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War on Iran, War on the Ummah: Power, Resistance, and Betrayal

By Dr Firoz Osman 

1. A War Across the Muslim World

War today is not confined to a single battlefield. It is being waged across multiple fronts of the Muslim world Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, and now Iran. These are not isolated conflicts, but interconnected theatres within a broader geopolitical struggle over power, resources, and ideological dominance.

To understand the present escalation against Iran, one must situate it within a longer historical arc one defined by intervention, resistance, and the contest over sovereignty in the Muslim world.

  1. 1979: The Turning Point

The modern phase of confrontation with Iran begins with the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The revolution overthrew the Shah, a monarch whose rule had been secured through foreign intervention. In 1953, a CIA-backed operation removed Mohammad Mossadegh after he nationalized Iran’s oil industry, previously dominated by British interests. The Shah, restored to power, ruled through repression, enforced by the SAVAK—his feared security apparatus known for widespread torture and brutality.

Resistance to this regime grew steadily until it culminated in revolution. On 11 February 1979, the Islamic Republic was declared, fundamentally altering the regional balance of power.

  1. Iran and Palestine: Ideology and Alignment

The revolution immediately signaled a shift in foreign policy priorities.

Within days, Iran handed over the former Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Yasser Arafatbecame the first foreign leader to visit post-revolution Iran, symbolizing a new strategic alignment.

Later that year, Ruhollah Khomeini declared Al-Quds Day an annual global mobilization on the last Friday of Ramadan dedicated to the liberation of Jerusalem.

Iran’s support for Palestine was not framed as optional diplomacy, but as a religious and ideological obligation rooted in the defense of the oppressed.

  1. Why the Revolution Threatened the West

The Islamic Revolution represented more than regime change it disrupted the architecture of Western influence in the region.

The Shah had been a critical ally, ensuring:

  • Western access to oil resources
  • Regional stability favorable to Western interests
  • Strategic alignment with Israel

With his removal, the United States, Britain, and Israel lost a central pillar of their regional order.

Two strategic imperatives control over energy resources and the protection of Israel have long shaped Western policy in the Middle East. The emergence of a defiant, independent Iran challenged both.

  1. Containment: Sanctions and Isolation

In response, Iran was subjected to sustained economic and political pressure.

For decades, sanctions have been used as a tool to weaken the Islamic Republic, limit its influence, and undermine internal support for its revolutionary model.

This pattern extends beyond Iran: any state that challenges dominant global structures risks economic strangulation or military confrontation.

  1. Palestine: Siege and Resistance

While Iran faced sanctions, Palestine endured siege.

For nearly two decades, Gaza has been blockaded its population confined, monitored, and economically suffocated. Despite these conditions, Palestinian resistance movements developed extensive underground networks, enabling them to organize, train, and sustain their struggle.

Support from Iran, alongside coordination with groups such as Hezbollah, contributed to the evolution of this المقاومة (resistance) infrastructure.

  1. Arab Normalization and Strategic Betrayal

Parallel to Palestinian suffering, several Arab states moved toward normalization with Israel.

Countries including Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan established or strengthened ties with Israel—prioritizing regime stability, economic cooperation, and security guarantees.

This shift reflected a broader calculation: survival of ruling elites over solidarity with Palestine.

Reliance on Western military protection, particularly through US bases in the Gulf, reinforced this alignment.

  1. October 7: Strategic Shock

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel an operation it called Tufan al-Aqsa.

The attack disrupted long-standing assumptions about Israeli military invulnerability and triggered a regional escalation. It also reactivated a network of allied groups, including:

  • Hezbollah in Lebanon
  • Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen
  • Armed factions in Iraq

This constellation, often described as an “axis of resistance,” demonstrated coordinated, multi-front pressure against Israel and its allies.

  1. Why Iran Supports Palestine

Although Palestine is not explicitly named in Iran’s constitution, Iranian leadership grounds its support in broader principles:

  • Defense of the oppressed
  • Opposition to injustice
  • Commitment to Muslim unity

Article 152 of Iran’s constitution frames foreign policy around these ideals, providing the basis for its consistent pro-Palestinian stance.

  1. Leadership, Sacrifice, and Narrative Power

The resistance narrative is reinforced through figures regarded as martyrs, including:

Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Yasser Arafat, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Hassan Nasrallah, Ayatollah Khamanei and Ali Larijani.

These figures are presented not merely as leaders, but as symbols of in resistance.

Narratives of sacrifice such as accounts of Sinwar fighting until his final moments serve to strengthen morale and legitimize ongoing struggle.

  1. Leadership and Moral Authority

Accounts attributed to figures like Ali Khamenei emphasize a model of leadership rooted in shared risk and moral consistency.

The idea is simple but powerful:

A leader cannot call for sacrifice while avoiding it.

This framing draws deeply from Islamic historical memory particularly the legacy of Husayn ibn Ali where steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds is seen as the highest form of integrity.

  1. Al-Quds Day: Meaning and Mobilization

Al-Quds Day functions as more than a symbolic event. It is:

  • A tool of political mobilization
  • A reaffirmation of ideological commitment
  • A global expression of solidarity

It connects local struggles to a broader تصور (vision) of unity within the ummah.

  1. Conclusion: War, Power, and the Future

The current confrontation with Iran cannot be reduced to a single issue. It reflects deeper structural tensions:

  • Between independence and external control
  • Between المقاومة (resistance) and normalization
  • Between ideological commitment and political expediency

For its supporters, Iran represents defiance against a global order perceived as unjust. For its adversaries, it represents a destabilizing force that must be contained.

What remains clear is that the conflicts across Palestine, Iran, and the wider region are not isolated. They are interconnected expressions of a larger struggle one that will continue to shape the political and moral landscape of the Muslim world.

Dr. Firoz Osman
Executive Member
Media Review Network
Johannesburg
South Africa

 

 

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