Muslim Ummah has failed to unite under one roof. The leadership, their internal wrangling and sectarian divide keeps them away from each other. No wonder the Muslim world is in shambles in their home countries, at OIC level and at international forums. Taking a tag from above, discuss ways and means to unite the Muslim Ummah with a pragmatic approach.

Introduction

The Holy Quran commands: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided" (Aal-e-Imran 3:103). Yet the Muslim world today, home to nearly two billion people and 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is marked by wars, rivalries and helplessness. From Palestine and Kashmir to Yemen, Syria and Sudan, Muslims suffer while their states stay divided. As the question notes, weak leadership, internal wrangling and the sectarian divide keep the Ummah apart. Political union under one roof is not realistic in a world of nation-states, but a pragmatic unity, based on shared interests, institutions and economic ties, is both possible and necessary.

Overview

The Ottoman Caliphate, the last symbol of political unity, was abolished in 1924. After decolonisation, Muslim states emerged as separate nations with rival rulers and ideologies. The arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in August 1969 led to the first Islamic Summit in Rabat and the creation of the OIC in September 1969. Pakistan hosted the landmark Second Islamic Summit in Lahore in 1974. The Islamic Development Bank (1975) and bodies such as COMSTECH in Islamabad followed. But the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War, Saudi-Iranian rivalry, the Syrian and Yemeni wars and the 2017 blockade of Qatar showed that the OIC could not prevent Muslims from fighting each other.

Why the Ummah remains divided

1. Leadership and legitimacy.

Many Muslim states are ruled by monarchies or regimes that lack popular legitimacy and focus on survival rather than collective goals, making them wary of each other. (Reference: Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2024; Arab Human Development Reports, UNDP.)

2. National interests before the Ummah.

Each state pursues its own security and economic interests, often through alliances with outside powers, so common action is rare. (Reference: OIC summit declarations versus member states' bilateral defence agreements; Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations, on national interest.)

3. Sectarian rivalry.

The Sunni-Shia divide, exploited for political purposes since 1979, has fuelled violence in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain and Pakistan. (Reference: Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival, 2006; International Crisis Group reports on sectarian conflict.)

4. Proxy wars.

Rival states back opposing sides in conflicts such as Yemen, Syria, Libya and Sudan, turning Muslim lands into battlegrounds. (Reference: UN Panel of Experts reports on Yemen and Libya; UN OCHA on the Sudan war since April 2023.)

5. A weak OIC.

The OIC has no enforcement power, depends on a few donors and acts mainly through statements, which has eroded public faith in it. (Reference: OIC Charter, 2008; academic assessments of OIC effectiveness, e.g. Turan Kayaoğlu, The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Routledge, 2015.)

6. Economic dependence on outside powers.

Trade among OIC members is only about one-fifth of their total trade; most trade, investment and arms come from outside powers, which gives those powers leverage. (Reference: SESRIC, OIC Economic Outlook 2023.)

7. Low education, science and innovation.

OIC countries spend little on research and development, and their share of global scientific output and patents remains small, keeping them dependent on others. (Reference: SESRIC, Science, Technology and Innovation Report; UNESCO Science Report 2021.)

8. Foreign interference.

Outside powers have exploited divisions, through invasions such as Iraq in 2003 and support for rival factions, to advance their own interests. (Reference: UK Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot Report), 2016; UN reports on foreign involvement in Syria and Libya.)

Pragmatic ways and means to unite the Ummah

1. Reform and empower the OIC.

The OIC needs a permanent conflict-resolution mechanism, reliable funding from all members and decisions by majority on key issues, so that it can act, not just speak. (Reference: OIC Charter, 2008, on peaceful settlement of disputes; OIC-2025: Programme of Action.)

2. Economic integration.

Raising intra-OIC trade towards the 25 per cent target, through the Trade Preferential System (TPS-OIC), regional free trade agreements and better transport links, would bind Muslim economies together. (Reference: OIC-2025: Programme of Action, Istanbul, 2016; Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT).)

3. A common market for halal products and Islamic finance.

The global halal and Islamic finance sectors are worth trillions of dollars. Common standards and investment through the Islamic Development Bank can create jobs across the Muslim world. (Reference: Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (SMIIC); Islamic Development Bank Group annual reports.)

4. Joint science, technology and education.

Joint universities, research funds, scholarships and exchange programmes, through bodies such as COMSTECH and the Islamic University of Technology, can revive the Muslim tradition of learning. (Reference: COMSTECH, Islamabad; OIC Science, Technology and Innovation Agenda 2026.)

5. Resolving intra-Muslim conflicts.

Muslim states should mediate each other's disputes, as Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan have done, and as China's mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023 showed is possible. (Reference: Joint Trilateral Statement, Beijing, 10 March 2023; Qatar's mediation in Afghanistan and Gaza.)

6. Managing sectarian differences.

Scholars of all schools can build on the Amman Message (2004–2005), which recognised the major Sunni, Shia and other schools as Muslims, and on the Makkah Charter (2019), to reject takfir and sectarian hatred. (Reference: The Amman Message, 2004, and the Three Points of the Amman Message, 2005; Makkah Charter, Muslim World League, May 2019.)

7. Common positions on core causes.

United positions on Palestine, Kashmir, Islamophobia and the rights of Muslim minorities give the Ummah weight at the UN. The UN's adoption of 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, proposed by Pakistan for the OIC, shows what unity can achieve. (Reference: UN General Assembly resolution 76/254, 15 March 2022.)

8. Media, youth and people-to-people links.

Joint media, visa facilitation, student exchanges, sports and tourism among Muslim countries can build a shared identity among young Muslims beyond sect and nationality. (Reference: OIC Youth Forum; Islamic Solidarity Games; OIC Broadcasting Regional Union.)

Conclusion

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy and compassion is like that of one body; when any part of it suffers, the whole body responds with sleeplessness and fever" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6011; Sahih Muslim 2586). Today, when Gaza or Kashmir suffers, the body of the Ummah feels the pain but cannot act. Political union is not the answer in a world of nation-states; practical unity is. By reforming the OIC, integrating economies, investing in knowledge, ending sectarian hatred and resolving conflicts among themselves, Muslim states can turn the Ummah from a shared sentiment into a real force for peace and development.