- By: Dr. Muhammad Tayyab Khan Singhanvi (Ph.D)
The past of the Muslim world is a radiant chapter etched in golden letters across the pages of history. There was a time when cities like Baghdad, Córdoba, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Damascus were centers of knowledge, justice, and civilization. Scholars from around the globe looked to the Islamic world for enlightenment, while Muslims led the advancement of science, medicine, astronomy, philosophy, and architecture.
Yet, a long and calculated web of conspiracies tore apart the unity of Muslims. Colonial powers divided the Ummah along lines of ethnicity, language, sectarianism, and geography. This fragmentation sowed hatred, distrust, and enmity among Muslim nations. The fall of the Ottoman Caliphate became a defining marker of this decline, after which Muslim territories splintered into isolated states, each fighting for its own survival.
At this turning point, the world’s perception also shifted. The very nations that once led the world became dependent on others for direction. While the blood of certain nations, when shed, triggers global crises, the spilling of Muslim blood often elicits little more than a fleeting sigh before the world moves on. Our blood has become cheaper than water, while yours is treated like the rarest rose celebrated and protected. This is the tragic truth that encapsulates the current state of the Muslim Ummah.
The ongoing atrocities in Palestine are a vivid illustration of this grim reality. Daily bombings rain down on Gaza, children are pulled lifeless from the rubble, the cries of mothers pierce the skies, and the eyes of elders remain soaked in grief yet the world stands mute. The United Nations may pass resolutions, but it lacks the will or perhaps the intention to enforce them. International media provides 24-hour coverage for events in non-Muslim nations, but treats the genocide in Palestine as an afterthought, barely worth a minute of airtime.
In Syria, an entire generation has been lost to civil war. From Damascus to Aleppo to Idlib, scenes of destruction, death, and despair dominate. A brutal regime, foreign interventions, and factional warfare have reduced life to a fragile thread hanging between existence and extinction. Millions have been forced to flee, while those left behind live in camps stripped of basic necessities. Still, no major international conference is convened, no meaningful humanitarian campaign arises because the victims are Muslims.
Yemen, too, stands broken. The worst humanitarian crisis of our times rages there, with famine, disease, and relentless airstrikes defining daily life. Children’s bones are visible through their skin, mothers watch helplessly as their children die, and medicine has become a luxury. Yet the conscience of the West only stirs when military or commercial interests are threatened not when Muslims are dying.
In India, Muslims face systematic discrimination and persecution. Under the banner of democracy, Muslims are lynched over cows, barred from wearing the hijab, ridiculed through legislation like the Uniform Civil Code, and see their mosques desecrated. Kashmir has been turned into an open-air prison, where every voice of dissent is silenced with the barrel of a gun but the world dismisses it as “India’s internal matter.”
China’s Uyghur Muslims endure a different yet equally harrowing fate. Religious freedom has been stripped away reading the Qur’an, fasting, attending mosques all have been criminalized. Detention centers serve as sites of forced assimilation, erasing their cultural and religious identity. But as China is a global superpower, media and international organizations dare not raise their voices.
The plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar was nothing short of genocide. Their homes were torched, women raped, children slaughtered, and entire communities displaced. Yet their wounds did not stir the global conscience. Today, they remain scattered abandoned on the shores of Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand unwanted and unprotected.
Despite these unspeakable atrocities, the Muslim leadership remains silent. Organizations like the OIC have been reduced to issuing toothless statements and ineffective resolutions. No Muslim country has taken any significant steps to combat these injustices. Even economically powerful Islamic nations remain indifferent, busy forging ties and trade deals with oppressors. Brotherhood, dignity, and humanitarian responsibility are now relegated to ceremonial speeches.
The greatest tragedy is not our weakness it is that we have accepted this weakness as our destiny. Our apathy has brought us here. We sigh at injustice, chant a few slogans in protest, and then return to our distractions. Our faith commands us to stand against tyranny not just pray, fast, and give alms but to actively support the oppressed and resist the oppressors. Yet these teachings remain locked in books and sermons, rarely practiced in life.
We must also accept a hard truth: the world is driven by interests, not sentiment. As long as we present ourselves as helpless victims, we will not command respect. Honor is linked to power, and power is derived from knowledge, economic strength, unity, and technological advancement. We must expose the double standards of global powers. If the Muslim world rich in oil, gas, resources, and manpower unites, its voice cannot be ignored.
We also need to rethink what we are teaching our youth. Are we instilling in them the true spirit of Islam? Are they aware of the glorious legacy of Muslim leadership and intellectual thought? Sadly, we have forsaken our history and heroes, replacing them with role models responsible for our ruin. Until we awaken our youth ignite within them a sense of pride, identity, and Islamic consciousness we will remain shackled in intellectual slavery.
In this era, the most powerful weapon is media. It shapes global narratives. Yet, in the Muslim world, media is either state-controlled or lost in superficial entertainment, fashion, and trivial debates. We must build serious, research-based, global-standard media networks platforms that can project the Muslim voice to the world and counter disinformation with truth and knowledge.
Educational institutions must also be reimagined. It is not enough to blindly follow Western curricula. We need schools and universities that teach not only modern science and technology, but also Islamic history, philosophy, the Seerah of the Prophet ?, and moral education. We must cultivate youth who are both devout believers and skilled professionals equally adept in Qur’anic knowledge and Artificial Intelligence.
Our economic reality is equally dire. Muslim nations can play a pivotal role in the global economy, but internal corruption, poor planning, and dependence on foreign loans have rendered us powerless. We need skilled Muslim economists, Islamic banking systems, and financial institutions that adhere to Islamic principles while meeting modern needs.
In the arena of international diplomacy, we are alarmingly behind. Our ambassadors must move beyond ceremonial duties and represent Muslim concerns with logic, courage, and clarity. The world must understand that Muslims are a living, breathing force and their neglect has serious consequences for global peace.
We must also remember: not all battles are won with guns. Sometimes a powerful pen, a compelling speech, a well-framed narrative, or a clear diplomatic stance can deal a mightier blow than an army. We must empower our scholars, thinkers, writers, and educators to guide the Ummah intellectually.
Finally, let us embed this truth in our hearts: decline is not eternal, provided we recognize its causes and strive for change. If we amend our ways, reclaim our lost identity, support the oppressed, and adopt knowledge, unity, dignity, morality, and sincerity as our ethos then a day will come when the world will not just count our numbers but respect our character, knowledge, and leadership.
Our blood is not water it is priceless. But the world will only recognize its worth when we start valuing ourselves.
Then, and only then, will the world say:
“Your blood flows like water and ours blooms like roses.”