants. She pointed to the strength of faith that appears in the hearts of Palestinian youth despite the great challenges they face, and stressed the role of education in instilling values and principles and correcting concepts.

Dr. Elamin gave a closing speech to shed light on the themes of the issues discussed by the forum and the most important recommendations reached by the participants. He also pointed to the challenges facing young people today, outlining the intellectual and moral challenges they face and underlined the importance of strengthening their Islamic faith.

In line with HBKU and the college’s innate dedication to dialogue, CIS overcomes borders, to facilitate expertise and build capacity in Qatar and beyond. The College’s research output is rooted in carefully designed research clusters that together promote interdisciplinary research agendas and inject new contributions to the world of global Islamic scholarship.