Maria Akbar argues that Gulf Arab leaders, blessed with the wealth and influence to impact the Ummah, have abandoned Gaza in its darkest hour.
Since October 7, 2023, Palestinians have endured relentless death, starvation and destruction, with their homeland reduced to rubble.
The main perpetrators of this genocide has been Israel but they could not have done it without the military, financial and political support of the United States.
Yet last week the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE rolled out the red carpet for the leader of the United States, lavished his country with trillions of dollars and fawned over him like a manservant in colonial times.
And in so doing they have mocked the principles of justice and wilayah that define our faith.
Complicity through inaction
The Gulf leaders’ actions during this genocide – which have been confined to ineffective words of condemnation and some charity – must be interpreted as complicity because a single sanction could have pressured Israel to ease its assault on Gaza.
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This failure defies the Islamic duty to protect the vulnerable, as Allah commands: “And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed…?” (Quran 4:75).
By standing idle, Gulf leaders forsake their role as potential champions of the Ummah.
More shameful was their recent embrace of Donald Trump, whose policies have deepened Gaza’s misery.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) during an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as part of the third leg of his Middle East tour, on May 15, 2025. (Presidential Court in the UAE – Anadolu Agency)
Unlike President Biden, who permitted some humanitarian aid and restored UNRWA funding, Trump’s administration has overseen a complete aid blockade since March.
He’s threatened to kill and expel Palestinians and even proposed “Trump Gaza” — a vision of villas and condos on Palestinian land, which critics denounce as ethnic cleansing.
Yet Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, Emir Tamim of Qatar and Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE welcomed him with great fanfare, honour guards, and cultural performances like the Al-Ayalah dance – young girls swaying their hair as he walked past.
The UAE was so delighted to host this war-mongering criminal, they even objectified their own women for his entertainment.
And of course they showered him with $3.2 trillion in investments, bolstering the U.S. economy that funds Israel’s military. Qatar even gifted him a $400 million private jet, treating him like a king while Gaza’s children starve.
Hypocrisy over faith
This behaviour is a disgrace to Islam – Gulf leaders pray for Gaza with one hand while grasping the blood-soaked hand of its oppressor with the other.
They claim to uphold justice, yet align with Western powers to secure their thrones.
Their trillions fuel the U.S. economy, indirectly arming Israel, yet they fail to secure a single aid truck for Gaza.
These are not leaders but servants, loyal to wealth and power, not the Ummah. Their hypocrisy betrays the spirit of Islam and the cries of the oppressed.
We cannot normalise this betrayal. While Gulf leaders play host to oppressors, we must hold them accountable. Protests, boycotts like BDS, and vocal criticism are our tools to demand justice.
On the Day of Judgment, these leaders will answer for abandoning Gaza — but so will we if we remain silent. Our efforts, however small, matter. When Allah weighs our deeds, let us say we spoke out, acted and stood for justice.
Gulf Arab leaders do not represent us. Their silence and hypocrisy must not define the Ummah. Let Gaza’s suffering spur us to action, so our voices rise above their shameful inaction and echo before Allah when justice is served.
