One of the great harms that Islamic society has faced with the emergence of nationalism is the loss of unity, agreement, cohesion, and solidarity that Islam has commanded. The nations and peoples of each country have stopped thinking about the Islamic Ummah due to the emergence of this phenomenon; instead, regional and national concerns have taken priority. This situation can be clearly observed among Islamic countries. In this part of the research, we will examine this issue further. It is worth noting that not all the harms of nationalism have been addressed in this section.
Nationalism: A Factor of Division and Disagreement
Nationalism is one of the greatest enemies of the unity of the Islamic Ummah and the main factor dividing and causing disagreement among Muslims. This ideology divides the single Islamic nation into different groups and sects.
The call for nationalism, whether Arab or otherwise, creates divisions among Muslims and separates them from one another. This division occurs not only between Arab and non-Arab Muslims but has even caused rifts among Arabs themselves, with some accepting nationalism and others rejecting it. Any ideology that separates Muslims from each other and divides them into different parties and groups is false and contradicts the objectives of Islam, which calls for unity, cohesion, adherence to the truth, and cooperation in goodness and piety.
Nationalism threatens the unity of the Islamic nation and acts as a serious obstacle to the cohesion of the Islamic world—an obstacle that endangers the interests of global arrogant powers. By exploiting nationalist tendencies, colonialists were able to divide the once-unified Islamic world into small parts and sections, destroying each section separately.
The author of the book “Contemporary Intellectual Schools and Their Roles in Societies and the Position of the Muslim from It” writes about nationalism: “Nationalism is one of the cries of ignorance that humanity has succumbed to, incited by both human and Jinn devils. This call separates people from one another, disperses their communities, destroys their friendships, and revives empty and ignorant arrogance among them.”
Modern Nationalism and Its Consequences
Modern nationalism—where the people of each country consider themselves superior to others and desire benefits and opportunities solely for themselves—views other Islamic countries as competitors. This attitude is an undesirable and unacceptable phenomenon.
Although nationalism existed in the past, Muslims at that time, despite their attachment to their own land or country, considered themselves part of the Islamic Ummah. In fact, patriotism made sense within the broader framework of the “Islamic Ummah.” However, the new nationalism, influenced by the conspiracies and machinations of the West, has caused conflicts between neighboring countries. The West has separated Islamic countries from each other using the policy of “divide and rule,” and by intensifying these conflicts, it has boosted the arms sales market.
This type of nationalism has weakened the foundation of Islamic brotherhood and has seriously damaged the unity of the Islamic Ummah.
In the Middle East and among Islamic countries, nationalism has led to fierce competition among nations such as Jordanians, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, and Afghans. This competition has forced them to stockpile weapons and purchase arms from foreign powers to maintain national security and prestige. For example, the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf have become the largest importers of American weapons, with each country trying to acquire the most arms at great expense for its own protection. The difficult and harsh borders that have been drawn between Islamic countries are such that crossing them can inflict devastating blows on the other side.
As long as the door to nationalism was open to Muslims, it was natural for this phenomenon to lead to the emergence of Arab and Kurdish nationalisms in Arab countries and Kurdish areas, as well as Bengali nationalism in Pakistan and Turanian nationalism in Turkey. This process marginalized Islam—the connecting point between nations—and resulted in the collapse of Islamic countries and their subjugation to European invaders: the very same countries that deliberately fostered nationalism in Islamic societies.
