One Thursday evening, I happened to catch 'Forum Perdana Ehwal Islam' on TV1. I wholly support the need to promote religious understanding especially in the light of the many social ills we are witnessing today, which unfortunately is predominant among Malays and hence Muslims.

However, the method of delivery of the programme's speakers has not evolved from the traditional way. The ustads and ustazahs deliver their speeches with such passion and emotion, raising their voices in a crescendo to punctuate a point, expressing intense fury at the ills of modern society and even breaking down into tears.

Whilst this method is effective for perhaps the older generation, this is not the way to reach out to the youth of today.

When the speaker laments how the youth of today no longer respect their elders, the older people empathise and agree vehemently. But how do you think the younger people in the audience feel? The anger and frustration vented out by the speaker, which is now shared by the elder people of the audience, is directed at them - the youth.

A younger audience needs to be engaged first. They must be able to relate to the topic and then know how to apply it in today's world. This is nothing revolutionary as we are already employing these new methods right now in Malaysia.

A few years back (when I was indeed a youth) I attended the 'kursus kahwin' which is compulsory for all Muslims intending on getting married. I must admit that the prospect then of sitting in a classroom for 16 hours during my precious weekend was not too appealing. But in actual fact, I enjoyed the course and learnt a great deal as did most of my classmates.

The underlying messages are the same as those being conveyed in 'Forum Perdana Ehwal Islam' but how is it that a classroom of youngsters (some were still teenagers) could be so captivated for 16 hours? The answer is simply in the method of delivery.

Over the course of the two days, there were at least six different ustads and ustazahs (of varying age) who spoke on various topics on Islam in general and in relation to marriage and family. The consistent theme across all speakers was that they were able to relate the topics to the audience and adopt a more modern approach.

There was no shouting or crying or even any hint of preaching. Their approach was friendly and not lecture-like. They engaged us in the topic by asking leading questions first. They used real-life case studies to enable us to relate better.

Their use of anecdotes and analogies helped us understand the messages being delivered. Humour was often used as a tool to garner our attention - we were at times rolling around in hysterics at the speakers' antics.

The traditionalists may balk at these methods as treating religion lightly or mocking serious issues. The overriding objective is that the message has gotten across. I absorbed all of what was delivered during the course and I recall most of it until today. More importantly, I know how to apply it in the context of modern life.

The old methods of teaching need to be revised. Much to the dismay of the elders, the attitudes of the younger generation has changed. They challenge and question established pillars. I view this as progress because it is only through debate, discussion and self-realisation that one can achieve true understanding in its most sincere form as opposed to accepting something stoically at face value.

Therefore, I appeal to TV1, RTM, the Information Ministry and all other relevant bodies. Let us take a cue from our 'kursus kahwin' administrators and see how we can improve on our ability to reach out to the youth and ensure the messages on good values are translated to action on the ground.