Let us not forget that Zionism is "Jewish" nationalism, and that nationalism allows Arab and Muslim countries to compartmentalise and ignore the occupation under the cloak of "national interests".
Let us remember that victory comes from Allah, so we should seek victory in a way that is pleasing to Him.
In reality most Palestinians agree with that at some level and most Muslims also understand that we are all in it together. I think the hard part is getting people to act, built institutions and coalitions, learn and improve, find ways to be relevant and stay motivated. Muslims need to understand what is their purpose, what they should be doing, and what success looks like. I lived in the UAE, it is not a success story to me. If the Sahaba were around today what would they be doing? Would they be passive or would they do their most to fight corruption and injustice while staying close to Allah. I remember a podcast about Saleh El Deen and the speaker saying while Europe viewed him as being chivalrous he was just trying to be a good Muslim, that is all he needed and wanted to do!
I'm not keen on nationalism within Muslim communities. I think it should be a smaller part of the identity, compared to that being part of the Muslim Ummah. But I do feel more sympathetic for Palestinians and their nationalism. As a people they have been neglected and ineffectively supported by the wider Muslim and global community, so I can understand why they hold tighter their national identity as they feel they only have each other. Whilst other Muslim nations have overcome overt traditional colonialism, the Palestinians have not. And the wider Muslim community do have a habit of unfortunately forgetting the Palestinians as soon as an expulsion or escalation "calms down".
I understand and respect your views and I do agree that as the Muslim ummah we do need to work towards collective strength and support but I think the wider Muslim Ummah needs to do more for the Palestinians. I appreciate your point about the Palestinian political voice should be raised for other Ummah-related concerns but the PA is one faction. There are many more powerful Muslim nations who just aren't working together to make stronger political moves, which in turn could help the Palestinians.
I never thought of this before. It reminds me of when an African American Muslimah told me she faced discrimination from Palestinians in the diaspora (and I see this anti-blackness with other Muslims as well). Oppression is not just as a means of testing patience, but also humility: do we solely identify with struggle? Do we gatekeep our experiences of marginalization, even enacting/enabling similar forms of oppression upon others? Or does our suffering push us toward solidarity for all of humanity?
Thank you for opening such a burning issue. And thank you for the very interesting comments.
My understanding of the concept of nationalism in the Muslim Sphere is that muslim majority countries are part of larger ensembles transcending the geographical european concept of "nationalism". There are the arabs, turcs, farsies, kurds, pashtuns, berbers, wolofs to name a few...etc if we follow an ethnicity categorisation, or Machrek, Maghreb, and Asia if we apply a geographical one. Palestinians are not only muslims (there are christian palestinians and those who have dissapeared almost entirely in the confrontation with zionism that are jewish palestinians) and it is within that context that the contemporary idea ( a european west one) of nationalism was carved out after decolonisation. The actual concept comes with Islam's Ummah (nation). If we are, as muslims, capable of conceiving of this extrodinary concept ( which Salah Eddine, as a kurd had no difficulty with BECAUSE he was muslim) of Ummah we'll be capable of putting back the pieces of the puzzle.
It is probably not a bad thing that we are all failing at the narrow, very narrow concept of nationalism as understood in the European West. Probably because the ties to that larger ensemble (where one could go, live, thrive and prosper from where the sun rises to where is sets without the need of visas, crossing artificial frontiers, moving from city to city, knowledge center to knowledge center) are still alive, deeply wounded, and in pain but alive from where I, humbly, see it.
Palestinians, in there failure are a testimony of what, as muslims we are up against: our own failure as muslims ummah members. We do our best and we know it far, far from enough.
And that is probably not a coincidence for there is not other victor but Allah swt.
May we see Palestine free, palestians back in there land and muslims back to our essence and to the Ummah insha'Allah.
Fully agree with what you’ve written about the failures of nationalism. The Palestinians I feel are caught between a rock and a hard place. Because they’re fighting a western nationalist entity they get thrust into the path of nationalism. It’s the same thing that happened during the decolonial period to all the other Muslim nations that were fighting for liberation. The western world only understands nationalism they have no context for something like the ummah. Racialism and nationalism are part of their ruling ideologies. It’s difficult to not fight nationalistically when this is the only language your oppressor understands. Simultaneously we cannot also leave out the issue of Arab nationalism and supremacy which is on the rise now and has caused divisions amongst the ummah since before the colonization of Palestine. Lastly I’ll just say, there is no room in Islam for nationalism, racialism or any other identity divisions. Identity is a false idol of self worship. Until we leave this our ummah will always suffer.
Very interesting take on the issue.Has there been a Palestinian Arab identity prior to Sevres? From a European POV it appears that the varieties of Arabic spoken in Jerusalem, Hebron and Acre are not that different from those in Amman or Daraa... Perhaps this question may come across as ignorant, but are there sharp/significant differences between Arabs from the region of formerly Mandatory Palestine and Jordan and/or Daraa governorate?
WE are Muslim first! WE have The BOOK; we know it says to help our ummah in need. Is it so difficult? Is the power of “others” so much, that WE fail our own? WE have a duty, no matter the time of day, the era of history! WE must separate the reliable (our BOOK) from the incredible (bombardment and division.). WE must meet this cause!
Pan-arab nationalism has literally been the target of the USA's destruction since... well at least '91. It failed because it was destroyed every time it tried. Every country around Israel has been destroyed at the behest of Israel. I am not sure this is a failure of the people that were destroyed.
Great article! This is not just about Palestinian nationalism, it’s about all Muslims who carry a tribal identity first and their Muslim identity as a second, third, or in some cases (the Muslim identity)is even non-existent.
I’m reading the Sirah of the Prophet, may peace be upon him (PBUH). Where the Prophet (PBUH) says and I quote; “He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. He is not one of us who fights for the sake of tribalism. He is not one of us who dies following the way of tribalism.” Source - The Sirah of the Prophet - a contemporary and original analysis by Dr. Yasir Qadhi. Page.262.
The Ummah has devolved into tribalism and its modern form, nationalism which has divided us into groups that only look at their national interests. Why can’t 50+ Muslim majority countries stand together to stop the genocide in Gaza?!
It is precisely because Zionists have sought to destroy both Palestinians and the idea of Palestine, that Palestinians have clung so fiercely to the notion of themselves as Palestinians. The identity survives not despite the assault, but because of it. When a people are violently dispossessed, their collective memory, rituals, and even the vocabulary they use to describe themselves often become acts of resistance. What it means to be “Palestinian” today is inseparable from the context of the occupation. The more Israel attempts to erase Palestine from maps, language, and global consciousness, the more Palestinians are likely to reassert it.
Their total abandonment by the Gulf regimes will only reinforce this.
When it comes to H@m@s and the broader resistance, the last real hope for meaningful state-sponsored support came through Muhammad Morsi. We all know how that ended…with a Western-backed coup that extinguished any serious prospect of regional alignment. In my view, Palestinian resistance groups (then and now) have never preferred to align with actors who are ideologically and politically at odds with Sunni communities across the Levant.
I just started my Substack journey in which I explore effective ways of freeing Palestine and sharing deep thoughts (among other things) follow for more 🫶🏻
Let us not forget that Zionism is "Jewish" nationalism, and that nationalism allows Arab and Muslim countries to compartmentalise and ignore the occupation under the cloak of "national interests".
Let us remember that victory comes from Allah, so we should seek victory in a way that is pleasing to Him.
In reality most Palestinians agree with that at some level and most Muslims also understand that we are all in it together. I think the hard part is getting people to act, built institutions and coalitions, learn and improve, find ways to be relevant and stay motivated. Muslims need to understand what is their purpose, what they should be doing, and what success looks like. I lived in the UAE, it is not a success story to me. If the Sahaba were around today what would they be doing? Would they be passive or would they do their most to fight corruption and injustice while staying close to Allah. I remember a podcast about Saleh El Deen and the speaker saying while Europe viewed him as being chivalrous he was just trying to be a good Muslim, that is all he needed and wanted to do!
I'm not keen on nationalism within Muslim communities. I think it should be a smaller part of the identity, compared to that being part of the Muslim Ummah. But I do feel more sympathetic for Palestinians and their nationalism. As a people they have been neglected and ineffectively supported by the wider Muslim and global community, so I can understand why they hold tighter their national identity as they feel they only have each other. Whilst other Muslim nations have overcome overt traditional colonialism, the Palestinians have not. And the wider Muslim community do have a habit of unfortunately forgetting the Palestinians as soon as an expulsion or escalation "calms down".
I understand and respect your views and I do agree that as the Muslim ummah we do need to work towards collective strength and support but I think the wider Muslim Ummah needs to do more for the Palestinians. I appreciate your point about the Palestinian political voice should be raised for other Ummah-related concerns but the PA is one faction. There are many more powerful Muslim nations who just aren't working together to make stronger political moves, which in turn could help the Palestinians.
I never thought of this before. It reminds me of when an African American Muslimah told me she faced discrimination from Palestinians in the diaspora (and I see this anti-blackness with other Muslims as well). Oppression is not just as a means of testing patience, but also humility: do we solely identify with struggle? Do we gatekeep our experiences of marginalization, even enacting/enabling similar forms of oppression upon others? Or does our suffering push us toward solidarity for all of humanity?
Thank you for opening such a burning issue. And thank you for the very interesting comments.
My understanding of the concept of nationalism in the Muslim Sphere is that muslim majority countries are part of larger ensembles transcending the geographical european concept of "nationalism". There are the arabs, turcs, farsies, kurds, pashtuns, berbers, wolofs to name a few...etc if we follow an ethnicity categorisation, or Machrek, Maghreb, and Asia if we apply a geographical one. Palestinians are not only muslims (there are christian palestinians and those who have dissapeared almost entirely in the confrontation with zionism that are jewish palestinians) and it is within that context that the contemporary idea ( a european west one) of nationalism was carved out after decolonisation. The actual concept comes with Islam's Ummah (nation). If we are, as muslims, capable of conceiving of this extrodinary concept ( which Salah Eddine, as a kurd had no difficulty with BECAUSE he was muslim) of Ummah we'll be capable of putting back the pieces of the puzzle.
It is probably not a bad thing that we are all failing at the narrow, very narrow concept of nationalism as understood in the European West. Probably because the ties to that larger ensemble (where one could go, live, thrive and prosper from where the sun rises to where is sets without the need of visas, crossing artificial frontiers, moving from city to city, knowledge center to knowledge center) are still alive, deeply wounded, and in pain but alive from where I, humbly, see it.
Palestinians, in there failure are a testimony of what, as muslims we are up against: our own failure as muslims ummah members. We do our best and we know it far, far from enough.
And that is probably not a coincidence for there is not other victor but Allah swt.
May we see Palestine free, palestians back in there land and muslims back to our essence and to the Ummah insha'Allah.
Fully agree with what you’ve written about the failures of nationalism. The Palestinians I feel are caught between a rock and a hard place. Because they’re fighting a western nationalist entity they get thrust into the path of nationalism. It’s the same thing that happened during the decolonial period to all the other Muslim nations that were fighting for liberation. The western world only understands nationalism they have no context for something like the ummah. Racialism and nationalism are part of their ruling ideologies. It’s difficult to not fight nationalistically when this is the only language your oppressor understands. Simultaneously we cannot also leave out the issue of Arab nationalism and supremacy which is on the rise now and has caused divisions amongst the ummah since before the colonization of Palestine. Lastly I’ll just say, there is no room in Islam for nationalism, racialism or any other identity divisions. Identity is a false idol of self worship. Until we leave this our ummah will always suffer.
Very interesting take on the issue.Has there been a Palestinian Arab identity prior to Sevres? From a European POV it appears that the varieties of Arabic spoken in Jerusalem, Hebron and Acre are not that different from those in Amman or Daraa... Perhaps this question may come across as ignorant, but are there sharp/significant differences between Arabs from the region of formerly Mandatory Palestine and Jordan and/or Daraa governorate?
70-80% of Jordanians are descendants of Palestinian Refugees, thats why the dialect and sound is so similar.
WE are Muslim first! WE have The BOOK; we know it says to help our ummah in need. Is it so difficult? Is the power of “others” so much, that WE fail our own? WE have a duty, no matter the time of day, the era of history! WE must separate the reliable (our BOOK) from the incredible (bombardment and division.). WE must meet this cause!
Pan-arab nationalism has literally been the target of the USA's destruction since... well at least '91. It failed because it was destroyed every time it tried. Every country around Israel has been destroyed at the behest of Israel. I am not sure this is a failure of the people that were destroyed.
Great article! This is not just about Palestinian nationalism, it’s about all Muslims who carry a tribal identity first and their Muslim identity as a second, third, or in some cases (the Muslim identity)is even non-existent.
I’m reading the Sirah of the Prophet, may peace be upon him (PBUH). Where the Prophet (PBUH) says and I quote; “He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. He is not one of us who fights for the sake of tribalism. He is not one of us who dies following the way of tribalism.” Source - The Sirah of the Prophet - a contemporary and original analysis by Dr. Yasir Qadhi. Page.262.
The Ummah has devolved into tribalism and its modern form, nationalism which has divided us into groups that only look at their national interests. Why can’t 50+ Muslim majority countries stand together to stop the genocide in Gaza?!
We need to become ummatic again
Too nice and too trustworthy, that’s why Zionists easily took almost all their land.
However Allah test them the most, because they are truly the strongest Muslims with unshakeable faith.
Not sure if this will happen to me, if I will be able to maintain mandatory prayers.
But I can relate, Vietnamese also go through a tough shit. French colonial past, war with US, you name it. But we never gave up, now we are free.
Palestine will be free soon, Israel is gonna burn in hell.
It is precisely because Zionists have sought to destroy both Palestinians and the idea of Palestine, that Palestinians have clung so fiercely to the notion of themselves as Palestinians. The identity survives not despite the assault, but because of it. When a people are violently dispossessed, their collective memory, rituals, and even the vocabulary they use to describe themselves often become acts of resistance. What it means to be “Palestinian” today is inseparable from the context of the occupation. The more Israel attempts to erase Palestine from maps, language, and global consciousness, the more Palestinians are likely to reassert it.
Their total abandonment by the Gulf regimes will only reinforce this.
When it comes to H@m@s and the broader resistance, the last real hope for meaningful state-sponsored support came through Muhammad Morsi. We all know how that ended…with a Western-backed coup that extinguished any serious prospect of regional alignment. In my view, Palestinian resistance groups (then and now) have never preferred to align with actors who are ideologically and politically at odds with Sunni communities across the Levant.
Thank you for your insights, brother.
This essay has been something I have needed to read for a long time. Thank you for sharing your perspective, the world needs more of it.
I just started my Substack journey in which I explore effective ways of freeing Palestine and sharing deep thoughts (among other things) follow for more 🫶🏻