Philippine Scholar: Gaza Exposes Western Hypocrisy, Turns US Into Israel’s Battleground

Prominent Southeast Asian Islamic thinker says Palestine has shattered the “clash of civilizations” myth and sparked the rise of a new Islamic and justice-driven political consciousness inside the Wes

Philipne | PUREWILAYAH.COM — A leading Islamic scholar from Southeast Asia has said that Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has fundamentally overturned long-standing Western narratives about Islam, freedom, and human rights, exposing deep hypocrisy in US- and Israel-led claims of moral superiority while accelerating the rise of Muslim and justice-oriented political movements inside the West itself.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Iranian media, Tasnim News Agency, on the sidelines of the International Conference on the “Rights of Nations and Legitimate Freedoms in the Intellectual System of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” Prof. Julkipli M. Wadi, Dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman, described the current global moment as “unprecedented” in its scale of human-rights violations—most visibly embodied in Gaza.

The conference was held on 30 November 2025 at the Guardian Council Research Institute in Tehran.

A Timely Conference Amid Global Rights Collapse

Prof. Wadi described the Tehran conference as “extremely urgent and timely,” stressing that the world is witnessing a historic collapse of human dignity, justice, and freedom across regions.

He said the intellectual legacy of Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei—particularly their emphasis on human dignity, social justice, and self-determination—has become more relevant today than at any previous moment.

“This phase of history is unparalleled,” Wadi said. “It demands serious inquiry into why the world has reached this point, and a firm insistence on raising voices for human rights and freedoms across religions and regions.”

He added that the conference provides a rare platform for scholars and rights advocates from around the world to challenge dominant Western frameworks that have failed to prevent mass atrocities.

Islam and Human Rights: Western Claims Rejected

Addressing recurring Western accusations that Islam and countries like Iran are incompatible with freedom, Prof. Wadi categorically rejected the narrative as historically and factually false.

He cited the Constitution of Medina, drafted by the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago, as one of the earliest documented charters recognizing pluralism, coexistence, and the rights of religious minorities.

“This existed long before the United Nations Charter,” he said. “To claim Islam is anti-human rights is intellectually dishonest.”

Wadi also pointed to Iran’s living Jewish and Christian communities, synagogues, churches, and parliamentary representation as concrete evidence of Islamic pluralism—standing in sharp contrast to Israel’s ethnocratic system and Western-backed exclusionary policies.

He stressed that nothing in Muslim history compares to the scale of high-tech mass slaughter currently being unleashed on Gaza.

Gaza Shatters the ‘Clash of Civilizations’ Myth

Prof. Wadi said Israel’s genocide in Gaza has decisively demolished the long-promoted theory of a “clash of civilizations,” exposing it as a political myth designed to demonize Islam.

“Islam is not the source of systematic barbarity,” he said. “What we are seeing in Gaza—industrial-scale violence against women and children—is unprecedented in Muslim history.”

He argued that the true clash now is between humanity and colonial violence, with Israel at the center and the United States as its principal enabler.

The Real Battlefront Is Now Inside the United States

In one of his most striking observations, Prof. Wadi said Gaza has triggered an unexpected political backlash inside the US and Europe, turning Western capitals—not Palestine alone—into the real arenas of confrontation with Israeli policies.

“We once thought the battle had to be fought on the ground in Israel,” he said. “But the real battlefront is now in the United States itself.”

He noted the growing criticism of Israel even among traditional Western constituencies, including segments of US society previously aligned with pro-Israel politics.

At the same time, he highlighted the rise of Muslim mayors, lawmakers, and progressive leaders across American and European cities—many of them former immigrants shaped by experiences of injustice.

A New Dar al-Islam Emerging in the West

Prof. Wadi described this phenomenon as a historic reversal: Israel’s violence, rather than suppressing resistance, is accelerating the growth of Muslim communities and Islamic political consciousness in the heart of the West.

“The more bombs fall on Gaza, the stronger Muslim communities rise in America and Europe,” he said. “We are witnessing the emergence of a new Dar al-Islam in the West.”

He framed this development not as a clash, but as “a new algebraic relation”—where oppression generates its own political and moral undoing.

Toward Creative Unity and a Post-Hegemonic Future

While acknowledging the challenges facing the Muslim world, Prof. Wadi rejected calls for rigid or artificial unity. Instead, he advocated for “creative unity”—a model grounded in shared values, mutual recognition, and Qur’anic pluralism.

He expressed optimism that a broader, cross-faith human alliance is forming in response to Gaza, challenging Western double standards and Israel’s impunity.

“The traditional Muslim world may have failed in some respects,” he said, “but a new consciousness is emerging—gradually, but undeniably.”

Gaza as a Turning Point in Global History

Prof. Wadi concluded that Gaza will be remembered as a historic turning point—not only for Palestine, but for global political consciousness.

Israel’s genocide, backed and shielded by the United States, has not silenced resistance. Instead, it has exposed the moral bankruptcy of Western power structures and ignited new movements for justice, dignity, and self-determination—far beyond the Middle East.

As Prof. Wadi put it, “On the other side of the world, a new hope is rising.” (PW)