Whenever the issue of Muslim states arose, we were taught that all the Muslims in the world were one ‘Ummah’ and united in their worldview, culture, strategic goals and long-term ambitions. One can be as naïve as one wants and still believe the lies we have been told repeatedly or one can open their eyes and see the present state of the Muslim states for what they truly are.
Whenever the words genocide and civil war and terrorism are heard, one immediately thinks of Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and much to our dismay, Pakistan. Why does it seem that the ‘Ummah” has a monopoly over the harsh realities of the world? The death toll in Syria has crossed 170,000 while political leaders in Egypt are sentenced to death and a General has taken over. Over 50,000 people in Pakistan have paid the price of the failed policies made by our leaders yet no one bats an eye. It seems that when Muslims kill Muslims, it doesn’t amaze anyone anymore since it has become all too common.
Are we supposed to ignore the fact that our fellow Muslim States would rather side with the Western powers in order to spread anarchy in their own brethren Muslim states? Are we supposed to forget that the terrorists once thought of as heroes/freedom fighters/insert justified word of your choice have pledged to destroy the most holy sites in Islam? We are divided along sectarian lines, in language, in culture, in monetary interest, in regional goals. We are divided whenever it counts yet we still have the audacity to call ourselves an ‘Ummah’.
Now coming to the recent issue of the brutality of the present Israeli regime against the Palestinians. Even calling it a regime is giving respect to a band of murderers no different from the extremists who wish to impose their will by the use of the gun, ignoring all civilian causalities. It was shocking to me that the Americans tried to calm the bully in the middle-east down while all the leaders of the Muslim states watched like the cheerleaders of a losing side. Where is the Might of King Abdullah, ranked as the 9th most powerful man in the world by Forbes? Is his influence only limited to Saudi’s oil contracts or to undermining the influence of other Muslim States?
The deafening silence for the plight of Palestinians is sad but fails to surprise. Muslim blood is cheap all over the world and it’s getting cheaper day-by-day. The Israeli forces are fully aware of this fact and are taking advantage of the disunity among Muslims, otherwise could even one Israeli bullet hit an innocent civilian if they knew over 50 Muslim countries were standing behind Palestinians? However when cowardice and self-interest becomes a norm, brutality becomes easy.
In all fairness I would also like to point out that some Muslims have started to idolize Hitler and justify the Holocaust. It is unfortunate that some Muslims are justifying genocide and civilian casualties, how can they distinguish themselves from their Israeli counter-parts? For any rational mind, murder is wrong whether done by Jews or against them. We should not be so consumed by hatred that we become so insensitive to murder that we ourselves find excuses to justify it. Let’s show the world that we are bigger than that. Let’s show our people that bloodshed is never the answer.
