There’s a specific kind of stillness that only exists during these Ramadan mornings. The house is silent, the air still carries that crisp post-dawn chill, and for a few hours, the world feels paused. Alhamdulillah. I’m sitting here, stomach empty, mind trying to find that grounded state we’re all supposed to aim for this month. Because for me ramadan is meant to be a detox, it's like a time to filter out the noise and focus on what’s actually essential. It’s supposed to be the month of Furqan, the criterion to distinguish truth from falsehood. But then, I made the mistake of checking the headlines. Scroll, scroll, scroll, and suddenly that morning peace is shattered by the usual suspects US, Israel, Iran. The same recycled aggression, the same tactical posturing, the same theater of war. And as I sit here in the silence of my veranda, I can’t help but feel this profound, bone-weary exhaustion. Not just because of the conflict itself, and pretty sure we’ve seen this movie a thousand time, tapi karena betapa obviousnya narasi yang lagi dimainkan. It’s just honestly disgusting how they think they can still play us with the same old script, especially when we’re supposed to be at our most spiritually vigilant. Let’s be real for a second. This entire clash of civilizations narrative between the US-Israel axis and Iran? It’s not about God and it’s not a holy war, it's a fight for the soil, the oil, and the strategic chokeholds of the Middle East. It’s pure, unadulterated Imperialism 101, just wearing a different costume for the 2026 audience. They love to dress up these power grabs in religious rhetoric because as we know that it’s the easiest way to bypass human logic. It’s much easier to justify a genocide or a displacement if you convince the public that the other side is just a group of irrational religious fanatics. And watching it from the perspective of a Muslim who is currently fasting, who is literally in a state of trying to find truth, it’s just insulting to akal sehat. They want us to believe this is a metaphysical battle between good and evil, while they’re actually just counting barrels of oil and testing new weapon systems on human lives. But the part that really gets under my skin, the part that makes me want to put my phone down and never pick it up again, is how they’ve weaponized the Sunni-Shia divide. Lately, I’ve been scrolling past these big accounts (thesunnah_path and thequran_path), some influencers and self-proclaimed defenders of the faith, who are suddenly obsessed with posting stuff like "Syiah bukan Islam" or "Syiah is a bigger threat than Zionism." Like guyss? As a Sunni myself, I find this logic incredibly shallow, dangerous, and frankly, embarrassing. The alibi is always the same, historical disputes over the Khulafaur Rasyidin or theological nuances that have been debated for OVER A MILLENNIUM. But let’s look at this for a second. If you can’t see the timing of these posts, you’re blind. Like why is this narrative peaking now? Why, when the cameras are on the atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank, are we suddenly being fed infographics about why we should hate our neighbors in Tehran or Lebanon? I’m reminded of the Amman Message (2004). This wasn't just a random document, it was a consensus signed by over 500 of the world’s leading Islamic scholars from 84 countries. They explicitly recognized the validity of all eight madhhabs, including the Jafari (Shia) school. If the greatest muftis and scholars of our time can recognize the common Qibla and the shared Shahada, why are these anonymous panitia surga on Instagram so desperate to kick people out of the fold? It’s because they aren't serving the faith, they’re serving the algorithm, and by extension, the very people who want us divided. Think about it. What is the absolute worst nightmare of an imperial power? It’s a unified front. If the Muslim world actually looked past their theological differences and realized they share the exact same external oppressors, the power dynamic of the entire planet would shift. The Middle East would no longer be a playground for foreign interests, it would be a sovereign bloc. So, they do the one thing that has worked for centuries like adu domba. They pump billions into propaganda to make sure a Sunni Muslim in Jakarta or Cairo feels more threatened by a Shia Muslim in Tehran than by the actual military-industrial complex that is currently leveling cities. They’ve turned a 1,400-year-old historical dispute into a modern-day weapon. It’s calculated and it’s working. They’ve managed to convince us to tear each other apart while they walk off with the keys to the house. I’ve spent a lot of time observing patterns, and the sociology of this is so transparent it’s actually cringe-worthy. And this is what we call manufactured conflict. Have you noticed the pattern? Whenever the global outcry against injustice reaches a boiling point, the sectarian machine turns on. Suddenly, everyone is a historian. Suddenly, the other sect is the musuh dalam selimut. It’s a curated distraction. It’s a bone thrown to a hungry crowd to keep them busy so they don't look at the person holding the leash. Gampang banget kita dimainin. We’re arguing over who is a true Muslim while the very concept of a Muslim life is being devalued to zero by global powers. Ramadan is about clarity, about your way to find your Furqan, about seeing things for what they are, not what they’re marketed to be. And what I see right now is a global community being played like a puppet on a string. I don’t care what mazhab you follow. If you’re a Muslim today and you’re spending your energy fueling sectarian hatred while people are starving under siege, you’ve lost the plot. You’re just dancing to a tune composed in Washington and Tel Aviv and sekadar jadi pion catur. I refuse to buy into the noise. My faith doesn't teach me to be a tool for someone else’s empire. It teaches me to stand for justice or 'adl, to protect the oppressed, and to see through the lies of the powerful. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist, the greatest trick the colonial powers ever pulled was convincing the ummah that their brother is their biggest enemy. The sun is high now. The fast is in full swing. I’m closing the news tabs because I need to protect my own ruang aman. I’d rather spend my energy on something real in my life, on the people I love, and on a faith that is wider than a Twitter thread. Don't let them pull your strings, guys, not today, not ever. Hapus bencinya, pertajam logikanya.