Tariq Nelson

This article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription only) talks about young people in Muslim countries and their struggle to reconcile their lives as Muslims with modern times.

A play about an imaginary country grappling with foreign meddling recently opened on stage here. Combining comedy with serious words extolling the importance of faith and ethics, “The Code” was just the latest sign of a recent wave: Young, devout Muslims balancing a sense of fun and modernity with strict observance of the teachings of Islam.

They’re putting on plays, making sleek videos and even wearing bikinis at the beach — but all with an Islamically correct twist. The plays have a religious moral, the videos are for songs praising the Prophet and the swimwear is limited to segregated settings

[...]

In Egypt — the Arab world’s most populous country, which has grown more observant and conservative over the years — this Islamic revival was fueled by a group of young preachers who wear Western-style suits and communicate their religion in conversational language. Talking in mosques, homes and on satellite channels, these preachers — some using techniques that some feel are similar to Christian evangelical preachers’ — are a far cry from the traditional clerics who dominated the airwaves for many years in flowing robes and turbans and a sterner language.

“We can lead a happy life without committing sins,” says preacher Mostafa Hosni, summing up the approach. Mr. Hosni hosts a weekly religious program on the Iqraa satellite channel that tries to reinforce exactly this theme through conversations with young guests.

[...]

“In 20 years, the shape of the Muslim world will completely change,” predicts Mr. Hosni. “The people are attracted to this form of moderate Islam.”