Life, with its constant ups and downs, at the center of which is man—described by the angels as “one who causes corruption on Earth and sheds blood” (al-Baqarah 30)—is best understood as a war of narratives.

Since time immemorial, history is filled with accounts of tensions and conflicts at all levels of humanity’s socio-political, economic, and ideological presence. So much so that if one studies the history of any nation or geopolitical entity, one encounters, primarily, various internal and external struggles that often escalate into large-scale confrontations.

Hence, as a rule, each physical war is preceded or accompanied by an ideological and psychological war, which then usually transforms into a war of narratives during and after the physical conflict when the dust starts to settle.

Unfortunately, the last thing the protagonists of those battles care about is truth. Exaggerations, distortions and outright lies are the rules of the game. It is thus rightly said that winners write history, and they do so not based on the truth versus falsehood dynamics but according to their preconceived ideological and nationalistic interests.

Towards this end, Napoleon is reported to have said that history is nothing but a bunch of lies we (institutionalized communities and groups) agree upon. In the unfolding Gaza tragedy, which is a systematic genocide against the territory’s innocent population committed by the criminal and, at the same time, illegitimate state of Israel and its equally criminal Western benefactors led by the US and UK, the same pattern of historiography, not as history-recording but as history-fabricating, is being followed.

Put differently, the illegal acts of distorting reality and twisting the truth are rampant. They represent the essence of the ongoing bogus history-making; yet they are its dark art at its finest.

For that reason, in addition to killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians, the perpetrators of genocide are determined to silence the media, protesters, and activists. They are threatening schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions, while dismissing, deporting, and imprisoning students, activists, and academics.

All of them, both individually and institutionally, have a choice: either to subscribe to and peddle the approved cruel narratives, or to remain silent. An army of fraudulent journalists, experts in different fields, analysts, propagandists, scholars, and researchers has been recruited to spread lies and confuse the masses. They are all servants of the most devilish political system and the most sadistic killing machine the world has ever known.

They are also actively conscripted soldiers, similar to the Israeli bloodthirsty soldiers-qua- murderers who commit violence on the killing fields of Gaza. The only difference is that while one group kills bodies and destroys property, the other kills minds and souls and destroys prospects.

Without delving into the nuances of which type of crime is worse and more consequential, the two certainly complement each other and render the Gaza catastrophe one of apocalyptic proportions and, therefore, one of the most heart-rending in human history. 

For example, Israel keeps increasing its propaganda funding daily, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. The goal is to reshape global opinion regarding its military actions in Gaza, with the immediate and most sought-after targets being the US government as Israel’s main sponsor, Congress, US universities, and, of course, the US public.

Moreover, US universities that support free speech and expression regarding the Gaza situation are constantly threatened with funding suspension, with $1.8 billion already frozen for Cornell and Northwestern Universities.

These institutions of higher learning, along with other organizations, are thus forced to resort to prejudices, oppression, and distortions, while as well promoting and preaching falsehoods. Well, so much for those so-called hubs of knowledge and academic distinction. Without a shred of doubt, they are anything but. The brave people of Gaza have shouted that the emperor has no clothes.

In a recent development, Microsoft has also been condemned for supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, resulting in the firing of Muslim workers who were behind the condemnation.

And the list of culprits can go on indefinitely. That being said, we often wonder what we can do for Gaza. In view of the aforesaid, the answer is: a lot.

At the same time that our brothers and sisters in Gaza continue to resist bravely, making us all proud, we should extend a helping hand by participating in the war of narratives. We must ensure that the Israel-West axis of evil never wins and that truth ultimately prevails. 

Firstly, we should never stop exposing the prevalent lies and working to block the channels through which they are spread, even if this means "burning" some books, shunning certain companies and institutions, including colleges and universities, and boycotting TV and radio channels as well as news agencies.

Secondly, we should make it our responsibility to educate ourselves with genuine knowledge and be equipped with the tools of truth and a commitment to embody, share, and defend it in any circumstances. This is essential for the successful implementation of other initiatives. The saying that knowledge is power should be taken to a higher level. When aligned with truth, there are virtually no limits to what knowledge can achieve.

Thirdly, since, by and large, Muslim governments have failed Gaza on the ground, this can be their chance for redemption. They should embark, both separately and collectively, on a range of endeavors to ensure that this war of narratives is in the end won.

Battling the devious schemes of the Israel-West alliance is not everything that needs to be done; numerous systematic measures must likewise be conceived and implemented at home. The approach should be a subtle blend of strong defenses and timely offensives. Some of those include:

1. Permanently revising and recalibrating relationships with the West;
2. Restudying and rewriting history, which can be referred to as the Islamization of history or Muslim historical revisionism;
3. Reviewing and amending curricula at each and every level of Muslim educational systems, with special reference to the science of history and its related fields in the humanities and social sciences;
4. Deconstructing the pseudo-science of Orientalism, which has often been the root cause of many socio-cultural and epistemological problems in the Muslim world, involving those related to Palestine;
5. Allocating substantial and lifelong research funds to study and share the truths about Palestine as a whole and the Gaza tragedy specifically;
6. Introducing a compulsory general university subject titled “Palestine: Past, Present, and Future” to be taken by all students, regardless of their major fields of study;
7. Organizing regular competitions among students related to various aspects of the history, society, culture, politics, religious diversity, literature, art, and architecture of Palestine;
8. Organizing regular educational campaigns about the painful past of Palestine, with mottos such as “lest we forget,” “lest criminals be let off the hook,” and “lest truth be compromised;”
9. Integrating diverse aspects of the Palestine issue into categories of pop culture, such as entertainment, sports, festivals, fashion, literature, and slang, to ensure that no segment of society is left behind;
10. Deciding on an international or at least Ummatic “Day of Palestine” when the above strategies will be revisited, evaluated and enhanced.

Muslim governments! You bear the primary accountability for the situation in Gaza. Describing your actions as a mix of incompetence and inaction would be an understatement.

However, there is still an opportunity for you to make amends. Hundreds of millions of your Muslim subjects are ready for and awaiting proactive steps and programs. They expect to be inspired and guided.

Decide for yourselves. If the physical confrontations are beyond your capacities and willingness, there is still a decisive war to be won: the war of narratives. The sooner you start and put yourselves in a positive territory, the better.

Being tormented on the Day of Judgment with questions about the responsibility for the innocent suffering, tears, and blood of the Gaza victims will not be a pretty sight.