Mick Hartley

Why do so many in the Arab and Muslim world celebrate Sinwar’s death as heroic, rather than acknowledging the cowardice of a man hiding in the shadows?
The answer lies in a fear not of Israel itself, but of what Israel represents: a painful reflection of the Muslim world’s… pic.twitter.com/n3OrYrcuPv

— George Deek (@GeorgeDeek) October 19, 2024

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Why do so many in the Arab and Muslim world celebrate Sinwar’s death as heroic, rather than acknowledging the cowardice of a man hiding in the shadows? The answer lies in a fear not of Israel itself, but of what Israel represents: a painful reflection of the Muslim world’s decline since the fall of the Caliphate. Israel, in all its existence—not just its actions—serves as a glaring reminder of stagnation and weakness compared to the West’s progress.

For many, Israel is a humiliating affront, described as nothing more than a “spider-web,” flimsy yet infuriatingly persistent. Its mere presence is an insult, a challenge to the very idea of Islamic greatness. And so, the path to restoring that greatness is seen not in progress or reform, but in tearing down the Israeli “spider-web” through renewed Islamic fervor, heroism, and relentless determination.

Admitting that Sinwar’s actions were flawed would mean more than just critiquing one leader; it would require questioning the entire narrative of the conflict. That’s why no alternative paradigm exists—because acknowledging one would mean embracing a reality that challenges deeply ingrained beliefs.

It’s no surprise, then, that we see no widespread self-criticism from Palestinians over the use of terrorism or the war of October 7th. The alternative—rethinking the entire approach to the conflict—is unthinkable to many. And that’s where the real fear lies: in the absence of a different way forward.

[Fair to say, I think, that Islam has generally not responded well to its decline since the days of greatness and the rise of the West, choosing to emphasise, instead of an embrace of science and modernity, a renewed clinging to religious dogma. 

Although Muslims constitute more than 23 percent of the world’s population, as of 2015, only 12 Nobel laureates have been Muslims, whereas 193 (22 percent) of the total 855 laureates have been Jewish, although Jews comprise less than 0.2 percent of the world’s population. Since 1966, thirteen Israelis have been awarded the Nobel Prize…]