At the end of February 2026, the US launched a brutal assault on Iran that resulted in the killing of Iran’s leadership – including former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, Major Gen. Mohammad Pakpoura, Brigadier Gen. Ali Larijani and a number of other senior figures. Iran, however, regrouped. First, it named Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor and appointed Ahmad Vahidi as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Second, Iran also struck back against the Zionist entity and US bases throughout the Gulf Countries. 

Iran’s retaliation against foreign aggression also resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. After back and forth on ceasefire negotiations, Iran agreed to open the strait after the Zionist entity and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire. The US then closed the strait, disrupting the shipment of 20% of the world’s oil and other key resources. More recently, the ceasefire seems to be collapsing, with each major of the parties exchanging fire.

As the war continues, what can we as an Ummah learn from this conflict, and what does it say about the depth of US dominance in the Muslim world?

Is Independence Lethal? 

One of the key beliefs in the Muslim world, especially among the economic and political elite, is that asserting our independence against the interests of the Capitalist countries is asking for our own destruction. Aside from the treacherous rulers and their corrupt supporters, even sincere Muslims who are involved in politics often worry that implementing laws or a system in the Muslim world that is at odds with the US and its allies is impossible, and believe that the US has the military and economic power to destroy any country that attempts it. In fact, this fear is not unfounded; the US has the best-funded and most equipped military in the world, and its war machine has destroyed many nations. They also control many channels of international trade and finance, which they can use to impoverish a country they disapprove of. 

However, time and again, the Ummah showed its ability to resist and even thwart the global superpower’s goals. In Afghanistan, despite decades of occupation and trillions of dollars in spending, the US failed to install the regime of its choice and had to leave the country with the Taliban back in power. In Syria, despite countless attempts by the US to thwart the uprising against the Assad regime, the people remained resilient and were eventually successful in 

removing it. And now in Iran, despite having further impoverished it with harsher sanctions, decapitating Iran’s previous leadership, and inflicting a gruesome amount of death and destruction, the US is still forced to return to the negotiating table due to the resilience and grit of the Iranian people.

However, although the Ummah had thwarted America’s plans to a certain extent, none of these successes were examples of true, actual independence. The Taliban in Afghanistan still negotiated their rise to power with the Americans, and while they have some leeway on domestic policies, they continue to commit their foreign policy to the rules imposed on them by the US. The new Syrian leadership has shown an eagerness to work with US President Donald Trump and maintain the status quo in the Middle East, even while witnessing the destruction of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran. And finally, Iran had long cooperated with the US war machine in Afghanistan, Iraq, and most violently in Syria.

However, in each of these conflicts, it has become clear that while the US is the global superpower, its power and resilience have clear limits, and Muslims have leverage.

Standing Our Ground

The Muslim lands are ideally situated to resist foreign dominance. Geographically, the Muslim lands sit on an abundance of natural resources that feed and fuel the Capitalist global system. Much of the world’s oil, natural gas, minerals, agriculture and waterways are in our territories.

The Muslim lands also hold 75% of the world’s critical trade routes, meaning, just as Iran has caused trade disruption with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Ummah can bring global trade to a complete halt if it chooses to.

Demographically, our Ummah is young. We have millions of young Muslims all over the world who are either trained in the armed forces, or are educated in key industries like technology, business and science. We are an entrepreneurial, inventive nation that can think its way through hard problems. Indeed, with just a tiny fraction of the resources at our disposal, and with only a little urgency, Pakistan developed nuclear weapons, while Turkiye is now designing stealth fighters and nuclear submarines. Despite decades of sanctions and a relentless assault at the start of the war, Iran alone was able to resist America, who had littered military bases across the region, built strong allies such as the Zionist entity, and controls the global economy. Yet, all that could not push Iran into submission. It is obviously not realistic to think that America can deal with the collective might of the Ummah, when it cannot even impose its will on a isolated Iran.

Perhaps even more crucially, the Ummah is resilient in a way that few Capitalist nations are. Muslims are willing to put up with a loss of comfort, resources and basic security if it means truly regaining our dignity and authority as an Ummah. This is because ours is an Ummah not bound by geographical proximity, tribal/ethnic bonds, or even material self-interest. Rather, we are an Ummah that is forged together upon an idea – i.e., the ideology of Islam. 

This governs not just our personal attachment to our Creator but also guides us in building our families, structuring our communities, and establishing our socio-political systems. It is our deep attachment to this deen, this complete way of life, revealed by our Most Merciful Creator (swt) and taught to us by His beloved Messenger (saw).

This is unlike the Capitalist system, which encourages hyper-individualism and runs on rampant consumerism. It is this system that exposes the poor to the predatory economic practices of the elite, that pits men and women against each other (as there is no concept of gender roles), and prioritizes the fulfillment of personal desires as the ultimate victory, even when those personal whims and desires clearly harm society.

How can such a society be resilient? How can it be willing to sacrifice for a greater goal, when its people are too distracted, divided and demoralized to even understand what that goal is?

Resistance is Not Liberation

Time and again, the Ummah has defied the agenda of the global powers. The Capitalists have spent countless hours and trillions of dollars in vilifying, detaining, torturing and blowing up Muslims to subjugate us to their will. And while they have captured our lands, destroyed our institutions, divided us into small and powerless states and imposed the worst of us to rule over us, they still have not been able to defeat the idea of Islam.

From the rubble of Gaza to the internment camps in East Turkestan, to the hills of Crimea and Kashmir, Muslims are still deeply invested in Islam as a system of life and are eager to be ruled by a righteous Islamic leadership.  Such resistance in the face of immense pressure is formidable. 

However, let us be clear, resistance alone will not liberate us. Iran’s defiant blockade of Hormuz, or the departure of tyrants like Assad of Syria or Hasina of Bangladesh, will not alone transform us into an Islamic nation that is independent of foreign dominance.

Rather, it is on us to channel the courage and strength shown across this Ummah into a unified and organized effort to re-establish the system of Islam across the Muslim lands. This is the Khilafah upon the example of the Prophet (saw). As the beloved Messenger (saw) tells us:

“Indeed, the Imam is a shield, from behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected.” [Muslim]

In the absence of this shield, we are subject to the whims of the brutal tyrants in the Muslim world, and the cruelty of their colonial overlord in the Capitalist nations. 

We must organize collectively to learn the systems of Islam and use our talents and resources to popularize them among both the elite and the masses of the Muslim world. This requires us to look beyond the corrupt present toward a future built solely upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. To attain such a vision, we must closely study the lives of RasulAllah (saw) and the Sahabah (ra) in Makkah and Madinah, particularly the period prior to the Hijrah.

For example, we should understand how Mus’ab ibn Umair (ra) worked to cultivate public support for Islam among the tribes of Aws and Khazraj. He also sought nusrah (support) from influential members of society, such as Usayd ibn Hudayr (ra) and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh (ra). It was through these efforts, by the permission of Allah (swt), that the first Islamic State was established. Consequently, we must emulate these actions to restore the Khilafah.

May Allah (swt) make us part of this noble effort. Ameen. 

“But no! By your Lord, they will never be ˹true˺ believers until they accept you ˹O Prophet˺ as the judge in their disputes, and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly.” [TMQ 4:65]