The word Jihad, once a rallying cry for resistance and defense in Islamic history, has today been reduced to hollow rhetoric, confined largely to religious sermons and dusty pages of historical texts. Meanwhile, in Gaza, the grim reality unfolds: genocide through relentless Israeli bombardment, mass killings, and starvation. Yet, the Muslim world’s so-called leaders, especially in Arab nations, sit idly by, wrapped not in the cloak of solidarity but in silk robes of political convenience and economic greed. Their silence is deafening, their inaction a moral abyss.
The tragedy of Gaza is not just the devastation wrought by Israeli bombs; it is the betrayal by those who claim to represent the Muslim world.
At the heart of this betrayal are the Gulf monarchies—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, whose billions from oil wealth have bought more than luxury jets and skyscrapers; they have secured cozy political alliances with the United States, Israel’s most unwavering backer. These regimes have traded the lives of Palestinians for arms deals, economic investments, and diplomatic recognition. The Abraham Accords stand as glaring symbols of this treachery, where countries like the UAE and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel, turning their backs on centuries of Islamic solidarity and the Palestinian cause.
This is not merely political pragmatism; it is a profound abandonment of moral and religious duty. These leaders, terrified of jeopardizing their regimes by confronting the West, prioritize the security of their palaces and petrodollar economies over the defense of their oppressed brethren. The Gulf elites have effectively neutered any chance of true Jihad, understood as genuine struggle or resistance, against Israeli aggression. Their governments silence activists, muzzle media coverage, and arrest voices that dare to call for tangible action. Meanwhile, the people of Gaza suffer siege and slaughter.
The hypocrisy extends beyond the Gulf. Egypt, Jordan, and other so-called Arab leaders publicly condemn violence but privately maintain security cooperation with Israel. Their role as gatekeepers of borders and arbiters of what assistance trickles into Gaza further implicates them in the ongoing genocide. They have become facilitators rather than defenders, complicit in maintaining the siege. This is the cowardice of leadership, the unwillingness to challenge the global hegemon or risk economic sanctions for the sake of justice.
If ever a tribunal were convened to address the genocide in Gaza, the list of accused would rightly include these Arab and Muslim leaders alongside U.S. and Israeli officials. Their silence and complicity make them accomplices. History will judge them harshly, and rightly so.
Iran’s vocal and material support for Palestinian groups
In stark contrast stand Iran, Yemen’s Houthis, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, despite deep political differences and their own internal controversies, these actors embody the true spirit of Jihad in the modern sens, —active resistance. Iran’s vocal and material support for Palestinian groups, Iran’s vocal and material support for Palestinian groupsand the Houthis’ declarations of solidarity with Gaza mark them as rare exceptions in a sea of inaction. They bear the banner of resistance while the Arab elite indulge in extravagance and Western validation.
Iran’s vocal and material support for Palestinian groups
The decadence of these elites cannot be overstated. Their obsession with luxury cars, designer fashion, and opulent lifestyles, often flaunted on social media, is a stark affront to the suffering just beyond their borders. Their conferences in five-star hotels and endless diplomatic meetings yield little more than platitudes and empty resolutions. The defense of Palestinian lives is sacrificed on the altar of geopolitical survival and Western approval.
Houthis’ declarations of solidarity with Gaza mark them as rare exceptions in a sea of inaction.
This moral collapse leaves Jihad, the struggle for justice, defense, and dignity, carried only by a handful of non-state actors, militias, and grassroots movements. The vast majority of the Muslim world watches from the safety of palaces and conference tables, unwilling or unable to challenge the powers that be.
The tragedy of Gaza is not just the devastation wrought by Israeli bombs; it is the betrayal by those who claim to represent the Muslim world. Until Arab and Muslim leaders abandon their cowardice and hypocrisy, the call to Jihad will remain a hollow echo, a relic of a forgotten past, while the blood of Palestinians stains their silence.
