Mirage of Silence and Islamic Disintegration

The question of unity, ethics, and racial hierarchy within the Islamic world is a subject of intense internal debate among scholars, activists, and the global Muslim community. While the Koran explicitly condemn racism—most famously in Prophet Muhammad’s Final Sermon, where he stated that an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab—the geopolitical reality often reveals a stark contrast between these theological ideals and the actions of modern nation-states.

A primary criticism directed at the Arab world involves a perceived Arab-centrism that sometimes translates into systemic racism against non-Arab Muslims. Despite Islam being a global faith with the majority of its adherents living in South and Southeast Asia, there is often an implicit assumption that Arab culture is the standard for Islamic living.

This tension is most visible in the Kafala system used in many Gulf nations, such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. While these countries are seen as the guardians of Islam’s holiest sites, their labor laws have historically left migrant workers—many of them Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia—vulnerable to exploitation. This creates a hierarchy where economic status and ethnicity often supersede the religious bond of brotherhood, leading to accusations of a disintegrated society where the pursuit of wealth outweighs the egalitarian values of the faith.

The frustration regarding the inaction of Arab states in the face of humanitarian crises is another significant point of contention. Countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia are often criticized for their proximity to Western powers, which critics argue dictates their foreign policy more than Islamic solidarity does.

The ongoing suffering in places like Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen highlights a perceived moral failure. While the Arab world possesses immense collective wealth and diplomatic leverage, critics point to several factors for their perceived passivity:

• Political Self-Interest: Many regimes prioritize internal stability and the survival of their ruling classes over regional intervention.

• Western Dependencies: Military and economic ties with the West often create a checkmate scenario where Arab leaders feel unable to act against the interests of global superpowers.

• Internal Divisions: The rivalry between blocs (such as the Saudi-led coalition vs. Iranian influence) has led to proxy wars that further destabilize the region, rather than uniting it against external threats or genocides.

Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq offer a different perspective on this disintegration. These were once the intellectual and cultural hearts of the Arab world, but decades of sectarianism and corruption have left their societies fractured. When a nation is struggling to provide basic electricity or food for its own citizens, its ability to project power or offer aid to others vanishes. This domestic decay is often viewed as a sell-out by the population, who see their leaders amassing wealth while the social fabric unravels.

The critique of the Arab world as hypocritical stems from the high standard to which it is held. Because these nations are the birthplace of Islam, the world expects them to be the moral vanguard of the faith. When they prioritize borders, Western alliances, or ethnic hierarchies over the suffering of fellow humans, the gap between the model and the reality becomes a source of deep resentment. Addressing these issues requires more than just wealth; it requires a return to the foundational Islamic principle that justice must take precedence over national or ethnic interest.