Despite decades of summits, fiery speeches, and calls for Islamic unity, Muslim nations remain deeply divided on the Israel-Palestine issue. From Saudi-Iran rivalries to Turkey’s contradictions and US influence across the Gulf, this deep dive uncovers why the Islamic world struggles to form a united front against Israel — and what happens if Iran falls.
In February 1974, the second summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an organization of Islamic countries, was held in Lahore, Pakistan.
Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud, then King of Saudi Arabia, also attended the summit.
Addressing the conference, then Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said, “We are a poor country. We have limited resources. We do not have enough money to contribute to the economic institutions. We will not be able to make such an economic contribution. But I assure you, by Allah as my witness, that we will not hesitate to shed every drop of our blood for the sake of Islam. This is not just a verbal assurance. The people of Pakistan are the soldiers of Allah, and the Pakistani soldiers are the soldiers of Allah. When such a conflict arises in the future, the Pakistanis will stand ready to help.”
When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto pledged to shed blood for the sake of Islam, the Islamic Revolution in Iran had not yet taken place. Saddam Hussein had not attacked Iran. Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan had not recognized Israel. Saudi Arabia had not attacked Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates had not imposed a blockade on Qatar.
Bangladesh had certainly separated from Pakistan. Even then, Zulfikar Bhutto seemed to be hoping for unity among Islamic countries.
Pakistan needed Islamic countries to unite again against Israel. Although Pakistan had developed nuclear bombs, the West changed governments one after another in many Islamic countries at its whim. For example, the anti-Western governments in Iraq, Libya, and Syria no longer exist, and the same seems to be happening in Iran. Pakistan also supported the American military operation in Afghanistan.
Differences Among Islamic Countries
Israel began attacking Iran on June 12, and attacks are still ongoing. Iran responded by attacking Israel. The impact of the conflict between the two countries is being felt throughout West Asia. Many are also calling the conflict a war on Islam.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif called on all Muslim countries to unite against Israel in the National Assembly last week.
In such a situation, the question arises whether Islamic countries are capable of uniting. The second question is why Pakistan keeps talking about the unity of Islamic countries. Although Pakistan feels that Islamic countries around the world should respond unitedly against Israel, the current situation is that Islamic countries are embroiled in mutual conflicts and differences of opinion.
The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran is far from over.
This rivalry extends from Sunni and Shia Muslims to the Saudi monarchy and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Azerbaijan, a Shia-majority country, is close to Israel, but has a dispute with Shia-majority Iran.
When the United States invaded Iraq and confirmed the execution of Saddam Hussein, Iran did not oppose the United States.
In the same year as the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Egypt recognized Israel as a nation and decided to establish diplomatic relations with it. Jordan also recognized Israel in 1994.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan also established diplomatic relations with Israel.
Turkey’s Double Standard
Turkey has been criticized by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. This was at a time when Turkey had already established diplomatic relations with Israel. Turkey and Israel have had diplomatic relations since 1949.
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel as a state.
Even in 2005, Turkish President Erdogan traveled to Israel for a two-day visit with a large business delegation. During this visit, he met with then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and said that Iran’s nuclear program was a threat not only to Israel but to the entire world.
In such a situation, the question arises: will Islamic countries forget all their differences and antagonisms against Israel?
We asked the same question to Talmiz Ahmed, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
“Pakistan is now under a lot of pressure. They are facing a military conflict with India and have faced a lot of hardships. Pakistan is issuing all these statements to maintain their importance. They have increased their proximity with Turkey and also want to increase their relations with Iran. Earlier, Pakistan gave importance to Afghanistan. They said that it would bring strategic benefits. Turkey has been friendly to Iran and Pakistan since the Cold War era, and Pakistan is giving importance to it again.”
“When the UN resolution is useless, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is no longer relevant. First of all, the issue of Iran and Israel is not an Islamic issue. It is an issue between two countries. It is a strategic competition. It is a very old rivalry, and it also affects regional leadership. Giving it an Islamic cover will not help. Turkey does not have relations with Pakistan because of Islam. Pakistan does not have relations with Iran because of Islam. It is not appropriate to always drag Islam into it,” says Talmiz Ahmed.
Is the Palestinian Issue an Islamic Issue?
“There are US troops in every Arab country. There are 70,000 American soldiers in the entire Gulf region. They have extraterritorial rights. That means the laws and regulations of those countries do not apply to them. The US has military bases in those countries, and they have full authority to operate them. No Arab country can stop the US. Obviously, Israeli drones come through Jordan. It is Jordan’s responsibility to stop these drones. Many drones fall in Jordan. There is a distance of 2,000 kilometers between Tel Aviv and Tehran, but the fighting is with drones,” says Talmiz Ahmed.
Iraq was completely an American war, so Iran cannot be compared to Iraq, says Talmiz Ahmed.
“Before 1967, the problem of Palestine and Israel was an Arab problem, but after Israel’s victory in the Arab-Israeli war in 1967, it became an Israeli-Palestinian problem. It can only be solved by Israel and Palestine,” he said.
It is said that Pakistan’s importance has increased due to the war between Israel and Iran.
In this matter, Western countries would prefer that Pakistan not support Iran in any way, and Iran would prefer that Pakistan stay with them. Pakistan was in the US camp during the Cold War, and it would not be easy for them to join Iran.
Pakistan’s Field Marshal met US President Trump for lunch at the White House on June 18, and this meeting has been linked to the Iran-Israeli war.
Former Indian diplomat K.C. Singh wrote on social media, “This could have two meanings. Either Trump is trying to understand how the Pakistani military will react if the US joins the war against Iran, or Trump has already decided to destroy Iran’s nuclear program and wants Pakistan’s help.”
Michael Kugelman, who closely studies the geopolitics of South Asia, wrote, “If the current government in Iran remains in power in the future, relations between Iran and Pakistan will strengthen in the coming years. It will create a positive environment for improving relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.”
Neutral Responses from Islamic Countries
There is a difference between being together in words and being together in reality, says Mohammad Mudassir Qamar, associate professor at the Centre for West Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
“The main reason for the hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not a conflict between Shiites and Sunnis. More important are geopolitical reasons. The United States has an air base inside Qatar. If Israel uses this air base, no one can stop it. Qatar is not in a similar situation. The distance between Iran and Saudi Arabia has narrowed due to China’s initiative. However, the fear of Iran within this region has not diminished yet,” says Mohammad Mudassir Qamar.
“The Muslim countries in the Arab region are afraid of both Israel and Iran. The Islamic countries in the Gulf region do not want to see Iran or Israel become too strong. Both of those reasons create difficulties for them. The Islamic countries in the Gulf region act as strategic partners of the United States. In such a situation, they still trust the United States. But they cannot trust Iran. It is clear that Iran’s position will be very weak by 2025 after 1979. But Iran is still powerful in this region. Saudi Arabia cannot fight Iran directly yet.”
What if Iran Is Defeated?
In March 2003, the United States attacked Iraq, and Iran did not protest this attack. Iran did not deal well with Saddam Hussein, and even when the United States hanged Hussein, Iran did not protest.
“Iran has always considered Saddam Hussein a threat. But the US did not hang Saddam Hussein because he was a threat to Iran. The US had its own reasons. Iran has always supported the Shiite population in Iraq. Today, Iran is completely isolated. Now Iran will have to face the US directly. If that happens, this conflict could be very decisive.”
“The differences between Islamic countries are so deep that they have not been able to resolve them so far. Even though there are organizations like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, they are only in name,” says Mohammad Mudassir Qamar.
When Erdogan became prime minister of Turkey in 2003, the US was preparing to attack Iraq. Erdogan was not close to Saddam Hussein. He had even decided to allow the US to use Turkish territory in the war against Iraq.
However, the Turkish parliament defeated the proposal by three votes, so Erdogan’s intention was not realized. This happened even though his party had a two-thirds majority in parliament. The Bush administration in the US at the time was furious about this decision.
However, Erdogan had allowed the US to use Turkish airspace.
On the one hand, Erdogan spoke about the self-respect and needs of Muslims, and on the other hand, he supported the US attack on Iraq; the two were completely contradictory.
Now that Israel has attacked Iran, Erdogan is seen speaking out again.
However, a few months ago, the pro-Iranian government in Syria was overthrown with Turkish support.
In a way, Iran has faced defeat at the hands of Turkey in Syria.
On social media, Erdogan wrote about Israel:
“Israel has attacked Iran with the broad support of Western countries. Israel has destroyed the Gaza Strip and frightened every country in the region. In fact, Israel does not know what it is really doing.”
“In the future, Israel may realize its mistake, but it may be too late. Israel should not forget that in ancient times, no country had its own borders or administration. Israel’s attack on the Palestinian people and their land was not limited to hundreds of thousands of people. Now Israel has attacked Iran and its people, and this attack is not just about Iran. If it comes to Turkey, the scope could be further expanded.”
“Every decision made in this region without understanding the facts could be disastrous for the future. The more brutal Israel shows, the more blood they shed, the more crimes against humanity it commits; Israel endangers its existence. In the end, it will deeply regret these atrocities,” Erdogan wrote.
Turkey and Iran have long been at odds in West Asia. Similarly, the differences between other Islamic countries in the Gulf are also deep. In such a situation, mobilizing against Israel on the basis of religion alone, even when America is with Israel, is impossible.
