Why meritocracy feels broken in many Muslim countries (personal thought/rant)

As-salamu alaykum, Sorry in advance if this gets long or jumps around - just sharing some thoughts and looking for perspectives. I love our Ummah and want our communities to be better, so this comes from that place. I’m a believer in Islam and in its values, but I’m struggling with the gap between what we’re taught and how many Muslim societies actually run. I grew up thinking hard work, honesty, and doing the right thing would pay off. That’s the message we get. Yet in many places, effort alone rarely changes your situation. Opportunities aren’t transparent. Advancement often depends on family name, tribe, skin color, or who you know (wasta), not on ability. For many, there’s no ladder - only a day-to-day loop to survive. People are always told to have sabr, and yes patience is a virtue, but sometimes sabr is used to ask people to accept injustice. Folks endure very low wages, long hours, and being constantly drained while the systems stay the same. Hope gets offered to calm people down rather than real reforms being made. I see the working poor given barely enough to survive and never enough to flourish. Personal time and dignity are treated as luxuries. I’ve been pained by the treatment of migrant and domestic workers in some places - dependence, confiscated papers, restricted movement. Many human rights groups call the sponsorship systems modern slavery, and that’s incredibly hard to square with Islam’s emphasis on dignity and freedom. Even talk of merit often rings hollow. People who are capable get sidelined; incompetence is protected because of loyalty or connections. We praise excellence in khutbahs but discourage it in practice. Questioning the system can be risky - speaking up is labeled disrespectful or ungrateful - yet our history shows leaders who accepted accountability. Silence too often protects corruption, not unity. Racism and colorism are other painful contradictions. Islam teaches equality, but ethnic hierarchies and color prejudice affect marriage, jobs, and social status. It’s normalized and sometimes denied at the same time. It hurts to see stigma around interracial marriages among Muslims or to hear about the racism Black Muslims face from other Muslims. What opened my eyes was seeing how some people do elsewhere. Muslims written off as lazy or unsuccessful back home often thrive when they move to Western countries. They didn’t miraculously change - the systems did. It feels like we choke off fair systems that would let people thrive. Instead of building better institutions here, sometimes we discourage people from seeking opportunities abroad. That kind of attitude only keeps problems in place. I’m not idealizing the West - it has serious moral flaws. But its systems are often more predictable: rules are more consistently applied and effort more clearly links to outcome. Maybe that’s why many first- and second-generation Muslims abroad do better economically and why some choose to stay. We act surprised when our youth adopt ways of life from their new societies, but we rarely address the structural reasons they leave. This isn’t about abandoning faith or copying others. It’s about honesty. Islam sets high standards, and many of our societies fall short. Islam isn’t failing - we are. Pretending everything’s fine only ensures more people will leave and pick up habits both in line and out of line with our teachings. If your heart aches reading this, mine did while writing it. I’m only sharing my personal reflection. I’m not responsible for any displeasure to Allah that might come from speaking - Allah knows best, and I ask His forgiveness for my mistakes. May Allah guide us all.