Al-Houthi’s Vision on the Strategic Role of Jihad and Martyrdom in Safeguarding the Ummah – and the Perils of Submission for Identity and Sovereignty

The culture of jihad in the path of God and martyrdom remains the ultimate safeguard of the Islamic nation in the face of aggression and existential challenges. It is this culture that preserves dignity and defends the Ummah from its enemies. Throughout history, it has proven to be the true power that repels invaders and restores rights even under the harshest circumstances.
By contrast, submission and complacency lead inevitably to humiliation and destruction—as seen in tragic historical eras when, for example, the Mongols slaughtered nearly a million Muslims, or when the Crusades imposed their sword upon Muslim lands, draining resources and devastating local societies.

Even in modern times, these lessons have re-emerged with pain: American military campaigns over the past two decades have taken the lives of an estimated three million people, the majority from Muslim nations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. These shocking figures affirm that surrender offers no protection—it invites ruin—whereas the culture of jihad and martyrdom remains the Ummah’s guarantee of dignity, survival, and a secure future for coming generations.

Jihad and Martyrdom: The Nation’s Shield and Pillar of Honor

The culture of jihad and martyrdom is not a slogan but a comprehensive way of life grounded in awareness of right and duty. As Sayyid Al-Houthi emphasized, jihad represents the highest form of human confrontation with oppression and the only means to defend the Ummah.
Martyrdom, in this worldview, is not loss but a divine privilege, granting the martyr an exalted station with God while inspiring others to continue the struggle. These values reinforce morale, instill courage and steadfastness, and build a society capable of endurance and victory against all threats.

History confirms this. During the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century, nearly a million Muslims perished; the Crusades likewise exhausted the Ummah’s human and material wealth. Yet the nations that clung to the spirit of jihad ultimately recovered strength and identity.
In the modern era, Al-Houthi highlights the great struggle of peoples confronting Israel and supporting Palestine against genocide—an experience that left the Ummah stronger in military readiness, training, and mass mobilization, always prepared for the next confrontation. Jihad and martyrdom, therefore, are not optional ideals; they are existential necessities that preserve the nation from humiliation and extinction.

The Culture of Submission: A Path to Ruin

In contrast, the culture of submission is one of the gravest threats to the Ummah—materially and spiritually. It is not mere passivity; it is a system that breeds defeat and incapacity. History bears grim witness: the Mongol onslaught succeeded partly because unity and jihad had decayed; the Crusades devastated economies, societies, and morale.
In modern times, the U.S. acknowledgment of millions killed in its wars reveals the catastrophic price of abandoning the ethos of struggle.

As Al-Houthi notes, the culture of submission is the twin of the culture of domestication—a tamed Ummah that will never escape death or oppression so long as courage and defiance are absent. Periods when Muslims abandoned jihad and shunned martyrdom ended in calamity and loss of will. Societies that feared sacrifice became the most submissive and spiritually broken before aggressors.

Contemporarily, he warns, Zionist and Western powers seek to redirect blame inside the Ummah, vilifying anyone who resists domination. Many communities have sunk into a state of disgraceful subservience, while America’s partnership in Israeli crimes underscores how weakness invites further aggression. Submission does not merely cost lives—it erodes dignity and identity, leaving nations defenseless.

Comparing the two cultures exposes the essential contrast between humiliation and honor, collapse and steadfastness. A submissive nation loses the ability to defend its people and sanctities; a nation rooted in jihad and martyrdom builds spiritual and material strength, preserves its identity, and restores its rights. Thus, jihad is not only a moral duty but a strategic imperative for survival and sovereignty.

Modern Examples of Jihad’s Protective Role

Contemporary experiences prove that jihad and martyrdom are practical instruments of protection, not mere symbols. Recent events revealed the scale of hostility facing the Ummah and the need for organized resistance. The admission by U.S. officials of millions of Muslim deaths over two decades shows that without jihad, nations face annihilation.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine—spanning more than seven decades—illustrates ongoing aggression, from blocking Palestinian farmers to repeated attacks on Lebanon as docume