Open letter to the left
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Quote:OPEN LETTER TO THE LEFT AND FAR LEFT
February 4, 2015
While you focus on US imperialism (no other) and on capitalism that exploits the masses in Muslim-majority countries and in the diaspora, children are being murdered in schools in Pakistan, just as they were assassinated in Algeria in the nineties, and just as journalists, intellectuals, artists, activists from our left movements (not those from the right) are being decimated throughout North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
People in our countries are not diplomats representating our corrupt and undemocratic governments. Why are they attacked ?
We are sick and tired of your ‘main enemy’ justifications of the crimes committed by a far-right movement that masquarades as a religious one .You seem unable to identify this movement in political terms. It targets ordinary people and the left at large in our countries as well as in the world, rather than big interests or far right or xenophobic organisations ; with ‘god on its side’ it pretends to represent the superior creed ; it therefore creates categories of second class citizens who can and should be physically eliminated ; it suppresses all freedoms and civil rights ; it organizes autodafé of books ; it puts women ‘in their place’ ; and it never ever really challenges capitalism.
Does this reminds you of Nazism ? Will you again play your Pontius Pilate Munich game – at our expense ?
Do you think for one second that abandoning the progressive forces in our countries and supporting our fundamentalist far-right will enhance the struggle against world capitalism ? How did it work in Spain in 1936?First signatories:
Marieme Helie Lucas, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue
Maryam Namazie, leading member of worker-communist party of iran
Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters
Fatou Sow, Director Women Living Under Muslim Laws
Elham Manea, writer, human rights defender and academic
Ramin Forghani, Founder of ex-Muslims, Scotland
Harsh Kapoor, South Asia Citizens Web
Chris Moos, secularist activist and researcher
Rafiq Mahmood – One of a growing number of ex-Muslims and infidels in Indonesia
Monica Lanfranco, feminist journalist, MAREA
Dr Martyn Hudson, Newcastle university
Imad Iddine Habib, Founder of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Morocco
Eric Mueller, Marxist-Leninist
Professor Alan Johnson, editorial board member, Dissent Magazine
Faizun Zackariya – Citizens for Justice and PeaceThis may be binned by mod. Unless it is only the Socialist Standard that you are not allowed to copy verbatim to the forum. My reproduction of Clifford's letter was unceromoniously dumped into the bin
I have received a reply from moderation saying that your copy and paste verbatim is allowed because it is not from the Socialist Standard! Only the Socialist Standard is not allowed. So don't try an open letter from Clifford Slapper! But an open letter from Nigel Farage is fine.
Vin, please desist from diverting attention away from the letter (which also means not replying to that remark) I found that the signatories are an unusual collection and the text very questionable but i think we can accept the sentiments of it in criticising those who keep supporting anti-imperialism, regardless….and it has always been our case that it is a sterile analysis…"my friend is my enemy's enemy" Strange we have never released a press release on the issue of political islamism (and specific significant events of its manifestation) and likewise the rising islamophobia (which i consider more ominious than the recent attention to a rise in anti-semitism) particularly since we hold the high ground in our attitude to religions and wars.
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alanjjohnstone wrote:I found that the signatories are an unusual collection and the text very questionableWhat did you find "very questionable" about the text? I thought it made a valid point against those who softpeddle criticism of political Islamism on the grounds of it being "anti-imperialist" whereas it is a far-right ideology just like "fascism" (in fact, a case can be made for saying that both in ideology and in practice it is worse than fascism — for instance fascism was never that oppressive of women). Why is it "islamophobia" to point this out?
Several things just don't make a coherent statement. I find it rather vague which diminises is effect …Identify the Left and what exactly it is being criticised…In fact it makes no reference to any anti- anti-imperialist analysis, i was obliged to read that in between the lines. Making an argument that the Left are acting equates to appeasement like Munich simply isn't valid , imo, as is the Postius Pilate washing my hands description. I did not refer to this statement as islamophobic…i simply stated we as a party have not made an official pronouncement on political islamism (which i don't disagree with you about it) but that the campaign against it has created a political atmosphere where all muslims are being tarred with the same brush, and overlaps with the supposed security risk with immigration, taking in political refugees and as you raised on another issue…imams being barred from political advice on how to vote when it was perfectly acceptable in the past for priests to intervene in elections. …….Its not new …but it ihas been gradually building up and the fact that one report by a Jewish organisation gains more coverage than the the day in day out anti-muslim attacks …or that a minor passing remark by some "brown-skinned" occupants in a car to army cadets get front page coverage…or that planned terrorist attacks against mosques are not considered terrorism …An atmosphere of hatred is being built and i notice it targetted very often on one particular religion…and on another thread i gave an example that merely ordering an halal meal on a plane, is now legally notified to the authorities. The fact this weekend Prince Charles is seen given sympathy to the Christian refugees as if they are the only religious minority being singled by Al Qada/ISIS for special treatment …i could go on …Islamophobia is prejudice and i don't think anybody denies it….and we may debate it is growing but we can't deny it is widespread already….EDL, Perdiga are only outward expressions …..and the politicians and media feed it …Merkel might be criticised on many issues but she certainly been more outspoken against it than Cameron.
The people who signed the open letter are secularists and some openly declared ex-muslims. The point they are making is the same one that George Orwell made with regard to the Leftwing intellectuals of his day who were soft on Russia. They are criticising today's Leftwing intellectuals who are soft on Islamism whereas it, too, is reactionary and anti-working-class. I would have though that that's a point of view we can sympathise with instead of going along with the view that to criticise Islam is to be "Islamophobic". it's not, any more than to criticise Israel is to be anti-semitic.
I hardly see the need for secularists to make use of Christian imagery as in its Pontius Pilate analogy""You seem unable to identify this movement in political terms."And i said the exact same about the letter….it is an open letter to the Left and Far Left it is called but even so it can recognise that " activists from our left movements (not those from the right) are being decimated"…and again "It targets ordinary people and the left at large" so who are those is it aimed at…are we supposed to guess…And i think it is more to the point when it rightly says "a far-right movement that masquarades as a religious one"…and it fails to even name them…Does the non-homogeneous Muslim Brotherhood equate with ISIS? Boko-Haram?…When it comes to statistics what is always ignored that it is by far muslims being slaughtered by the Islamists. And when did i last hear of the Lords Resistance Army being offered as an example of christianity terror? It is rare to see a mention of the Serbian Orthodox Church role in the massacres of Bosnian muslims. Or Catholic Church priests in Rwanda slaughters. Criticism of religion and specific religions is very valid…only if it is done across the board as is necessary to offer a materialist explanation of it… ….Catholicism for instance can be singled out as anti-woman, (and Ireland as a theocratic state for much of its existence)…judaism, too regarding many jewish customs…Hinduism…Inhuman executions?…just look at the botched bible-belt executions in the US…Suppression of human rights …several countries in Africa offering religious justifications for continuing the criminalisation of homosexuality and wanting the death sentence for it…Both Freedland and Galloway actually agreed, there should be no league table or hierarchy of victims. I agreed with the sentiments of the open letter, as i said, but i would not have signed it the way it is phrased….my original criticism still stands…its a bad letter with dubious text.i said the analogy with Munich was badly chosen…and i'll add the Spanish Civil War reference , too, doesn't add to its clarity …both you and i were obliged to read between its lines…
alanjjohnstone wrote:.When it comes to statistics what is always ignored that it is by far muslims being slaughtered by the Islamists.But that's one of the points the open letter is trying to make to the "Islamistophile" Left ! Look at the people who signed it — secularists, feminists, ex-muslims — they are on the side of the angels (sorry to employ christian imagery). I've just got my doubts about the one who signs himself "Marxist-Leninist".
"it's not, any more than to criticise Israel is to be anti-semitic."You are, of course, right here since the well publicised CST statistics of anti-semitic attacks on Jews do not include those committed by pro-Israeli British Jews against other Jews who happen to be critics of Israel, such as this one. But i would consider the deliberate suppression of such details to be anti-semitic in the sense of it purposefully trying to present an image of one agreed position of Jewish support for Israel and refusing to acknowledge other Jewish political positions contrary to the majority one. It stereotypes and creates a caricature of Jewish people. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/watch-arsonists-torched-car-salford-7808421
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31246808 1.A government fund to be set up to cover the costs of security at synagogues2.Fresh research on identifying and explaining anti-Semitic language3. Guidance for teachers on how to handle the Middle East conflict in the classroomDare i say what the Daily Express would say if Muslims asked for those demands. We can see the underlying motive for 2…to include anti-zionist and anti-Israel language to be classed as anti-semitic . In 3 , well just who is going to define the guidelines…i'm sure Hamas and Hezbullah input won't be on the cards, quite rightly, but i am sure the MPs Friends of Israel will influence it. I suppose with 1 the reason can be justified that there is less synagogues to protect. But even in the country i live…two Jewish potential targets i have seen have government protection , one an actual police box at the entrance. But surely the figures for attacks or threatened attacks mean mosques deserve protection…And why
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