Bandar Seri Begawan - The infiltration of modern technology and negative elements that could dilute the minds of youths was highlighted by religious authorities yesterday on the eve of the National Day celebration.
In a Friday sermon Imams said, to show love for the nation. "Let us educate the people for the sake of contributing to the nation and religion, give support to the national development towards excellence, success and prosperity," they said.
What is more important is that it must be carried-out sincerely in accordance with the religious teachings and Sunnahs.
"The young ones should be nurtured with decent norms, attitude and strong faith for the benefit or the nation. We need to monitor the influence from the surrounding environments, mostly from the mass media, Internet and other sources of entertainment.
"Islam did not prohibit the Ummah to reap the benefits of modern technology, so long it is not abused. The product and technology brought into the country from any means and checkpoints must be clean from negative elements," the Imams added.
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in his titah at the Southeast Asia youth Quran reading in 2000 stated that our task is to provide a safety net to scrutinise the flow of the technology from polluting the minds of our youth, culture and more importantly, religion.
The ruler also said in his Israk Mikraj titah in 2000 that once an indecent culture infiltrates the country, then the safety wall is penetrated and ripped-apart. We should tightly close the harrier from had elements and attitudes.
Imams also cautioned on peer influence towards one`s mind. This is obvious as it could give negative effects. Parent role is crucial in educating and providing a decent education and advice.
"We should teach religious education and good norms from childhood. Development should be in accordance to Islamic views," the religious leaders added.
Source: www.brudirect.com (23 Februari 2008)
