Arthemis Snijders
*“A young man [fatan] who was mentioned among them — his name was Ibrāhīm.”*
(Qur’ān 21:60)
The Qur’ānic word fatan – from which we derive the concept of futuwwa appears here to describe Prophet Ibrāhīm عليه السلام at the moment of his most radical clarity. He had shattered the idols of his people, leaving only the largest one untouched. When confronted, they referred to him with that term: “a young man, Ibrāhīm.” Not merely to mark his age, but to signal his moral audacity. His willingness to rupture from the order around him.
In Sufi commentary, this act of idol-breaking extends inward. It is said that “the idol of each man is his ego.” A fatan, then, is not simply someone young or bold – but someone spiritually unshackled. Someone who has severed their attachments to the self and aligned instead with a higher truth. Futuwwa, drawn from this root, is not just “chivalry.” It is sacred manhood, prophetic conduct; a path that demands courage, modesty, trustworthiness, and mercy – all braided into one spine.
When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about the signs of the foremost among those who walk this path, he said:
“They are those who are truthful in speech, loyal in oaths, who fulfil their trusts, abandon lying, are merciful with the orphans, give to whomever asks, spend on the one who has, are generous with the craftsman and with guests — and the head of them is one who is modest.”
(Narrated from Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, from his father, from his grandfather)
And Sayyidunā ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه refined it further:
“The best traits of the fata are courage and generosity, and both of these come together in the generous valiant one.”
These are not symbolic virtues; they are tangible, traceable in the lives of those who carry them. And nowhere today are they more viscerally alive than in Gaza, and alongside those who have sacrificed their blood for Gaza.
For over two years, the men of Gaza have resisted a livestreamed genocide with a kind of dignity that should not be possible under these conditions. On the battlefield. Behind cameras. In clinics stitched together from rubble, in homes without roofs or power, in the silence of the grave. They have carried futuwwa – not as a slogan, but as a way of being. When the Zionist entity murders another journalist, it is not simply because they have been showing the horrors on the ground (an unbelievably courageous act in itself), but also because they have broken harmful Orientalist narratives vital to the Islamophobia industry – narratives pushed since the so-called “War on Terror.”
Similarly, one can observe the same behavior in South Lebanon, where the men of Hezbollah who bravely resisted and stopped the Israeli invasion in 2024 now help rebuild homes and businesses, strengthen communities, and prepare for the next stage of the struggle against the Zionist entity. Everywhere you find resistance, you will find such men who are not only prepared to fight to destroy the enemy, but also to build the community.
With the image of the Zionist entity at an all-time low, a leaked report revealed that the best way to garner more support “is to foment fear of ‘Radical Islam’ and ‘Jihadism,’ and by highlighting “Israeli” support for “women’s rights” and “gay rights,” while elevating concerns that Hamas wants to “destroy all Jews and spread Jihadism.”
Official “Israeli” social media accounts have also been no strangers to spreading Islamophobic theories online about “the Great Replacement.” It is therefore no coincidence that “Israel” is currently aligning itself with Tommy Robinson, a convicted English Islamophobic far-right extremist, responsible for tweeting statements such as: “I’d personally send every adult male Muslim that has come into the EU over the past 12 months back tomorrow if I could. Fake refugees.” He continues to fuel the discourse that Islam is a civilisational enemy of the West.
Palestinian men have been bearing the brunt of this, through their constant dehumanisation, even in liberal discourse, by (for example) being excluded from the death counts through the focus on “women and children.” For decades, Muslim men have been painted as barbaric, oppressive, and inherently violent – guilty until proven otherwise. This Orientalist imagery has not only been used in times of colonialism, but also as a tool of modern imperialism. The familiar refrain “saving brown women from brown men” was used not too long ago to justify the illegal war in Afghanistan, echoing the same ZIonist propaganda that continues to circulate today.
Yet, what we have seen coming from Gaza over the past two years has completely shattered these stereotypes. We saw the Qassam brigades hugging the released captives and giving them goodie bags – videos which all social media platforms rushed to remove. We saw the Akhlaq of the Mujahideen, who, when using people’s homes or belongings, left apology notes – and even money – to compensate families for the items or food taken. We saw martyred journalists, such as Saleh al-Jafarawi, who recited the Qur’an, sang, and offered words of revolutionary hope and encouragement – while never shying away from his support for the resistance. We saw Anas al-Sharif, a father of two who remained in the North of Gaza until the very end, separated from his family, and who was among the few journalists to continue reporting in the most hazardous conditions. We saw Hossam Shabat, Hamza Dahdouh, Ismail Al-Ghoul, and countless others who fearlessly kept reporting – men deeply loved by both the people of Gaza and viewers around the world.
And we saw the everyday men – like grandfather Khaled Nabhan, “the soul of my soul,” who continued tending to the sick and dying, giving them their final Islamic rites. Before his death, he was gifted an ‘Umrah trip by Ahmed Hisham, who spent his time feeding the hungry and bringing joy to children’s faces. May Allah accept them all as martyrs.
These are just a handful of examples of the many Palestinian men who, by living the Prophetic example, captured the hearts of so many around the world.
At the same time, we are seeing a growing number of young Muslim men in the West being drawn to figures like Andrew Tate, and to his Muslim counterparts in the so-called “dawah bro” scene – such as Ali Dawah and Mohammed Hijab. Glamourising misogyny and seeing individual capitalist accumulation as the ultimate status symbol. This could not be further from the original fata – Prophet Ibrahim (AS) – who shattered not only the idols of his people, but his own ego.
If we want to see what true futuwwa looks like in our time, we need only look toward Gaza, towards the West Bank, towards Lebanon, and Yemen. Steadfast in their religion, noble in character, striving for righteous conduct, and carrying a fearless regard for the truth – all while dismantling decades of Orientalist imperialist propaganda simply by upholding actual Islamic values.
Ya Allah, grant victory to the people of Palestine. Make firm their steps. Strengthen their hearts. Count them among Your patient ones and grant them the victory You promised. Raise their martyrs to the highest ranks. Heal their wounded, free their prisoners, and bring them relief soon. Ya Rahman show them mercy and ya Qahar send down your wrath upon their oppressors.
Arthemis Snijders is a PhD Candidate at the University of Ghent, researching gendered Islamophobia and the racialisation of Muslims in Belgium. Particularly, how gendered Islamophobia manifests on an institutional, as well as an everyday level and how this intersects with secularism, whiteness and racial capitalism.
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