The Young Seekers: Guiding Immigrant Muslim Youth

Respect Graduate School presents The Young Seekers as a compass to the perplexed minds. Designed specifically for the needs of immigrant Muslim youth, the Young Seekers courses provide answers to the most challenging questions this postmodern era puts to Islam, strategies of self-learning in a time of information bombardment and deep-fake, respect for the 15 hundreds years of Islamic history and courage to say ‘I am a proud Muslim!’

In its 2022-2023 education year enrolment in The Young Seekers program is done for three terms combined. The year is composed of three terms, each composed of six weeks of learning. We name the terms after the three companions of the Prophet who are known for their youth energy: Ali b. Abu Talib, Fatima al-Zahra and Mus’ab b. Umayr. The Ali Term extends from 14 September to 19 October; the Fatima Term from 2 November to 7 December, and the Mus’ab Term from 18 January to 22 February in 2023. Below you will find a list of courses that are offered in each term. 

• Designed specifically for the needs of the immigrant Muslim youth
• Delivered by lecturers with proven teaching abilities 
• 36 hours of course on various aspects of religious experience
• Fully online courses supported with Google Classroom, Zoom, and Kahoot
• Ability to watch missed classes from recorded videos
• Kahoot challenges at the end of each day of the courses and a final annual Kahoot
• A full refund of course fees to students who have attended 32 or more of the 36 courses live and in full
• Further gifts to students who have attended all 36 courses live and in full and to students who perform exceptionally well in the final annual Kahoot

Objectives of the Program

• Discussing challenges of the post-modern era to the faith and identity of younger generations
• Finding answers to existential problems from the treasures of the Quran
• Responding to the alternative narratives of non-Islamic ideas and ideologies
• Equipping the young participants with the abilities to analyze and respond to future challenges
• Nurturing a love and passion for truth in the hearts and minds of the new generation

The courses take place on Wednesday evenings, between 7.30 pm and 9.30 pm EST, with each lecture lasting 50 minutes. The courses are supported with Kahoot games and a final Kahoot Challenge crowns the courses on the day of the graduation ceremony at the end of the three terms.

THE YOUNG SEEKERS COURSE SCHEDULE 2022-2023

ALI TERM: 14 SEPTEMBER 2022 – 19 OCTOBER 2022

COURSE 1: Tenets of Islam and their implications for our daily lives

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

An abstract belief in God with no thought given to how such a belief should have implications for our daily lives is easily shaken. This course will look at the practical aspect of faith and will question the embodiment of faith principles in our acts and deeds. 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr Ruslan Yusupov

Ruslan Yusupov is an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. A sociocultural anthropologist by training, he is currently working on a book manuscript that explores how a community of Chinese Muslims, most of whom are former drug addicts, engage in social volunteering as a way to imagine futures in securitizing Chinese modernity. 

COURSE 2: A commentary on Surah Yusuf: Lessons for the Millennials

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Surah Yusuf contains the Qur’an and tells the story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) and the story as one of the “Best of Stories”. With scenes of jealousy and conspiracy, fall and rise, betrayal and imprisonment, salvation and reconciliation the Chapter has a lot to tell to the postmodern generation.  

INSTRUCTOR: Gökhan Özkan

A civil engineer by education and a physics teacher by profession Gökhan Özkan carries many hats. He teaches religious education courses and runs the Kuran Time YouTube Channel. Gökhan Özkan lives in Australia. 

FATIMA TERM: 2 NOVEMBER 2022 – 7 DECEMBER 2022

COURSE 1: General Principles of Islam from the perspective of the Resale-i Nur

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed on Ali Unal’s seminal book General Principles in the Resale-i Nur Collection for a True Understanding of Islam. The course concentrates on six pillars of faith and presents the general principles of faith relating to these pillars. 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr Albert Frolov.

Albert Frolov is a Ph.D. student at Regis College (Toronto School of Theology). His Ph.D. work is in comparative and philosophical theology. He holds a Candidate of Science degree in philosophy from Kazakh National University of al-Farabi (Kazakhstan) and previously taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Islamic and World Philosophy at Suleyman Demirel University in Kazakhstan. 

COURSE 2: Manifestations of Islam in Our Daily Lives 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to discuss the axiological and epistemological manifestations of the Islamic faith in our daily lives. “What is the purpose of life?” “What is the source of human accountability?” “What is the link between faith and happiness?” are the kind of questions this course will try to answer.  

MUSAB TERM: 18 JANUARY 2023 – 22 FEBRUARY 2023

COURSE 1: Reading the Book of Universe from the Windows of al-Asma al-Husna, the Beautiful Names of Allah

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Imam Ghazali underlines that the essence of all beings is the Beautiful Names of Allah. Just as the written book of Allah, the Qur’an, can and has been read by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi from the windows of the Beautiful Names, the created book, the Book of Universe can be read from the same perspective. Participants will learn how to look at a beautiful flower and see al-Jameel, at the waves of the Tsunami and see al-Jaleel, at the purr of cats, and hear al-Raheem. 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Islam Bedir

Islam Bedir holds a Ph.D. degree in theoretical physics. He currently teaches a computational physics course that integrates College Physics and Scientific Programming with Python. He is deeply interested in light, the universe, and beyond.

COURSE 2: Six Great Muslims: Abdallah ibn Umar, Rabia al-Adwiyya, Imam Ghazali, Imam Rabbani, Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

The quality of a tree is manifest in the quality of its fruits. Islam produced some of the greatest minds in human history. We will surf through the pages of history and see how these minds shed light on the path of humanity at times of spiritual crises. This course aims to replicate the examples of these great Muslims in this postmodern era. 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr Ahmet Muharrem Atlığ

Dr. Atlig is a chaplain at the Spiritual Care Team of NYU Langone. He was a former imam ordained in Turkey and served at the New Peckham Mosque, in London. He received his doctorate in philosophy from the Theology Department at the University of West Coast and his Clinical Pastoral Education from VA New York Harbor Healthcare System.