APART from the war involving Russia and Ukraine, most of the fires raging today are in the Muslim world where people are at the receiving end of flames, displace-ment, hunger, disease and serious under-

development, living a life marked by fear, inflation, scarcity and uncertainty. There are over 50 Muslim countries that are home to almost a quarter of humanity. They hold massive resources, and have strategic geography as well as impressive armed forces, but they still depend on external powers for their security needs. Why do so many blessings produce so little influence?

Part of the blame lies outside. An order built by and for the victors never addressed the wounds of the Ottoman collapse. However, outsiders only light the fires. It is our own failings, divisions, indifference of the ruling elite, and our neglect of education, science and institution-building that leave us with nothing to put out those fires. A people who invest in thrones rather than citizens should not be surprised when others decide their fate. We consume imported knowledge instead of producing our own. Mountains of debts mortgage our sovereignty and deny us the freedom to shape independent policies. Institutions revolve around personalities.

A divided house does not need any enemy. The sectarian rifts are largely colonial gifts, kept alive by the many mafias that profit from war and hatred. We should know that enemy bombs and bullets do not respect sectarian divides. They target and kill Muslims.

The answer lies in unity with substance. The Muslim world should close its ranks, speak with one voice, and treat an attack on one country as an attack on all. Had it done so, Gaza could not have been turned to rubble, the settlement drive in the West Bank might have been stopped already, and Iran would have been safe from aggression. But communiques are not enough. We need a joint economic market, shared investment in science, technology and education, strong institutions, and rulers accountable to their respective people. The rule is simple: strength abroad begins with justice at home. Only then can we end dependence on outside powers, and build our own security mechanism to deter foreign intervention.

Europe did rise from ruins to economic progress through sacrifice, investment in science and education. The Muslim world can do the same, but only by setting its own house in order first, and by standing together against sanctions, aggression and double standards.

The Muslim world should wake up and speak and act with one voice. The golden age of Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo was surely not a gift of fortune; it was the fruit of knowledge, justice and collective striving. What was built once can be built again, but only if the Muslims stop being mere spectators to their own sufferings, and become the architects of their revival, before the fires consume what remains.

Qamer Soomro,
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2026