Gaza reveals a broken balance of power between Muslim and non-Muslim worlds — a civilizational gap spanning centuries. Closing that gap is where change must begin.
Despite having a population exceeding one billion, the Muslim world has failed Gaza. Institutions like the OIC, Arab League, and powerful armies have done nothing while Gaza has been reduced to rubble. The brutality has ignited fury among Muslim youth worldwide, but emotion alone won’t alter reality. Power based on knowledge does.
Of course, the Muslim world is not without strengths. Its strategic geography—controlling key maritime routes like the Suez Canal—and vast reserves of oil, gas, and minerals make it economically vital. Nations like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, and Malaysia have also developed robust infrastructure, while Pakistan and Turkey have good military capabilities.
But here is the paradox: despite all these assets, Muslims remain geopolitically irrelevant. Why?
The causes to me are as follows:
1. The Collapse of the concept of Ummah
The concept of a united Muslim Ummah is now little more than nostalgic rhetoric. Nationalism reigns supreme—“Saudi First,” “Pakistan First”—dividing the Muslim voice into competing interests. When Iran was recently attacked, most Muslim governments only issued statements and no more.
2. Leaders Without Willpower
Muslim leaders lack the political courage to act. In Saudi Arabia, even prayers for Gaza were once suppressed. At the same time, Western pop concerts continue in Riyadh, and no significant Islamic party in Muslim countries has mounted real pressure on governments or on their armies.
3. Normalizing with Israel: A Silent Betrayal
Most Arab states have effectively accepted Israel bypassing the Palestinians, often justifying this with geopolitical pragmatism.
4. Obsequiousness to America
Trump’s recent visit to the Gulf revealed the depth of subservience. Lavish welcomes, billion-dollar arms deals, and not a word of protest about Gaza. Instead of challenging the Israeli narrative, Gulf monarchs competed for approval from Mr. Trump.
5. Gaza: Not on Their Agenda
Gaza does not exist on Arab leaders’ real agendas. Even major summits result in empty statements and no action. Institutions like the Arab League and OIC are mere shadows, deeply compromised by Gulf funding and Western pressure.
6. A Fractured Muslim World
Internal divisions run deep. Beyond sectarianism, civil wars, tribalism, and proxy conflicts have devastated unity. The Muslim world is split into three blocs—Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey—none of which can coordinate a unified strategy.
7. Surrendering the Resistance?
Many Gulf-backed voices now urge Hamas to surrender. But Palestinians know: if resistance stops today, forced expulsions begin tomorrow. The so-called “international community” has failed to act meaningfully. The ICC is under U.S. sanctions. UN officials are sidelined. Resistance is the only option left against complete erasure. And it must continue—because no one else is coming. Not the West, not the Arab elites, not the global institutions to save the Palestinians.
Bottom line: the balance of power is not in the Muslims’ favor. The gap between Muslim and non-Muslim nations in education, science, and economics is not just 100 or 200 years—it is several centuries wide. And that is what must be closed first.
8. Intellectual Decline and Blind Imitation
There is almost no original research coming out of the Muslim world. Instead, we are stuck in blind imitation of past scholars. There is no fresh intellectual reasoning (ijtihad), and the overall mindset is one of stagnation and conformity.
But that just does not work in the real world. You cannot blindly follow others in religious matters and expect to be a pioneer in science, innovation, and global progress. When scholars say, “Leave religion to us—nobody is stopping you from progressing in worldly matters,” that is a half-truth. Sure, governments bear much of the blame—but scholars and intellectuals are not off the hook either. Human life is not compartmentalized in a way where you can be rigid and unthinking in one area and expect creativity and critical thinking in another. It does not work that way.
To activate our intellectual potential, we need to create a new environment—one that encourages research, free thought, and respectful disagreement. Only then will minds flourish and productivity rise. Why are so many brilliant minds leaving Muslim countries for the West? Why the constant brain drain? We seriously need to reflect on this.
9. Falling Behind in Science and Technology
One study shows that over the past 40–50 years, most Nobel Prizes in science have been won by Jewish researchers. The few Muslim winners have mostly been recognized for literature, human rights, or peace activism—not for breakthroughs in science, medicine, or technology.
Some Muslims argue the Nobel prize system is biased. Fair point. But then look at the King Faisal Award, a Muslim Arab initiative—even that mostly goes to Muslims for contributions to Islamic studies, Arabic literature, Hadith, or fiqh. Very rarely is it awarded to Muslims for achievements in cutting-edge science or tech fields like AI, robotics, or medicine.
Religious scholars say, “We’ve never stopped the community from progressing in science.” True—but have you ever encouraged it? Have you passionately called Muslims toward it? In reality, secular education and modern sciences are often given second-class status in traditional religious circles.
Instead, we wasted time on concepts like “Islamization of knowledge”—an unproductive intellectual hobbyhorse. Some Ulama even wrote books like “Triumphant Refutation of the Earth’s Rotationۡۡفوز ۡمبین ۡدر ۡرد حرکت ِۡزمین”, and sadly, such views gained wide followership among ordinary Muslims.
In South Asia, for instance, madrasa education has barely evolved. Besides minor surface-level tweaks, no serious curriculum reforms have taken place. Let us not forget that in the late Ottoman era, the Sheikh al-Islam blocked technological modernization. That, too, was a tragic mistake—and not the only one.
Muslim movements lack long-term commitment. We get fired up temporarily, then fizzle out—like soap bubbles. And now, hit-and-run attacks and sporadic violence (where civilians are often harmed) are backfiring badly. Take the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood operation by Hamas—it ended up being counterproductive. And the same pattern can be seen elsewhere.
Why? Because such actions are always rebranded as terrorism by the opposing powers. Today, there is a global consensus against terrorism—and ignoring that comes with serious consequences, especially when you do not have any global power backing you.
When the Afghan jihad against the Soviets succeeded, it was only because the U.S. and Pakistan were fully behind it. But where there is no external support for a Palestinian cause, the result is what we now see in Gaza—total devastation.
Reform: The Urgent Need of Our Times
A detailed discussion on reform deserves its own space—but since this article has already become lengthy, let us briefly touch on a few key ideas.
1. Muslim World Needs a Real Defence Pact
The failures of organizations like the OIC and the Arab League have proven that they are just paper tigers— issuing statements but accomplishing nothing. We need something real: a NATO-style defence alliance for the Muslim world, where an attack on one is treated as an attack on all.
Muslim countries should learn from Iran—exit the illusion of Western protection and build their own defence strategy. Until then, they won’t gain real respect or relevance on the global stage.
2. Long-Term Educational Revolution
There are no shortcuts to revival. What we need is a long-term vision built on education—and only education. Muslims must advance rapidly in science, tech, and now, AI.
3. Political Reforms
Politically, we must move toward democratic systems—adapted to context, yes—but military dictatorships and monarchies must end. We need a grassroots movement across the Muslim world to dismantle these outdated systems.
Scholars and intellectuals must stop being pawns of rulers. There should be campaigns against superstition, and backward customs. Let’s build unity. Let’s form real political and economic pressure groups that can shape global narratives.
4. Awareness in the Muslim masses
The fourth pillar is awareness. Muslims—and the Global South at large—need to ask: Do we want to remain under the boot of the same exploitative capitalist Western world order? Or is it time to imagine something different?
It is honestly depressing that no major voice in the Arab world is even asking this question. They are still stuck in sectarian Shia–Sunni politics. Meanwhile, voices for economic independence are coming from places like Brazil, Cuba, North Korea, and BRICS nations are openly challenging the U.S. dollar system with China.
5. The Palestinian Cause
There must be a global, people-powered, peaceful movement for Palestine, using every modern tool to tell the truth and reclaim the narrative. Palestine diaspora-students and teachers cum human activists-have already started this movement, it just needs to be guided and supported.
But resistance groups must rethink their strategy too. Honestly, I think if the armed resistance had emerged inside Israel, maybe the outcome would’ve been different—maybe Gaza wouldn’t have been turned into rubble. Palestinians themselves need to unite. It’s heartbreaking how little they’ve learned from their blood-soaked history.
Back in the final days of the British Mandate, Britain armed Zionist militias to the teeth—60,000 trained fighters, equipped and organized. They launched systematic attacks on Palestinian villages, while Palestinian defence efforts were scattered—ten people here, fifteen there, each village defending itself with old rifles. The result? Palestinians were overrun and pushed out—millions of refugees whose third generation still lives displaced in camps across the world. Yet even now, Hamas and Fatah (P.A) remain divided, each pursuing its own path. And where exactly did the armed militia led by Netanyahu’s puppet, Yasser Abu Shabab, originate?
What is Happening to Political Islam?
It seems like Political or “Revivalist” Islam is being systematically pushed back. It began with the Gulf-funded takedown of President Mohammad Morsi’s elected government in Egypt. Ever since, the West has viewed Political Islam as the biggest threat—and that very vision of Islam is now fighting for survival. Yes, I think Bangladesh’s student-led uprising has provided a little breathing room, but on the whole, the trend is on the backfoot.
Sufi Islam nowadays suits colonial interests while there were times when this version of Islam was the biggest challenge to Colonialism. Salafi Islam props up monarchies. As a result, there’s a leadership vacuum in the Muslim world. And traditional scholars—who still hold massive influence in Muslim masses—often lack understanding of the modern world. We need a new generation of thinkers and doers: sharp, driven, spiritually grounded, and intellectually ready to leads.
The End of History?
Four decades ago, American thinker Francis Fukuyama wrote The End of History, declaring that the Western liberal system had won forever—and nothing else could challenge it. Some of his conclusions were proven wrong by history. But the deeper message of that book—that the political vision of Islamic civilization is dead—is still going unchallenged. And that should seriously alarm the Muslim world.