In this age of Western dominance, the value and integrity of Muslims has been constantly in decline. The Muslims of today face economic and political instability, oppression and defamation which never seem to end. We have lost the meaning of being Muslims and have been plunged into an identity crisis.
Yet all wasn’t like this in the past when large Muslim Empires were the centers of commerce and knowledge and models for the western world. 3rd March 1924 marks the end of this era and is one of the darkest days in Muslim history.
This was the day when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk abolished the Caliphate and marked the end of the great Ottoman Empire which had been the seat of leadership that united the Muslim world for almost five centuries. Following victory in World War 1, the Allied forces led by Great Britain, France etc imposed the Treaty of Versailles which divided the Ottoman Empire into small pieces with the aim of disuniting the Muslims.
These territories were formed on the basis of ethnicity, race and sectarianism and paved the way for the current hostilities and fighting taking place amongst Muslims. The concept of Nationalism was encouraged in place of religious harmony to prevent the Muslim Ummah from uniting under one flag again and the failure of future coalitions such as Arab League and the OIC is a proof of that.
It is now up to the current generation of Muslims to take heed from the lessons of history and understand the principles of Islam so that we can become true Muslims again.