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Take a look at the world around you and you'll see the natural order of life completely disturbed. Everything that brings harmony and peace into this world has been knocked around, distorted, and even destroyed so that mankind is scrambling as it comes to its collective senses to understand it all and keep things going with any semblance of order.

Nations, with all of today's information, statistics, and general understanding of the consequences of foolish behavior, should learn to respect the soil beneath someone else's feet and not seek to usurp it. Yet nuclear warfare, which represents the peak of humanity's stupidity, still exists. Excuses for its existence are still made, and nations still scramble in the arms race to have more power, more guns, more potential genocide for anyone who steps in their way.

The leaders of the world have truly proven themselves to be useless in solving the problems they have made, in preventing global warning, preventing environmental destruction, in feeding the people of the world, in distributing wealth and opportunity justly, in stopping wars, and in generally proving themselves to be the wise, mature, right-minded human beings they were created to be.

The young people of today have very little to thank world leaders for, and when their time to go to the politicians' recycle bin comes, the world awaits the young people of today to step up and make a difference — a real difference!

So this is a call to prepare yourselves with faith, knowledge, wisdom, and determination to face the onslaught that is coming in the wake of today's political corruption and greed. Today's world has left the young people a legacy that could be described as a mess of gigantic proportions.

But there are many things on your side. Among these is the technology being handed down to you. It has often been misused, but that can be turned around. Everything in this life can be used for good or evil; it is a personal choice that you will have to make.

We need the next generation of world leaders to be wise, pious, knowledgeable men and women of conscience, who are just, fearless, upright, and kind. Pretty much the opposite of what we see today.

This is a call for young people to study hard, to know their religion, to be steadfast on the path of Allah, to excel in their chosen field of study and work, to be devoted to their family and community, and to obtain all the skills necessary to take the reins of the world and lead it toward success, peace, and prosperity.

Selma A.Cook, author if Islam Online