By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

The situation with Iran opens a clear window into the crisis we face in world order today. 

Many people in the Muslim world view the Islamic Republic as the main state that pushes back against American hegemony tied closely to Israel. They note the contradictions and internal tensions, and they still hold this view strongly. 

Any assault on Iran through surgical strikes, covert destabilisation, or overt regime change sends waves far beyond Tehran or Washington. 

The assault tests the moral agency of the Muslim world, exposes the condition of international institutions, and reveals the deep entanglement of geopolitical ambition with militarised capitalism.

People on the Muslim street share a clear vision. And that vision crosses Shia and Sunni divides. Many regard foreign aggression against Iran as illegitimate and dangerous. 

People maintain their theological and political differences with Iran’s Shia establishment. But at the same time, they view external intervention as part of a longer pattern of domination that stretches from Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya and Palestine.

Public outrage has always stirred powerful emotion. Still, geopolitical direction often rests in the hands of elite interests, security structures, and corporate-military networks. 

But then, strong resistance did surface during the Iraq war of 2003, the devastation of Libya, and the prolonged war in Afghanistan.

The architecture of global decision-making stays separate from public conscience. Elite interests guide the process along with security establishments and corporate-military networks.

The disconnect between public sentiment and state policy appears especially sharp across the Muslim world. 

Muslim-majority states remain fragmented and wary of one another. They divide along ethnic, ideological, and sectarian lines, deepening mistrust and limiting cooperation.

Regional and global powers exploit the Shia-Sunni divide as a strategic tool, aware that internal fractures weaken collective agency and reduce the scope for unified action.

Since 2003, the emergence of a Shia-led political order in Iraq,........

© Kashmir Observer