Written by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
When Israel rained fire upon Qatar, the world looked not only at the skies but also toward the ground; toward the vast American base at Al-Udeid, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, a fortress built with Arab wealth and housing nearly 10,000 troops, equipped with the most advanced aircraft and weapons of war. This base, long hailed as Qatar’s ultimate security guarantee, stood motionless. Neither its jets took flight nor its soldiers moved. The defense purchased at such enormous cost evaporated into thin air when it was most needed.
What unfolded was not an accident or lapse, but a deliberate silence. For the rulers of the Muslim world and for the Ummah at large, the lesson is clear — never entrust your defense to others, for when the decisive hour arrives, they will not fulfill the responsibility they were given.
Allah Almighty has already warned the believers:
“O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you—then indeed, he is [one] of them.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:51).
Consider the numbers. Ten thousand American troops are permanently stationed in Qatar, their salaries, food, accommodation, and weaponry financed not by Washington but by Doha. Year after year, billions are spent to sustain this foreign army, an army that, when tested, offered nothing but silence. The same story repeats across the Arab world. In Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates, tens of thousands of U.S. troops are stationed — estimates range from 40,000 to 50,000 — all at the expense of their Arab hosts. These nations, which should have built their own strength, are instead drained by the cost of sustaining a garrison loyal only to its benefactor.
What defense did this mercenary force provide when Israel struck Qatar? None. Not a single aircraft scrambled, not a single missile intercepted. Bases once portrayed as fortresses turned out to be silent monuments to wasted wealth. History is full of such betrayals. Those who entrusted their sovereignty to outsiders always found themselves abandoned.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“Do not seek light from the fire of the polytheists.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 2346).
How piercingly this applies today, when Muslim rulers sought protection from foreign powers only to be consumed by the very fire they thought would give them light.
The Arab rulers who sought safety in American protection must face a bitter truth; Washington’s first loyalty has never been to them. Its unwavering bond is with Israel. The episode in Qatar has exposed this reality before the world. U.S. bases are not guardians of Arab security; they are instruments of American policy. And when that policy dictates silence in the face of Israeli aggression, silence is what follows — no matter how many billions have been paid or how many promises were made.
As we know, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe. Its enduring role is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. If NATO could work for Europe and North America, why should there not be a similar Muslim alliance, rooted in the strength of the Arab world, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other like-minded nations, to safeguard the Ummah?
Such an alliance could emerge under different banners, such as MATO – Muslim Alliance Treaty Organization, IMDO – Islamic Military Defense Organization, MDSA – Muslim Defense & Security Alliance, or OISA – Organization of Islamic States for Alliance. Whatever the title, the essence would remain the same: an organization built upon collective will, collective security, and collective dignity, rather than dependence on hired guardians.
The Ummah must now ask itself: how long will its rulers pour the wealth of their nations into sustaining foreign armies that will never defend them? How long will Muslim lands serve as hosts for garrisons that eat from their tables yet defend another’s flag? How long will the treasuries of the faithful be emptied to purchase illusions of security?
The Qur’an declares:
“And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way [of triumph] over the believers.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:141).
Yet, when believers themselves surrender their authority and invite outsiders to control their defense, they open the door to humiliation with their own hands.
The Middle East is home to hundreds of millions of people, with resources among the richest in the world. Their strength, if united, could be formidable. Yet they have been persuaded to depend on outsiders, to contract out their survival, to believe that mercenaries can guard honor. The attack on Qatar should serve as the final awakening.
The truth is undeniable. No nation can buy its defense. No sovereignty can be preserved through outsourcing. Security must be forged by one’s own hand, and dignity must be defended with one’s own blood. To rely on others is to invite betrayal, and to finance one’s betrayer is to commit the gravest folly.
The rulers of the Muslim world must now look into the mirror of Qatar’s ordeal and ask; will they continue to hire protection from those who stand with Israel, or will they build strength within their own people and armies? The choice is theirs, but history will not forgive negligence. For nations that fail to defend themselves are not only defeated; they are erased.
The betrayal of Qatar should resound in every palace and every parliament of the Muslim world. Let it not be forgotten. Let it not be excused. Let it awaken the Ummah to the truth long denied; reliance on foreign guardians is a road to humiliation, while reliance on one’s own strength is the only path to survival.
