The Victory of Zahraan Mamdani and the Crisis of Arab Political Thought

(Being a (Muslim) does not grant you superiority over others)
Yes, we feel happiness for the victory of Zahraan Mamdani, the leftist democrat, over his Republican opponent in New York City, not only because he has Indian Islamic roots but also due to his progressive stances against President Trump, his support for the Palestinian cause, and because his victory might improve the situation of minorities in the internal American political structure. I am surprised by those who cheered for Zahraan Mamdani's win simply because he is Muslim! In this context, we should not overstate the implications of this victory because any president or state governor becomes part of the American administration and adheres to its policies regardless of their social origin or religion. At the same time, this may send a message that enhances America's image as a democratic state. The disagreement between him and President Trump is not related to the stance on the Palestinian issue but rather to traditional political tensions between the Republican and Democratic parties over domestic American issues. We should not forget that former American President Obama (Abu Hussein) had Islamic roots, and during his term, all the destruction and havoc occurred in the Arab world, which did not benefit either the Arabs or Muslims or the Palestinian cause.

The Arab political mind, influenced by an Islamic Arab cultural heritage, is like a drowning person clinging to a straw to emerge from its civilizational crisis. It constantly evokes the (glorious past) of Arab Islamic civilization as a psychological compensation for its backwardness and inability to keep up with the flow of civilization, or it takes pride in any achievement by a Muslim or Arab who excels in the Western world thanks to Western sciences, interpreting this as a victory for Islam and Muslims.

Simply being a (Muslim) by inheritance or having Islamic roots or practicing formal Islam does not necessarily grant one superiority over non-Muslims. The roles of prostitution, nightclubs, and prisons in Arab and Islamic countries are filled with Muslims and Muslim women, many of whom do not stop praying or fasting and perform pilgrimage to the House of God if they can. Many leaders and elites from both the Arab and Islamic nations, past and present, are corrupt, oppressive, and criminals against their own people; yet they never miss a religious occasion or Friday prayer without being at the forefront!
Being a Muslim or having an Islamic state does not grant precedence or distinction over others, especially in political and civilizational matters. We must not forget the famous saying of Sheikh Muhammad Abduh when he attended the Paris Conference in 1881 and then returned to Egypt, where he famously remarked: "I went to the West and found Islam, but I did not find Muslims. When I returned to the East, I found Muslims, but I did not find Islam."

For example: what has the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Al-Nusra, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, Boko Haram, etc., done for Islam, Muslims, or even humanity? Does the Islam of Islamic countries like Nigeria, Somalia, Bangladesh, Albania, and even the majority of the 57 countries belonging to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation grant them superiority over non-Muslim nations and peoples? Are not the positions of some non-Muslim countries and leaders, such as Colombia and Venezuela, regarding the Palestinian issue, more honorable and just towards the Palestinian cause and more humane than the positions of Arab and Muslim countries and leaders?

We reiterate what we have previously written extensively over 30 years ago, particularly our study entitled: (The Limits of Evoking the Sacred in Secular Matters: Methodological Notes), published in Al-Mustaqbal Al-Arabi magazine, issue 180 in 1994, issued in Beirut, summarized as stating that God is neutral in political matters and that invoking God frequently does not mean we are preferred by Him and closest to Him.