The influence of Islam on the value orientations of contemporary youth

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the growing influence of Islamic norms on youth value orientations amid transformed religious communication and the digitalisation of the socio-cultural environment. The study aimed to identify how Islamic values shape youth orientations through religious identity, socialisation practices, and mechanisms for disseminating religious norms. The research employed theoretical analysis of scholarly, religious-studies, and digital materials, using comparison, systematisation, functional analysis, and content analysis. Five types of religious self identification were identified: nominal, cultural-traditional, rationalised, practising, and deep spiritual ethical. They differed in the depth and mode of internalising Islamic norms, ranging from symbolic affiliation and emotional attachment to family traditions to cognitive acceptance, behavioural observance, and integration into moral decision-making. Digital channels, especially social networks and mobile applications, ensured broad outreach and promoted individualised interpretations of religious meanings, whereas mosques, educational centres, and families supported normative stability. Online lectures primarily strengthened the cognitive component, social networks the emotional component, and traditional media behavioural consistency. More intensive religious practices contributed to transforming Islamic norms into stable regulators of moral conduct. The findings may support sociologists, religious scholars, educators, religious institutions, and youth policy analysts in developing engagement models that combine traditional and digital forms of religious socialisation.