International Symposium on Mawlid al-Nabi

The Presidency of Religious Affairs carries out various activities in order to keep constantly alive the society’s religious, moral and spiritual values, and to deliver religious services and religious education, in the light of the Holy Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, the reason, and the conscience, to every segment of the society both in Turkey and around the world. To that end and on the occasion of the Week of Mawlid al-Nabi for the year 2018, the Presidency will organize an international symposium themed “the Prophet Muhammad and the Youth”.

It is very well known that the religion of Islam places special importance on the youth and the upbringing of the young in line with the Islamic morality. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) used to take the young as the liveliest addressees of wahy (the Revelation), and accordingly give responsibility to them in different fields ranging from administration to commandership, from serving as a teacher to commerce. Those young people who studied under his supervision and who were the first ones to acknowledge the universal messages of Islam, full of mercy and wisdom, later became candles that enlightened the entire humanity.

The candles of the past, those young people are the most important leading figures of the enlightenment today as well. However, the young today is inclined to get influenced by the popular culture, become alienated towards the society in which they live, and find themselves confronted by various problems such as conflicts of generations and identity crises. Having spiritually and bodily dynamic, well-educated young people equipped with humane virtues is of utmost importance today just as it was in every period in the past, in order to pass down on the generations to come the values, humane traits, and virtues that bring and keep our nation together and help the society look hopefully to the future.

The International Symposium on Mawlid al-Nabi will welcome scholars from Turkey and around the world who are experts in their fields. Intensive discussions will be held at the symposium in order to deal with various topics such as presentation of models for the young at theoretical and practical level, communication with them, problems faced today by them and solution recommendations, the way the religion is perceived by them, and the religious rhetoric.