Time to Wake up for Muslim Intellectuals and Religious Leaders

By P Mohamed Ali, New Age Islam 14 April 2025 With deep pain and concern, I write this message -- not just as a member of the Muslim Ummah, but as a voice echoing the silent suffering, humiliation, and marginalization that our community faces across regions today. We are witnessing, with increasing frequency and intensity, the systematic dehumanization and disrespect of Muslims -- our constitutional rights being trampled, our dignity questioned, our youth denied justice, and our community being deliberately pushed back from the frontlines of educational and economic progress. Our places of worship are being desecrated, our identity distorted, and our contributions forgotten. This is not merely neglect -- it is erasure. And yet, amidst this onslaught, we remain divided -- entangled in ideological feuds, personal ambitions, and petty rivalries. Leaders who were expected to defend our cause have instead weakened it, often selling out for temporary gains while the broader community pays a lifelong price. Internal mudslinging and factionalism have left us fractured, easy to exploit, and unable to present a united front in the face of oppression. What is even more alarming is that a small, misguided section among us has taken a path contrary to democratic and national values, further endangering our collective image and giving ammunition to those who wish to paint the entire community with a broad, unjust brush. It is time to wake up. This is a clarion call to every Muslim leader -- whether political, religious, social, or intellectual -- to rise above personal interests and ideological differences and stand together for the common cause of the Muslim community's survival, dignity, and rightful place in the nation. We must: - Protect our personal laws, cultural identity, and religious rights. - Uphold the Constitution that guarantees equality and justice to every citizen. - Work for the economic and educational upliftment of our people with sincerity and unity. - Rebuild the lost trust, not just among ourselves, but with other minorities and marginalized groups, so we can together challenge the politics of divide and rule. Let us remember: Our unity is our strength, and our silence is our betrayal. If we fail to stand together now, we may lose not only our rights but our very identity in the times to come. We seek leadership -- not of titles, but of courage. We seek unity -- not of uniformity, but of purpose. And we seek action -- not tomorrow, but today. May Allah guide our leaders, and may He protect our community. With a heart full of hope and a voice full of protest, ----- P Mohamed Ali, the first recipient of Pravasi Barathiya Samman award in 2003 from Vajpayee government, founder of PM Foundation, chairman emeritus, social advancement foundation of India, has various business interest in India and abroad. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/indian-muslims-intellectual-religious/leaders/d/135154 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism