بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Gaza War Puts the Leadership Crisis in the Islamic Ummah on the Table
(Translated)
Sheikh ‘Ussam Ghanim
Al Waie Issue 456
https://www.al-waie.org/archives/article/19449
Before the outbreak of the Jewish war on Gaza in October 2023, the general public of the Islamic Ummah did not witness the extent of the leadership’s degradation within the Islamic Ummah. Many people could not envision a leadership for the Islamic Ummah, outside the framework of the existing international system. Some saw hope in certain rulers to defend the people, or the Ummah. Others saw hope in some of the leaders of the “moderate” Islamic organizations that appear in the media. However, the Jewish war on Gaza, and the intensity of their crimes, have revealed a profound leadership crisis in the Islamic region. This was evident in two aspects that became glaringly apparent after the war on Gaza:
The first aspect was represented by rulers who were powerless. Despite the large populations of countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and others, their influence on the international stage regarding the war in Gaza was negligible. Turkish President Erdoğan spoke of Turkey as a guarantor state for Gaza, meaning its readiness to prevent the people of Gaza from firing back at the Jewish entity. Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir talked about the "two-state solution," indicating he saw the solution in the “American” formula to stabilize the Jewish entity. As for Egypt’s President as-Sisi, he surpassed them all. He failed to allow any aid trucks into Gaza, which was being starved by the Jews, without Jewish permission.
These stances struck the minds of Muslims like a thunderbolt. These rulers completely failed to have any effect against the Jews or America to stop the war. Additionally, the Ummah witnessed their subservience to America firsthand. They acted and expressed their stances only after consulting America, never stepping outside its bounds. America considered the most important issue in the war on Gaza to be that of the “Jewish hostages” in Gaza. Hence, Egypt and Qatar’s efforts, alongside America, were focused on releasing these hostages, and pressuring Hamas in this regard, hoping that the Jews might agree to a temporary ceasefire.
America was interested in the post-war scenario, leading these rulers to pressurize Hamas to join the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), abandon governance in Gaza, and convince Hamas that any political future lies within the PLO framework. The PLO surrenders to the Jews, putting the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus at the service of the Jews, negotiating over parts of Palestine, in the hope that the Jews might accept, even if after decades.
Thus, for the first time with such clarity, people discovered that these rulers had led the Ummah to an extremely low level of political and international value. It is as if these countries did not exist. Not to mention that they are agents and followers of the West, traitors working directly against the interests of their own people. It can be said that the Gaza War resulted in the downfall of these rulers, even among the last segment of people who had hope in them, including members of ruling parties, supporters, stakeholders and army officers. The Gaza War deepened this segment’s conviction that there is no benefit in supporting or endorsing these rulers because they are of zero significance and, despite their subservience and allegiance, they have no influence over the Jews or America. Their political weakness was unimaginable to these people.
In this new reality, resulting from the Gaza War, the aura of leadership, and the notion of accepting the rule of these rulers, have fallen among the segment that used to support them, including army officers, soldiers, managers, employees in ministries, and members of ruling parties. These individuals now await liberation from this degraded leadership and weak, miserable governance. Some might argue that many of these people are beneficiaries, and will therefore maintain their loyalty to these rulers. However, the more accurate statement is that the Gaza War has served as a model. When all these supporters saw that Abbas’s supporters in Gaza were being killed, and their homes destroyed, just like the rest of the residents of the sector, it instilled in the minds of the followers of the rulers of the Arabs and Muslims that the situation could easily turn against them. They realized that these rulers are undoubtedly incapable of saving them, creating a dangerous feeling that puts personal benefit at the lowest level of consideration.
The Ummah, including that segment of the rulers’ followers, has developed a general feeling after the Gaza War that their dignity is trampled on every day, and that these rulers are devoid of political sensitivity. They are seen as nothing, merely subservient to the global system dominated by America. America and the Jews want these rulers to be their humiliated servants. Officers in their barracks and officials in their ministries now talk about the unimaginable weakness under these leaderships, which the Gaza War proved to be utterly devoid of any leadership qualities.
The international stance was entirely in favor of the Jewish entity after 7 October, 2023, with influential countries rushing to support it, and supply it with weapons, denouncing what the Gaza fighters did on 7 October. Meanwhile, the destruction of Gaza, and the martyring of tens of thousands of innocent civilians by the Jews couldn’t be made an international issue by the rulers of the two billion Muslims. Instead, American and European universities rose in popular protest against these crimes, while our rulers remained silent, waiting for American pressure on the Jews, without taking any significant action themselves. This is despite their possession of massive armies, oil, gas, and straits that control international trade, amongst many other tools of international influence.
The second aspect was represented by the Islamic organizations that should have had a strong stance on what was happening in Gaza. The largest segment of people in the Islamic region believes that Islam is the solution, and expected strong stances from the leaders of these organizations. However, they were also shocked to find that these leaders were almost non-existent, marketing illusions instead. These leaders urged their followers to vote for them in elections, on the premise that Islam is the solution. However, once elected, no Islamic governance was seen.
Under the shadow of the war in Gaza, people saw that the participation of these organizations in parliaments and some ministries, as in Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Pakistan, and many other places, had placed these leaders under the wings of the rulers, who are, in turn, under the wings of America and the West. This means there was no Islam resulting from that participation in governance. While the Jews were bombing Gaza, the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan could do nothing more than protest and demonstrate, just like any segment of the population that had not entered parliament or ministries, nor participated in governance. Islamic parties in the Pakistani parliament did not provide any real support from Pakistan to the people of Gaza. The Pakistani army chief remained a client of America, repeating its rhetoric of the “two-state solution,” which aims to stabilize the Jewish entity. Similarly, Islamic parties and movements in the Algerian parliament did nothing significant.
The most notable so-called Islamic party in power, Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party, saw its leader Erdoğan disappear, after previously filling the world with his loud support for the people of Gaza and Palestinians. He now called for Turkey to be a “guarantor state” in Gaza, similar to its role in Syria, in preventing armed factions from toppling the Assad regime.
He aimed to prevent armed Palestinian factions in Gaza from threatening the Jewish entity. Thus, Erdoğan fell, and his leadership fell, along with many others who had deceived people into believing that participation in parliaments, ministries, and elections would make “Islam the solution.” The Gaza War crushes the people of Gaza, without any Islamic representation by these “moderate” movements solving the problem for the people of Gaza, indicating that those slogans were empty words, without value.
This does not mean that Islam is not the solution. Instead it means that these leaders were merely selling illusions to people, by claiming that participation in governance would bring Islam into the political life of the country.
During this war, people witnessed astonishing events. All the leaders of the “moderate” Islamic organizations disappeared as if they did not exist, or they saw, along with the people, the failure of the theory of participation with the rulers. In their countries, everything belongs to the ruler. In democratic countries like the Jewish state, even small parties like those of Ben Gvir and Smotrich exert strong influence on the state, and push it according to their parliamentary strength. However, the “moderate” Islamic organizations participating with the rulers proved to be another zero, among the zeros of the Islamic region under these rulers.
This revelation discredited those leaders because they had been lying to their followers, marketing the illusion that elections under these rulers would make “Islam the solution.” These “moderate” organizations, under the wing of the rulers, spoke only within the allowed framework and did not threaten any ruler, despite the severe plight in Gaza.
To elaborate, it is the Ummah that desires Islam, and this must be stated plainly. The “moderate” Islamic organizations and their leaders have been showered with money, and given media platforms like Al Jazeera, to be seen by the people as leaders. This is evident in all these Islamic organizations connected to Qatar and others. They are established and highlighted by Qatari money and media, particularly Al Jazeera. Without this financial fountain, media platform, and political protection from the rulers, these organizations would not be as prominent as they are. These leaders are under the wing of Qatar, and Qatar is under the wing of Britain and America, which guide Qatar. The Jewish entity’s severe criticism of Qatar for supporting Hamas and terrorism, pushed Qatar to reveal the truth: the Hamas office in Doha was opened under the orders of American intelligence, to facilitate dialogue with the movement.
Therefore, despite the steadfastness and commendable performance of the mujahideen in Gaza, which infuriates the Jews, some leaders abroad, like Khalil al-Hayya, speak of the goal being the “two-state solution,” and that Hamas’s military wing can disappear, if the Palestinian issue is resolved, meaning according to the American solution. Similar sentiments are echoed by Osama Hamdan. Furthermore, Hamas’s leadership amended its charter in 2019 to align with the wishes of Qatar’s ruler and other leaders, as if the jihad in Gaza aims to gain a small part of Palestine, and stabilize the Jewish entity on the larger part, as per the 1948 borders, as America wants.
Therefore, it is necessary to speak out against the leaders who align themselves with the rulers that the Jihad in Gaza, and the sacrifices made by the people, including martyrs, destroyed homes, and shattered infrastructure, are for the liberation of Palestine. The Jihad is the Jihad of the Islamic Ummah. It is the Ummah that fights, loses, and sacrifices dearly. The outcome must be in accordance with Islamic rulings, not America’s “two-state solution” plans.
Muslims must be strongly warned that the financial fountain opened by Qatar comes with the condition of operating not according to the logic of “Islam is the solution.” It operates according to the American international order. Muslims have witnessed the Jihad of the Taliban in Afghanistan and how they performed admirably for twenty years. When America failed to defeat Taliban militarily, it unleashed Qatar and similar governments on it. Qatar opened an office for the Taliban in Doha and flooded it with money, until it convinced them to negotiate with America in 2018. America then withdrew in 2021, under an agreement with the Taliban, facilitated by Qatar. Today, sincere followers and Qatar’s supporters within the Taliban movement vie for control in Afghanistan, and sincere Dawah carriers are imprisoned by the Taliban, for calling for the implementation of Islam.
For all these reasons, people must realize that the rulers’ money is a deadly poison that should not be swallowed under the pretext of “supporting Muslims.” These rulers support according to American and European policies. They are powerless in the Gaza War, having no influence, and are waiting for an American official to persuade the Jews to stop their crimes in Gaza. Despite the armies stationed in their barracks, capable of stopping the massacre in Gaza and capable of liberating all of Palestine, the rulers restrain them from doing so.
Therefore, it can be said that the leadership of the “moderate” Islamic organizations has also fallen. Their downfall was proportional to their subservience to the rulers and their projects, such as the two-state solution in Palestine. The Ummah, shocked by the events in Gaza, realized that these organizations were merely marketing the illusion of “Islam is the solution” to get elected, and participate in governance. However, there was no Islam in parliament, ministries, or political life.
Instead, there was a “bearded sheikh” who participated in the rulers’ governance of kufr, providing cover for them in the name of opposition that neither satisfies nor enriches. Today, the Ummah awaits its true leadership.
In Syria, people are rising against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and their leader, al-Jolani, who placed himself under the Turkish wing, after prolonged Jihad. The people seek leadership that will lead them to overthrow Bashar, as was the revolution’s goal from the beginning. They desire an aware Islamic leadership that does not fall into the traps set for it.
In Libya, after a great struggle that led to the overthrow of the tyrant Gaddafi, people see no difference between the despised leadership of Haftar, and the “moderate” Islamic leaderships in the west of the country. These were swayed by Qatari money, which elevated individuals through Al Jazeera as leaders for people to follow, only to find themselves caught in Qatari traps on the European side of a vile power struggle between America, which supports Haftar, and Europe, which supports Tripoli and its Islamic organizations, under Qatari influence.
People have observed that these leaders and authorities, who place themselves under the rulers’ wing in the name of “moderate Islam”, have no prohibitions in politics—everything is permissible. They reconcile with the butcher of Syria, who killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims, considering it permissible, despite him also killing thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members in the 1980s. They do not deem relations with him forbidden. The Islamic rulings that severely prohibit the shedding of Muslim blood do not prevent these leaders from befriending and showing loyalty to Iran, even though Iran kills Muslims morning, noon and night in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. These leaders lack what is called a “Shariah legal reference” for political rulings, treating every political action as permissible.
Recently, some have even publicly endorsed negotiating with Jews on a solution to the Palestinian issue, as if Islam has no rulings on political matters, leaving it to those whose hearts are tainted by Qatari money. Overall, the Ummah notices that these leaders are ignorant of Islamic political rulings, acting as if Islam’s goal is merely for a “bearded sheikh” to reach power and govern with secular laws, i.e. disbelief, rather than secularists themselves. They justify this under the pretext of “gradualism,” failing to differentiate between the gradual revelation of verses in legislation and the Prophet’s (saw) and his Companions’ (ra) immediate implementation of any revealed ruling, without any gradualism.
It is beyond the scope here to delve into Shariah legal evidences, but the main point is that the Gaza War has awakened Muslims, resulting in the fall of the leaders of the “moderate” Islamic organizations. People have realized that these leaders are under the rulers’ wing, unable to act independently.
In this significant leadership vacuum, the Ummah has started to seek its path and search for new leadership. We have witnessed the determination of the people in Idlib, and the influence of Hizb ut-Tahrir there. We have also seen the rallies of support in Palestine and the strong response to Hizb ut Tahrir. The men of Hizb ut-Tahrir do not feed the Ummah illusions about repelling the Jews’ attack on Gaza, and stopping their massacres. Instead they demand the establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood. They do not deceive the Ummah with skirmishes conducted by Iran’s Hizb from Lebanon or Iran itself, as Iran’s Hizb engages only to the extent Iran desires, despite its ability to liberate northern Palestine from the Jews.
Iran does not even try to liberate Palestine, and the Ummah has uncovered its empty bluster. Even when Jews inflicted deadly strikes on it, Iran responded only with ineffective measures, despite its ability to liberate all of Palestine. Iran operates within the international order, primarily with America.
The Gaza War has demonstrated the truth of what Hizb ut-Tahrir has been saying. The people of Gaza, suffering from hunger, death, and destruction, cannot be helped by Qatari money, or the humanitarian aid provided by Muslims, because the Jewish army prevents it from reaching them. They can only be saved by the Egyptian army standing against the Jews. Since Egypt’s President, America’s puppet as-Sisi, prevents this, the only solution for the people of Gaza is for the Egyptian army to rise, overthrow as-Sisi, and appoint a Khaleefah for the Muslims, who, within a few hours, will launch the Jihad to liberate Gaza and all of Palestine.
The Ummah observes that all other proposed solutions are weak, even if the Jews undertake a ceasefire in Gaza. The war can reignite, as it has in Gaza in the years of 2008, 2012, 2014, and even every year. The only thing that will stop the Jewish entity is the liberation of Palestine, which requires a state led by sincere men, who know how to implement Islam, and will not allow this great Islam to be under the wing of any of the oppressive rulers.
They work to remove all of them and implement Islam, restoring the Islamic Ummah to its rightful place among the nations. This cannot be achieved by submitting to the international order. The Ummah has witnessed the impotence of the United Nations, the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice, which are all Western institutions. This entire international order, along with its courts and borders, must fall, and the Islamic Ummah is the only one capable of causing its fall.
The Ummah today is searching for a leadership capable of igniting Islam within it, making it a powerful force as it was from the beginning, during the era of the noble Prophet (saw) until the fall of the last Islamic Khilafah. The Ummah sees the no value in the place where the rulers have positioned it. It realizes that the leaders of the “moderate” Islamic organizations are merely part of the ruling elites, an extension of the existing system rather than an alternative to it.
The Ummah observes that these leaders, who used to speak of Islam in the masajid, quickly transform into national and patriotic leaders, espousing the American “two-state solution,” after elections, and after being propped up by Qatari money and its media platforms. They become official representatives of the people, turning into a burden on the Ummah, unable to ignite Islam within it. They shy away from speaking about Islam for fear of being labeled “terrorists” by the international order. For instance, Tunisia’s Revival Party officially distanced Islam from politics, by advocating the separation of the “religious” from the “political,” to gain Western acceptance.
These leaders have certainly failed to lead the Ummah through Islam. Thus, the Ummah now looks towards the leadership of Hizb ut-Tahrir to bring it out of the deep darkness it has reached.
The Ummah has observed that this new leadership is sincere and speaks in the name of Islam, with no aspect of its culture devoid of a Shariah basis. These leaders have refused to share power with the rulers for decades, and maintain the same stance today. This leadership is not distant from the military officers. Instead actively encourages them to grant Nussrah to Hizb ut Tahrir for the establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood. These officers will, by the will of Allah, respond to this call soon, having witnessed what the Gaza War has revealed about the intense enmity of the disbelievers, particularly America and Europe, towards Muslims, the severe weakness of the rulers, and the profound vulnerability of the Jewish army. The liberation of Palestine could be a matter of hours, or days, if the Muslim soldiers rise up.
The leadership of Hizb ut-Tahrir has a deep understanding of the potential and capabilities within the Ummah. Besides material resources such as military, economic strength, and strategic location, the Ummah possesses the greatest force of all, the power of Islam. The Ummah only needs someone to unleash this power. The Ummah has seen how Gaza stood firm with the power of Islam and Iman, how the mujahideen in Gaza fought the heavily armed Jewish army, and how the people of Gaza endured hunger, darkness, and thirst, all driven by their Islamic zeal.
The Ummah is brimming with Islamic fervor and needs a leadership that will guide it according to the principles of this Deen, leading it to revolt against the international order, rejecting its nationalist borders, and refusing to acknowledge the Jewish entity. This leadership will strive to bring guidance to the lands of the disbelievers. Muslims will be surprised to see that this is achievable, and can be successful when Allah’s plan comes to fruition and the efforts of those who give Nussrah are complete. They will appoint a Khaleefah who will govern the Ummah by Allah’s law, unleashing all its potential, unifying the Islamic lands, and transforming the Ummah into the greatest Ummah on earth, within a few years. This Ummah will promote good internally, and on the international stage, prohibit evil at home and abroad, and dedicate its army, wealth, and lives to its Deen, liberating people from servitude to America and guiding them to worship the Lord and Master (swt) over America and all of humanity.