|
Trending Topics
|
The War that Turned the Muslim World Against Iran
(Ha'aretz) Hamza Azhar Salam - There is an extraordinary dynamic playing out across the Muslim world: Instead of rallying behind Iran, attacked two weeks ago by the U.S. and Israel, it is turning against the Islamic State. Last Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution which explicitly condemned Iran's missile and drone strikes on seven sovereign nations. Among the co-sponsors was Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed, Muslim-majority nation in the world. The next day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif flew to Jeddah to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, where he expressed Islamabad's "full solidarity and support" for Saudi Arabia in these "challenging times." In September 2025, Sharif and MBS signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in Riyadh which pledged that any external aggression on one country would be considered an act of aggression against both. With Riyadh under attack by Iranian missiles and drones, the pact was activated. Islamabad's realignment is part of a broader fracture across the Muslim world, driven by Tehran's own actions. The Gulf states had sought to avoid confrontation, with statements declaring the U.S. would not be able to use their territory to attack Iran - but to no avail. This war has permanently fractured any solidarity the Muslim world may have once felt towards Iran. Tehran's actions have turned neighbors into adversaries and mediators into enemies. Trust, once shattered across an entire civilization, cannot be rebuilt. The writer is the founder and editor of The Pakistan Daily.