It is easy to point out the sins of the oppressor; it requires no courage to list the crimes of those who hold power over us. But a movement that only looks outward for the source of all its woes will eventually rot from within.
If we demand justice from the international community, we must practice absolute honesty regarding our internal failures:
- We cannot demand freedom while turning a blind eye to how we treat minorities within our own society.
- We cannot condemn state violence while romanticizing local criminality or mob rule under the guise of resistance.
- We cannot demand financial transparency from state institutions while ignoring corruption within our own civil and charitable networks.
Core Principle
True liberation demands an internal audit. The Quran reminds us that God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves. Internal reform is not a distraction from political liberation—it is the prerequisite.
If our internal discourse is built on denial, victim mentality without accountability, and silence in the face of local wrongdoing, we end up building our own cage.