The Pro-vice chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Seidu Alhassan has entreated Muslim youth to be hard and truthful in their endeavors.
Professor Alhassan regretted that some students in tertiary institutions still lie to their parents about their results and its dire consequences. Professor Alhassan was presenting a Topic: Youth and Education at Masjildul Bayaan Da’awah Caravan on Thursday.
According to him, UDS has begun sacking several students due to fake results and admonished Muslim students to always stick to the truth when they are applying for tertiary institutions for admission.
The UDS Pro-VC also bemoaned the get-rich-quick syndrome among the youth, explaining that schooling is not about enriching oneself but rather for the betterment of the society.
The youth must make good use of Islamic scholars’ wisdom of counseling and respect of the elderly in the society, professor Alhassan advised. Parents must encourage their wards to study science because the world has been globalized.
Alhaji Mohammed Hardi, the finance officer of the University who is the first Muslim to head the position since the establishment of UDS pleaded with Muslim professionals and students not to hide their religious identities.
Alhaji Hardi who also presented a topic; youth and entrepreneurship, encouraged Muslims not to abandon what their religion teaches them because of what non-believers of Islam perceive them to be is not what they are.
“When we were in the university, people were looking at us in a denigrating manner and even in lecture halls colleagues asked: “who are these people?” But with determination and commitment, it did not deter us from pursuing our academic work,” Alhaji Hardi stated.
He revealed that his roommate, a devoted Christian who was already reading the Bible finally converted to Islam because of the lifestyle he was living made him become a Muslim through the love he showed him. “Be bold at all times to be proud that you are a Muslim.”
The Rector of the Tamale polytechnic, Professor Abdulai Salifu Asuro who spoke on Youth and skills development emphasized the need for youth to study skills learning as it is a key to self-employment.
Afa Abubakar Issah of Masjildu Bayaan Mosque who presented a topic on youth and religious dialogue urged Muslim youth in the country to respect laws and aspire to the highest educational standards. He also charged Muslims to conduct themselves well to avoid being tagged violent during this year’s elections.
Already Muslims have been branded violent people and those peddling such falsehoods are waiting patiently to affirm their perception. Riding recklessly during campaign needs to stop to avoid needless deaths, he added. It’s pathetic in the enrollment level at the various tertiary institutions and the number of Muslims in the various security services is worrying, he lamented.
The secular education, he added was important for Muslims. Violence, he said, is never an attribute of Muslims and Muslims youth must do all they could to dispel the wrong perception about Muslims.
