In today’s world of ideas, few subjects divide opinion as sharply as nationalism. Western liberal thinkers and neo-liberal policymakers often dismiss it as a relic of tribalism, a backward
resistance to universal identity and transnational integration. For them, nationalism is nothing but an old weapon of hate, refurbished for modern use.
Yet, there is another side. Revolutionary voices like Paulo Freire, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, and Frantz Fanon view nationalism as a lifeline for peoples crushed under colonial slavery and cultural domination. For them, when local languages, traditions, history, and resources fall into the grip of elites or foreign powers, nationalism becomes the only road back to dignity, identity, and freedom.
Neo-liberalism complicates the debate further. It is more than an economic doctrine; it is a global force that denies borders and seeks to dissolve everything local. Under slogans of borderless development, it lays claim to rivers, lands, and even cultural heritage. It devalues languages as outdated, dismisses art as “unproductive,” and pushes festivals and traditions into irrelevance.
Religion too is carved into shallow boxes to strip it of meaning.
Some argue that Islam also transcends borders. True—but Islam does not erase identity. The Qur’an reminds us: “We created you into nations and tribes so that you may recognize one
another.” Islam never declared culture or tradition an enemy, unless they conflict with divine guidance.
Looking back at the subcontinent, it is clear that British colonialism did more than occupy land; it seized minds, culture, and the very definition of humanity. The British reshaped the idea of “nation” in their own mold. This borrowed definition was rejected by Mawlānā Syed Abul A‘lā Maududi, who called it a false creed. Nationalism, he argued, rips human beings from their natural brotherhood and confines them to narrow, prejudiced circles.
For Maududi, the foundation of an Islamic nation lies not in race, language, or land—but only in
faith. His point was simple:
“The only foundation for nationhood in Islam is faith. It has no link with race, color, territory, or economic interest.”
This is why Islam envisions a universal brotherhood. In contrast, Western nationalism defines people by blood, soil, and language. Maududi saw this as a new form of ignorance—jahiliyyah—that divides humanity, fuels arrogance, breeds hatred, and, most dangerously, blocks Islam’s universal mission.
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