S. Ameenul Hasan, Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, delivered a thought-provoking Juma Khutba at Masjid Ishaat-e-Islam in New Delhi, arguing that Gen Z represents hope for the Muslim community rather than a challenge to it.
Hasan said the common perception of Gen Z as difficult, phone-addicted, and disrespectful to elders misses the bigger picture. “When we study the Qur’an and Seerah, young people were never presented as a problem. They were the ones who drove every major revolution and transformation,” he said.
Hasan defined Gen Z as those born between 1997 and 2012, noting that this generation combines two powerful qualities at once: the characteristics of their generational identity and the energy of youth. “This combination is unique,” he said.
Drawing on Qur’anic examples, he highlighted Prophets Ibrahim and Yusuf, and the Companions of the Cave as young people whose qualities drove historic change. He pointed out that the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺduring the Makkah period were predominantly young men and women from elite families who chose truth over power and wealth.
Hasan identified four strengths of Gen Z: the ability to learn rapidly, the ability to change when presented with sound reasoning, the courage to question authority, and a strong demand for justice. He cited the protests at US universities over the bombing of Palestine and recent Gen Z protests in India that forced the education minister to resign.