The Letters We Still Need to Read

Eight years after "Letters to a Young Muslim" was published, a new generation is answering Omar Saif Ghobash’s call to think, question, and rebuild.

When Omar Saif Ghobash wrote Letters to a Young Muslim in 2017, the Arab world was standing at the threshold a rebirth. The fires of ISIS were cooling, but the air was still heavy with grief. A generation was left holding the ruins, unsure whether to rebuild or run. The old certainties had collapsed, yet something new was trying to emerge.

Ghobash’s book was an active conversation —a father writing to his son about what it means to live as a Muslim, an Arab, and a human being in an age of turmoil. He spoke to those who felt caught between inherited faith and modern freedom, between belonging to a community and belonging to oneself. “I want you to be a good Muslim,” he wrote, “but I also want you to be a good human being.”

He understood what so many leaders never did: that the future of this region will not be determined by clerics or generals, but by the courage of individuals who dare to think for themselves. “Our religion has always encouraged thought,” he reminds us, “but too many have mistaken obedience for faith.”

In the years since the book was published, that confusion has become further entrenched. The absolutists have grown louder, mistaking moral certainty for moral clarity. The cynical have thrived, feeding off despair. And yet, Ghobash’s message endures: “It is our responsibility to think for ourselves. It is our responsibility to read, to listen, and to learn.”

When I reread Letters to a Young Muslim today, I hear an echo of everything we try to capture here at Middle East Uncovered. The people we have spoken to over the last year —the scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and educators —are living proof that Ghobash’s vision is alive and well across the region. They are the youth he wrote the book for, and they are also the people of this region who, whether believers or not, choose creation over destruction and responsibility over resentment.

When Ghobash wrote Letters to a Young Muslim, he was not trying to explain Islam to Western readers or defend it from its critics. He was speaking directly to many of us, especially those who still adhere to faith or are shaped by its culture, and who find ourselves caught between tradition and individuality. Between what we are told to believe and what we actually feel is right. He wrote as someone who has lived the contradictions of our time, a diplomat and a thinker who understands both the seduction of certainty and the loneliness of doubt. His words sound like they were written yesterday.

He wrote to remind us that faith without freedom begets fear, and fear without reason eventually becomes tyranny. His letters are not apologies for Islam; they are invitations to reclaim it, and to rethink what a dignified moral life in this region could mean.

“I want you to know that Islam is not a prison of fear. It is not meant to lock your mind or your heart. It is a faith that calls on you to think, to question, and to grow. When others tell you that thinking is dangerous, remember that God gave you a mind for a reason. Use it. The strength of our religion lies in our ability to look within ourselves, not in shouting at others. The world needs Muslims who are confident enough to listen, to doubt, and to love.”

At Ideas Beyond Borders, we see the same spirit Ghobash wrote about come alive every day. The Afghan scientists of Voice of Science rebuilding a culture of knowledge and free inquiry in exile. The Iraqi innovators who choose to see opportunity where others see despair. The Lebanese creators turning tragedy into beauty. The Arab women entrepreneurs who are taking control of their destinies.

These are not isolated stories but part of a larger awakening. Each of them is writing their own letter to the next generation through action, not words.

Together, they form a movement that refuses to let the Middle East be defined by its extremes.

Their stories remind us of another truth from Ghobash: “The most courageous act is to use your mind when others demand your silence.” It takes far more strength to build than to burn, far more wisdom to listen than to shout.

The extremists are still loud, and the absolutists still try to claim moral authority, but they are missing something essential: the ability to inspire. “Those who build their power on hatred,” Ghobash wrote, “will one day be consumed by it.”

What still inspires is the bravery of those who get up each morning and decide to keep building. The Afghan teacher who refuses to stop teaching despite Taliban restrictions. The entrepreneur who creates jobs in a broken economy. The artist who insists that beauty still matters in a war-torn country. They are the ones keeping the human spirit alive in a region that has seen too much death and destruction.

Ghobash reminds us that faith itself must be reclaimed from those who distort it. “Do not let others tell you that Islam is against love, beauty, or reason,” he wrote. “Our history is rich with poetry, philosophy, and art.” That is the inheritance extremists fear most, the heritage of light.

The challenge ahead is moral and imaginative as much it as political or religious. We must rediscover the art of dreaming, believing, and belonging without conformity. As Ghobash says, “To think freely is not to abandon your faith. It is to give it meaning.”

I remain hopeful because I see it happening. Across the region, small acts of courage are slowly telling a larger story. A story of people who are tired of cynicism and ready to rebuild from a foundation rooted in reason and compassion. A story of individuals who, even after everything, still believe that peace, dignity, and progress are possible.

Perhaps that is what Ghobash was telling his son all along: “The greatest strength is not in purity or power, but in kindness, curiosity, and conscience.”

In 2017, he wrote Letters to a Young Muslim. In 2025, we are still answering.

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