What Syria Can Teach Us in Creating a New and Better Future?

Abstract

It is clear that humanity is, once again, facing a crisis of identity and purpose. Weak global leadership, a crisis of displaced persons and the complex problem of integrating different cultures into countries other than their homelands, has led us to the threat of a complete breakdown of civilisation as we know it. In addition, we have the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Levant, how did they get to be so popular among the Muslim youth of the West? What started as a war of words to recruit Muslim youth, has now turned into a military war fought across many countries. The narrative of each warring party is increasing in tone to match the killings we witness daily by either side. This presentation aims to look at the narrative and language used by all sides of this conflict; a language that borrows words taken from the early days of Islam to convey legitimacy to the cause and the battle for ultimate leadership.
There is no neat solution, but a need for collective collaboration. It is now up to the younger generation to explore and debate. It is important that the elders’ wisdom is harnessed to guide the youth with vision and new ideas. A new way of living is necessary if we are to secure the future of the human race.