Muslims do not celebrate the New Year, and we have our own calendar for holidays. However, just as it is not forbidden to summarize the day or the week, nothing prevents us from summarizing the main political results of another calendar year.
The main trend that emerged in the past 2020 and continued in the outgoing 2021 is that, for the first time in a long time, Muslims stopped losing wars exclusively to non-Muslims and started winning them.
In 2020, the victory in the Second Karabakh War, achieved by Azerbaijan after a humiliating defeat in the First Karabakh War thirty years ago, became such a brilliant victory. In 2021, the victory of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan* over the NATO coalition also became such a victory after its defeat fifteen years ago, when the coalition destroyed the Islamic Emirate as a state and forced it into guerrilla warfare, gaining control over most of the country.
These two victories are similar and yet different. They are similar in that they are victories achieved by Muslims over Crusaders who, it may have seemed, would always prevail over them, at least in the foreseeable future, with no prospect of changing the situation. They differ, however, in that in one case the victory was achieved by an internationally recognized but secular state, and in the other by an unrecognized but religious movement.
Therefore, the victory of the Taliban* was more difficult and costlier. And the more significant it is, especially in terms of moral impact. But at the same time, this lack of recognition continues to seriously constrain the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, making it hostage to the lack of its own resources for development and the need to rely on those who have them. In this sense, Azerbaijan’s position is more advantageous because it allows it to take full advantage of its victory, economic and transit opportunities, develop geopolitical initiatives and set new ambitious goals such as the Zangazur Corridor.
What is in store for the Islamic world in 2022? Only the all-knowing and almighty Allah knows. As for assumptions, it can be predicted that Muslims will have to fight on new fronts, although the battle will continue on these two fronts, but in different forms.
In some of these directions, the situation looks extremely pessimistic, such as in East Turkestan. It is still unclear who can stop the genocide of Uighur Muslims. But no one has the power and strength except Allah, and if we, the Ummah, are weak Muslims in this matter, let us not forget that the supplication of weak Muslims is a powerful weapon. So let us use it against the Chinese communist devils, and who knows, maybe the collapse of this evil empire will happen suddenly, just like the collapse of the previous communist empire, and our brothers and sisters will find relief.
Moreover, if the Chinese communist devil was already filled with evil, the neighboring devil of Hindutva has been actively embracing it in recent years and inflicting it on Muslims as well. The struggle to defend the fundamental rights of Muslims in India as a whole and the restoration of autonomy in Kashmir in particular will be one of the important directions in the coming year.
Of course, the struggle in Palestine will continue. Both in general against the policy of further occupation and colonization of Muslim lands and against the Judaization of Al-Quds. By the way, one of the small victories of the Muslims in 2021 can be considered the fall of the government of the devil Netanyahu. And although the coming to power of a new government did not bring any significant relief to the situation of Muslims, unlike China and India, the trend here is that militant Zionism is beginning to decline.
Turkey has entered a difficult period, and we traditionally have high hopes for it. The economic turbulence that began this year will surely continue in 2022, and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2023, the outcome of which could determine the further development of the country. We pray to Allah for the best outcome of these trials for its Muslims and the rest of the Ummah!
In the Western world, Islamophobia has temporarily taken a back seat as the Kremlin has confidently replaced ISIS* and Al-Qaeda* as the number one global terrorist threat. But it is a threat not only to the West, but also to Muslims who have fallen, or are in danger of falling, under its oppressive regime, both in Putin’s Russia itself and in the countries it seeks to control.
We remember that in 2021, Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and Kemal Tambiiev, well-known Muslim figures in Russia, were added to those languishing in prisons, and Aslambek Ezhaev joined them. And there are dozens of other unknown or lesser-known individuals, especially in places like Crimea. Moreover, it was in 2021 that the whole world became aware of the monstrous scale and systematic nature of torture in Russian colonies and pre-trial detention centers. Should this be considered a victory or a defeat?
The ban on «Memorial», monstrous sentences for human rights activists, dozens of people recognized as foreign agents, and the continuous imprisonment or forced emigration of new people — all this is a repressive machine that shows no signs of stopping, only gaining momentum. And now it openly reveals its plans to roll over neighboring countries if they do not submit to its dictatorship; those countries where our co-religionists can enjoy the fruits of freedom, as in Ukraine, including those who fled there to escape persecution in Russia.
Therefore, Muslims in Russia themselves must understand that the struggle against this oppressive machine within their own country and to prevent it from rolling over other countries is the same struggle. And therefore, in case of a war between Putin’s Russia and Ukraine, it is categorically unacceptable to support Russia as «our country». Only «patriots» (if they can still be called that, and has it really been their country for a long time?) who support the regime that terrorizes Russian Muslims and other Russian citizens will support it. Therefore, every Russian Muslim and true Russian patriot must wish for the defeat of this regime that terrorizes not only Russian Muslims, but also all other Russian citizens. They must finally understand that their country has been captured by a gang of thugs and lawbreakers.
From our side, we plan to continue our struggle from our information trenches. And we remind you that no one but you can provide us with ammunition, technical means and supplies for this. Help us in this struggle and may Allah reward you for it!
* Forbidden in the Russian Federation