PERAK, Malaysia – This week, a host of international speakers from South Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, arrived in Malaysia’s fourth largest province, for the third World conference of Islamic Thought. Perak punches above its weight in terms of international interest, not least because both its Sultan and regional Minister are intellectual heavy hitters, both holding legal Phd’s.

By 2030, there will be 18.bn young people worldwide. At the opening ceremony, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah referred to this phenomenon as ‘The youth bulge.’

Formidable global challenges including war, poverty, and hunger are to be passed onto our children generation. This legacy has the ability to diminish their wellbeing unless they are empowered today.

The question of how to do this is being dissected at all levels of Malaysian government and infrastructure as a matter of great importance. And no wonder, Malaysia, in line with other Muslim majority nations, has a young population. 2016 government demographics show almost a quarter of the nation are under 14 years of age (24.5%), whilst more than 40 percent are under 30.

Islam remains a formative part of policy making in education and policy here in Malaysia. Its influence is not merely paid lip service, but can be seen across government departments. State and faith are not viewed as separate, but an integral part of the function, purpose and reality of life.

A dynamic speaker, the Minister for Youth and Sport Khairy Jalaluddin Abu Bakar, is known fondly as KJ by peers and his vast student fan base. The Minister was introduced to the packed hall attending his session as ‘tall, dark and handsome’ (his other media nickname). A youthful 40, YB Jamaluddin, may not (by his own admission) qualify as ‘young’ but his style is far from that of a patronizing, elder, statesman.

I have yet to hear a similarly dynamic or connected minister in a government department dealing with young people in a more progressive way. ‘KJ’ talked of gently challenging ‘the grey hairs’ in his efforts to progress policies for youth wellbeing and engagement. This was met by laughter from the elders in the front row, who hold him in great affection.

His ministry is at the heart of the Malay government’s program for the under 25’s. Their vision encompasses a strong youth parliament where real policy is not only debated but impacted. A national service program of 3 months at the age of 18, where young people give time and energy to community projects and Fellowship programs giving entry to government departments and jobs.

Training for the Future

Mohamad Hussin Abdullah, Head Secretary of WCIT2016 told AboutIslam.net of the major role for which Malaysian youth are being not so much trained as nurtured to play in the future.

“The young vote matters, they carry elections because they are, ’on the fence, politically’. We need to develop personal skills in terms of the inner life and bringing out their personalities. Malaysia has moderation in religion. Faith is beautiful and simple not a burden.”

Across the two days of seminars, the framework of a ‘Future World of Higher Knowledge’ has been explored in relation to the environment, governance, humanitarian issues, and international politics. What has come through all of these explorations is the understanding of the human being not merely in economic terms. But, a spiritual creation deserving and in need of emotional support in order to flourish.

On the UK.gov website, the government’s policy paper 2010 to 2015 titled ‘Young People’ issued under the conservative, Lib Dem coalition has yet to be updated by the new administration.

The paper focuses on “the quality of education for young people so that they are well prepared for further education, higher education and work.” The key words across the document are ‘study’ ‘work’ ‘training’ and ‘employment’. There is a tertiary, series of proposals on the need for community service to create a sense of responsibility towards others.

In this narrative, young people are a financial resource to develop for future economic benefit. Search the UK government website for the word ‘spiritual’ and it appears in relation to ‘promoting basic important British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development. As British values remain vague to most UK citizens it is hard to see what real impact this can have on the practical life or spiritual aspirations of young people.

In Perak, known traditionally as ‘the abode of grace’ the primary stated objective of WCIT2016 has been provision of a holistic view for the ‘sustainability of human well-being’.

The UK government would do well to send Ministers to this province to observe the Islamic manners of the students here, seen honoring their professors by bringing them tea, carrying their luggage and politely nodding as they pass elders. But these are not disempowered youngsters.

Their society is producing world class scholars and political heavy weights such as the Sultan and the Youth Minister. His policy push to empower the young into creating their own ‘empire of the mind’ in which youthful idealism is both harnessed and nurtured makes a blessed change to seeing the same instincts commodified or exploited.

If you get the leaders you deserve, then the world should be ready for more dynamic front runners such as KJ Abu Bakar, a product of this outward looking, idealistic, Islamic nation.