Sharjah forum tackles digital thought risks

University of Sharjah has opened a conference on intellectual security and social media, placing the debate over online influence, youth vulnerability and responsible digital engagement at the centre of its academic agenda as governments, universities and religious scholars grapple with the speed at which harmful narratives can spread online.

The event, organised by the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies through its Forum for Intellectual Security in Islam, is titled Safeguarding Intellectual Security on Social Media: An Analytical Perspective from Islamic Sharia and Human Sciences. It brought together academics, researchers and specialists from the UAE and abroad to examine how social platforms are reshaping public discourse and exposing younger users to ideological manipulation, misinformation and polarised content.

University officials framed the conference as both an academic exercise and a policy-facing intervention. Issam Al-Din Ibrahim Ajami, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, said the institution was responding to an information environment in which digital platforms have become powerful spaces for shaping opinion and behaviour. He linked the conference to the university’s wider mission under the leadership of Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and President of the University of Sharjah, stressing the need for moderation, balance and disciplined research in confronting extremist or destabilising ideas online.

The choice of theme reflects a wider concern across the region and beyond. Social media platforms have expanded access to information and widened participation in public debate, but they have also intensified exposure to algorithm-driven amplification, echo chambers and emotionally charged messaging. Universities and policymakers have been under pressure to find ways of strengthening digital literacy without slipping into purely punitive or censorial approaches. The Sharjah conference appears designed to position intellectual security as a framework that combines ethical education, legal awareness, media literacy and religious scholarship rather than treating online risk as a narrow law-enforcement issue.

According to conference material released by the university, the discussions cover the foundations of intellectual security from an Islamic perspective, its legal and historical dimensions, the threats posed by media and social forces, and practical approaches to reinforcing social harmony. Organisers have also highlighted university-based experiences and institutional models for promoting intellectual security, suggesting a move from abstract debate to applied strategies that can be tested in classrooms and campus communities.

That broader framing matters because the term “intellectual security” can be interpreted in sharply different ways. Supporters regard it as a necessary shield against extremism, sectarian incitement and manipulative propaganda. Critics, in other settings, have sometimes warned that such language can become overly elastic if not grounded in clear legal and ethical standards. The Sharjah discussions therefore arrive at a point when universities are increasingly expected to explain how they balance open inquiry with the protection of students from coordinated digital harm. By drawing on Islamic sciences alongside the humanities, the organisers are signalling an interdisciplinary route rather than a single doctrinal answer.

The university has spent the past year building this area of work. Its Forum for Intellectual Security in Islam has been presented by the institution as a pioneering platform within an internationally accredited university, and it previously hosted a symposium focused on tolerance, coexistence, moderation and the rejection of violence. That continuity suggests the present conference is part of a longer institutional effort rather than a one-off event tied to headlines about social media harm.

What gives the conference added significance is the changing structure of online influence itself. Harmful content no longer depends only on direct messaging or fringe websites. It can be embedded in short-form video, memes, influencer ecosystems and fast-moving discussion threads that blur the line between opinion, entertainment and ideological persuasion. For universities in the Gulf and elsewhere, that raises practical questions about how to teach critical evaluation, build resilience against manipulation and engage students in ways that do not alienate them from digital life altogether. The Sharjah event is entering that debate at a moment when institutions are under pressure to produce workable responses rather than broad warnings.

Another notable feature is the conference’s attempt to connect social stability with digital conduct. Organisers and speakers have linked intellectual security not only to faith and ethics but also to communal cohesion and the protection of young minds. That emphasis fits the UAE’s long-standing public language around tolerance, moderation and responsible communication, while also reflecting a global shift in how digital harms are being discussed in schools and universities. The policy challenge is no longer limited to removing illegal content; it now includes preparing users to navigate ambiguity, persuasion and emotional provocation at scale.