Islam and Nationalism

In the book Islam and Nationalism, Ali Mohammed Naqvi argues that secular nationalism is a Western ideology fundamentally incompatible with Islamic principles. The author explores how colonial powers and Zionist movements historically utilized nationalistic sentiments to fragment the Muslim Ummah and dismantle the Ottoman Empire. Rather than uniting people through shared faith, nationalism relies on material factors like race, language, and geography, which the text views as a regression toward primitive tribalism. Naqvi asserts that while patriotism is a natural instinct, the political creed of nationalism functions as a pseudo-religion that competes with divine sovereignty. Ultimately, the source promotes an internationalist Islamic worldview that transcends borders, emphasizing that a believer’s primary loyalty must belong to God rather than a nation-state.