It is uncontroversial that the main problem in our Arab and Muslim nation is the Muslims’ constant, witting or unwitting, forgetting of their Divine Scripture that has made them a united nation giving light to the world and teaching it the values of justice, fraternity and equality, offering them the elements of moral and material power.

In this clear Scripture, which represents a conclusive argument, there is a definitive verse that forbids the Muslims and their ruling class, including scholars who are the heirs of prophets, to indulge in disputes, discord, and disagreement. It warns them against vulnerability, failure and impotence as the inevitable consequence of defying this ‘Divine Law’ adhered to by other nations. These nations realized the benefit of unity despite their different languages, ethnicities, ideologies, and cultures. The respective Qur’anic verse reads, “Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another, or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere.” (Qur’an, 8: 46)

 

Let’s look around and see if there is any cause behind the devastating wars other than discord that is conducive to weakness and failure, against which the Qur’an warns us! Let’s consider how long it has been since the two world wars that spanned four and six years respectively! Let’s think, on the other hand, how long it has been since the last war in our region and how wars here are like low-burning embers ready to catch quickly!

If dissension is the primary cause of our diseases, then it is necessary to refer to another less significant cause, namely covetous ambitions by regional and international powers that still adopt a colonial mentality and others that still nurture a purist revivalist mentality based on ethnic supremacism and sectarian expansionism, even though these sick ambitions are not sanctioned by religion or human morality. They are even denounced by international conventions and condemned by the civilized world.

This disease, which has recently hit the nation and whetted the enemies’ ambitions to control it, has bred backwardness and decline on all levels. It has even bred a negative impact, inducing a confused understanding of the Islamic Sharia, especially among the youth. This is crystalized in the recent rise of radicalism, extremism and then terrorism, which unfortunately depicted this upright religion in the image of a bloodthirsty and unprecedently barbaric religion.

No enemy of Islam could concoct a worse conspiracy against the religion itself than that done by those hardliners who repelled the people through images of murder and bombing of the peaceful. These horrible images are broadcast by media outlets that insist on introducing Islam, otherwise the religion of mercy, in this heinous and repelling image and instilling this image in the minds!

This is even sustained by treacherous manipulation of truth and exploitation of the resources of other nations by hidden powers.