The Turbulent Arab Middle East and the Islamic World

Joseph Kwon

Editorial Board Member

Introduction

The war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli civilians, has lasted for over a year. This conflict has expanded to involve Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, with direct exchanges of airstrikes with Iran, increasing tensions throughout the Middle East. The current chaos does not only concern Israel and Palestine and their direct connections with Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran; in fact, practically every Middle Eastern country is involved. The entire Middle East is watching these events closely. What’s happening is sending a powerful message across the Islamic world, delivered at the speed of light through social media. This message raises various questions and challenges for the entire Islamic world. These questions and challenges actually date back to the late 19th century. This war will undoubtedly bring about significant changes in the whole Islamic world, which has long struggled with various dilemmas. To predict the changes that lie ahead for the Middle East and the broader Islamic sphere, we must examine the struggles and conflicts the Islamic world has faced since the late 19th century.

1. Colonialism and Modern Reform Movements (Late 19th - Early 20th Century)

European colonialism, which began in the 19th century, profoundly influenced Muslim societies. Many predominantly Muslim regions in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia experienced severe political and social upheavals as European powers introduced new governance systems and economic structures that disrupted traditional Islamic institutions and cultures. This period marked the start of the Muslim world’s search for its identity and a path forward.

In response to colonialism, various Islamic reform movements emerged. They aimed to return to the “pure” practices of early Islam while also embracing aspects of modernity. Thinkers like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, and Rashid Rida advocated Islamic modernism, asserting that Islam could coexist with modern science, reason, and progress. Their goal was to resist colonial influence and reform Islamic societies from within by modernizing education and legal systems, all while preserving Islamic values.

2. The Rise of Political Islam and Nationalism (mid-20th century)

After World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, secular nation-states were established in much of the Islamic world, including Turkey and Egypt. These countries embraced secular nationalism, reducing Islam’s influence in public life to pursue modern and secular governance. Figures like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey and Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt championed this approach. However, this movement created tension between Islamic conservatives and secular elites.

In response, groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt, called for an Islamic state governed by Sharia law. Their vision was a state where Islam set the standards for politics, law, and society. This marked the start of political Islam (also known as Islamism). Political Islam emerged as a powerful force, challenging Western-style secularism and offering what it considered an Islamic alternative to governance. This concept appealed to devout Muslims seeking a solution rooted in their faith.

3. Islamic Revivalism and Conservatism (late 20th century)

In the late 20th century, various social, political, and economic factors—such as the failure of secular nationalist movements, disillusionment with Western imperialism, and economic challenges—led to a revival of conservative Islamic values. Events like the 1979 Iranian Revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, established a theocratic state explicitly incorporating Islamic principles into governance. This revolution inspired similar movements, particularly among Shia Muslims and even some Sunnis.

Another significant development was the rise of Wahhabism, a puritanical form of Islam that gained prominence partly due to Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth. Saudi Arabia funded mosques, madrasas (religious schools), and Islamic charities that promoted a conservative interpretation of Islam, exporting it across the Muslim world.

During this period, the influence of Sharia law intensified in countries like Pakistan, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia, as these nations attempted to “Islamize” their legal and educational systems. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 also spurred Islamic resistance movements, eventually giving birth to extremist armed jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda.

4. Globalization and the impact of 9/11 (early 21st century)

In the 21st century, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Islamic fundamentalism expanded globally. Al-Qaeda’s attacks intensified efforts to contain Islamic terrorism and sparked fierce debates over the relationship between Islam, violence, terrorism, and extremism—especially in the West. This led to increased Islamophobia, discrimination, and fear.

In response, Muslim leaders and scholars emphasized Islam’s peaceful teachings, promoting interfaith dialogue and moderation. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) stirred anti-Western sentiment in various parts of the Islamic world. In the 2010s, violent, extremist jihadist movements like the Islamic State (ISIS) emerged, further destabilizing the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Syria and Iraq.

5. Contemporary Trends

Today, Islam is more diverse than ever. Muslims are trying, in various ways, to adapt their faith to local cultures and modern realities. Among Muslim intellectuals and scholars, some attempt to reinterpret traditional Islamic teachings in the light of modern values like democracy, human rights, and even issues like same-sex marriage. Moreover, the internet and social media have transformed the way Muslims engage with their faith, allowing rapid spread of both moderate and extremist views through digital channels.

In some Muslim-majority countries, tensions persist between Islam and secularism. In places like Tunisia and Turkey, ongoing debates continue over Islam’s role in politics.

Conclusion

Until the medieval period, the Islamic world maintained stability by having Islamic religion as a foundational system, while only the political systems changed. Islam was a stable ideological base. However, entering the modern era, the Islamic world faced enormous challenges from Western powers. Muslims have struggled to solidify their identity within Islam and figure out the direction of their community.

Early Islamic leaders accepted aspects of Western education, politics, and science while maintaining Islamic values. As nationalism and the secular nation-state model emerged in the Middle East, attempts were made to separate religion and state. Yet Islam, inherently merging politics and religion, did not neatly fit into the secular, modern state model, creating a persistent dilemma. Confronted with modern challenges and identity confusion, many religious communities turn back to their scriptures and original spirit. However, unlike most religions that naturally separated religion and politics in their fundamentalist revival movements, Islamic fundamentalism instead evolved into a powerful political struggle, plunging into a dilemma.

Additionally, modern nation-states in the Arab Middle East, rooted in tribalism and collective group culture, adopted authoritarian politics and corruption, disappointing and demoralizing Muslims. The establishment of Israel in 1948 and the defeat of Arab states in four subsequent Middle Eastern wars left a deep dishonor in a culture that values honor.

After the Cold War ended, with ideological conflicts subsiding, the Islamic world faced global values such as individualism, freedom, democracy, and capitalism. Its response included a vast and radical Islamic political experiment, from Al-Qaeda’s 2001 9/11 terror attacks to ISIS in the 2010s, throughout the Arab world. However, ISIS’s atrocities eventually even turned general Muslims against radical Islam. A global coalition against ISIS effectively dismantled these organizations through targeted strikes. In reality, the remaining influential radical Islamic groups are Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthi rebels. With the war that began on October 7, 2023, this last wave of radical Islamic political movements faces its final test, which increasingly seems destined to fail.

Certainly, individuals can still embrace Islamic radicalism online and commit isolated acts of terror. Still, large-scale organized radical political movements are expected to weaken significantly. The Islamic world will again grapple with defining its identity, likely leading to fundamental doubts about Islam itself. The failure of radical Islamic political movements, which relied on the Quran as their cornerstone, suggests that Islam cannot offer a global alternative in the current world order, reaching a logical conclusion.

This situation could connect the Islamic world’s profound spiritual thirst with the search for true truth. Amidst the Islamic world’s enormous spiritual longing, the global Church urgently needs to prepare and focus on proclaiming Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—to them.