The Biggest Test for Muslims Today is Unity Beyond Race

I've been thinking about why Muslims aren't as strong as we could be, and I keep coming back to how divided we are by things like ethnicity, skin color, or what region we're from. Some say it's because we've started following the way Europe thinks, where people group together based on sharing a continent or a certain racial idea. But that goes against what Islam teaches us about who we are. If you ask any Muslim, they'll tell you their faith comes first. But then, when it comes down to it, we still tend to favor people from our own area or who look like us over other Muslims from far away. I feel like centuries of outside influence made us start believing these divisions are normal, even though we're all fundamentally the same in the eyes of Allah. What if, instead of pan-Arab or pan-African groups, we focused on pan-Islamic unity? Imagine if Muslims from Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Syria, Morocco, and Senegal could move, work, and trade with each other as freely as people do in the European Union's Schengen area. It might sound crazy, but I think it's the practical way for us to regain our strength in the modern world. We all know that feeling, right? When you meet a Muslim brother or sister who looks totally different from you, there's that instant bond. But when you meet someone who looks just like you but isn't Muslim, that connection isn't there. I've seen this myself. Yet, sadly, racism and separation still exist among us. I'm not saying we should bring back the old caliphates-that time has passed. But creating something new, a deep cooperation based on our shared deen, with free movement and a shared economy, could be our way forward. It reminds me of the Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) last sermon, where he stressed that every Muslim is a brother to another, and that our true unity comes from Islam, not from our tribes or ethnic backgrounds. That's the challenge we really need to overcome, insha'Allah.