Islamists and a century of attempts... ideas and a vision that were not realized!!

My conviction today, after half a century of Islamic work at home and abroad, is that the thinkers, leaders, and preachers of the Islamic movement must pause and review the propositions from which their vision for reform and change was based.

It is historically known that the core idea upon which the Muslim Brotherhood was founded, and from which it derived its vitality and widespread dissemination in Egypt and the Arab world, emerged from the vision presented by Imam Hassan al-Banna (may God have mercy on him) in the late 1920s; that is, almost a century ago. The motive and intention behind this was to restore the Islamic Caliphate, after it had been overthrown and eliminated by Kemal Ataturk in 1924. Thus, the Muslim nation became plunder and prey for the colonial powers - especially Britain and France - to divide it up, in the manner that became the case after the Sykes-Picot Agreement.

At the time, Sheikh Al-Banna's vision was an idea that resonated with many young men and women of this nation, and this contributed to its rapid spread throughout the Arab world.

The understanding of generations of this movement did not stop at this goal, but rather ideas developed after Israel became a bastard entity and a cancerous tumor threatening the countries of the region and its Islamic sanctities. The new proposals of some thinkers of the Islamic movement, such as the martyr Dr. Fathi al-Shaqaqi (may God have mercy on him), were that the Palestinian issue should be the primary concern and central issue for the aspirations and goals of the Islamic movement. However, despite its validity, the idea did not receive consensus, and in fact, it caused rifts among the members of the Islamic movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Therefore, these concepts have remained stuck in place in a crisis-ridden reality whose sun has set since the establishment of this entity on the ruins of our first catastrophe in 1948, until today, when the second great catastrophe is about to set on the sun of the afflicted homeland and the Palestinian identity!!

With the Islamic movement faltering and unable to muster the nation's energies to accomplish the liberation project, Islamists turned against the ruling regimes, accusing them of tyranny and dictatorship. Consequently, the goal became to get rid of them and seek to seize power in their place. Perhaps this is what we witnessed in the Arab Spring revolutions that erupted in many countries. However, in the end, they were not destined for success, despite the momentum, euphoria, and empowerment they enjoyed for a period of time in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.

Today, in the context of evaluating the goals and slogans it raised, and the state of fragmentation and division that this Islamic movement, which has spread widely regionally and globally, appears to be in after a century of its launch, it is incumbent upon us to demand that it pause and review many of the concepts and positions it has exported, which have led to the disintegration and loss of our nation, as it has remained in the same place and has become like a plant; neither land to cut nor back to sustain!!

One of the undisputed timings is that Al-Banna's ideas and teachings came at a time when most of the region's countries were living under British and French colonial rule. These ideas contributed to the development of a generation of strong morals, Islamic commitment, and patriotic sentiments. Thanks to the realities of that historical period, some Arab and Islamic states were liberated, and the colonizers realized that the continuation of the colonial state in the region would weaken or undermine the credibility and legitimacy of these rulers. Therefore, this colonizer adopted a policy of remote control in its administration and dealings with these ruling regimes, in terms of their orientations and the protection of its interests within them. Accordingly, a process of evacuating, removing, or concealing most colonial manifestations took place, and the specter of confrontation that drove the dialectic of occupation and resistance was averted.

Today, most of those at the top of the pyramid of power, including rulers and kings in our Arab and Islamic countries, unfortunately have secret or overt ties and agreements that govern the nature of their relationship with those who once colonized their countries. They maintain extensive relations of security and political coordination and cooperation with them. This is something that can be understood in many contexts, and Professor Ismail Al-Faruqi (may God have mercy on him) called it “colonialism ability.”

The problem that followed that period of the vision for the restoration of the caliphate is the entry of the Palestinian issue into this line of priorities, as Israel - the nascent entity - is a colonial creation and a functional state created by the West for several considerations, the most important of which are:

First, the elimination of Jewish minorities from the European map, which was fed up with them. This displacement and ethnic cleansing of Jews took place in both forced and voluntary forms, and this was a position that was blessed by everyone, including the United States of America.

Second, America viewed this entity as a necessity required by the strategies of the new American colonial position in the region after World War II, as America inherited former colonial kingdoms and entities in the Middle East.

America has found in Israel a functionally reliable entity through which it can strengthen its influence and use its heavy hand against anyone who attempts to rebel against it or threaten its vital interests in the region.

In reality, Israel has imposed itself as an alternative homeland for the (persecuted) Jews in Europe. It is a powerful state that fears no one, as it strikes with the sword of America. There are major media outlets (newspapers, magazines, and television channels) that cover up its crimes and provide it with justifications and moral cover for the massacres it commits against humanity and its brutal aggression against the Palestinians.

In fact, Israel, an entity weaker than a spider's web, has found all the support and military backing from the United States, becoming an advanced American aircraft carrier deep in the region, equipped with all the combat capabilities that qualify it to wage wars on several fronts, as the American bases spread throughout most of the region give it reassurance that it is within its protection network, and it can openly say to those who target it that (you will not be defeated)!!

The most dangerous problem created by Israel as a colonial innovation is that it has succeeded in creating isolation between the region's rulers and their peoples, placing these rulers in the surrounding and neighboring countries between two fears: Israeli threats and popular movements. This, unfortunately, has caused a state of "weakness" among the ruling regimes, and this is an issue that Israel is exploiting and playing on its string, considering that what it is facing are merely regimes that do not stand on solid ground, and have many calculations and fears related to the risk of defeat or a coup.

Indeed, it is time to admit that we, as Islamists, have exhausted ourselves in our long struggles and attempts at change. This is first, and second, we have intentionally depleted the capabilities of the ruling regimes, forcing them into Western alliances and connections to protect their thrones. We have created a rift and an unbridgeable gap of suspicion and accusations between them and their internal front, rendering their internal fortifications incapable of withstanding and cohesion.

In light of this existing imbalance in the relationship between Islamists and ruling regimes, Islamists' views have shifted between supporting the regime and protecting the homeland, or gloating over the ruler's defeat and the loss of the homeland.

Therefore, if we want to defeat Israel and protect our Islamic holy sites in the land that God Almighty has blessed for all mankind, then the religious, political, and moral duty, as well as the existing liberation strategies or those being considered by some Islamists, require us to distance ourselves from the idea of confrontation between the ruling regimes and the Islamist movements seeking change.

Therefore, Islamists must either stop targeting this or that regime, or they must refrain from over-promoting victory or even talking about empowerment, which could bring them closer to it, while we live in catastrophic circumstances following the failure of the Arab Spring revolutions to achieve their aspirations for change.

Victory over Israel will not come while the nation is dying, and its people are living in a state of despair and frustration unprecedented in our contemporary history. Everyone's inner voice is saying, "There is no one to protect us from them except God." It is the feeling of losing everything, when support is scarce, and the moment of clinging to heaven, which many prophets and messengers have endured.

The ongoing war of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank has left everyone paralyzed and helpless. The official Arab regime, even within its broad Islamic framework of 57 countries, has been unable, during several summits in Riyadh and Cairo, to secure the opening of the Rafah crossing for the entry of relief and humanitarian aid. Similarly, the popular support in the Arab and Islamic worlds has fallen short of the level of ambition and effectiveness required to champion Palestinian rights.

This state of weakness and humiliation that the nation is witnessing prompts us to say: When will the building ever reach its completion, if you are building it and others are destroying it?!

In conclusion, Islamists must abandon the idea of clashing with regimes and focus on internal development, with the goal of preserving the nation's capabilities, protecting its sanctities, and championing its cause.

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If we are to defeat Israel and protect our Islamic holy sites, then the religious, political, and moral duty, as well as the existing liberation strategies or those being considered by some Islamists, require us to distance ourselves from the idea of confrontation between the ruling regimes and the Islamist movements seeking change.