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Members,

I am very dissappointed with the ignorant manner in which the below message
was written by a non-muslim who is a know-all about how it is to be a Muslim
(fundamentalist!). Lumping all muslims together is a grave error of
judgement, which fails to recognise the diversity within the Muslim
population.

Before I unsubscribe in protest, I would urge you to get out of your small
worlds and see how transfer of wealth in the world pushes people to the
margins. I will not read any more messages from this group.

Thanks for your moment.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Karl Carlile" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 6:44 PM
Subject: Muslim fundamentalism


> Many Muslims have been declaring that all Muslims must obey the
declaration of
> a  holy war by the Taliban mullahs.
> This view that emanates from many Muslims flies in the face of the facts.
> Muslims have over the years violently attacked each other. In Afghanistan
the
> Northern Alliance consists of Muslims. Yet they have been engaged in
combat with
> the Muslim Taliban. The current Musharrif military dictatorship in
Pakistan
> violently ousted a democratically elected leader of Pakistan. Saddam
Hussein,
> leader of Iraq, has imprisoned and killed many a Muslim. The Iranian
theocracy
> has been responsible for the deaths of many a Muslim. The last King of
Jordan
> engaged in a massive attack on the Black September in Jordan. The Syrian
regime
> have been responsible for similar killings.
> The degree to which Muslims internationally will obey the declaration of a
holy
> war  is questionable. Fundamentalism is not as strong as it is often
portrayed.
> It can suit both sides to engage in  hyperbole to promote the particular
> political interests that each respectively represent. The Taliban is a
> reactionary regime that is bitterly hostile to communism. The entire
programme
> of the Taliban is the active hindering of the economic and political
development
> of Afghanistan.
> In any anti imperialist war movement we cannot take either the side of the
US
> led imperialist coalition nor the Muslim organisations or states that may
be
> subject to attack from this reactionary coalition. We must mount a popular
> attack on this prospective imperialist war on the basis of an attack on
the
> capitalist state. Such a movement must challenge the very existence of
> capitalism and the forces that support it such as the Taliban, the Iranian
state
> and, above all, the imperialist states. Indeed Muslim fundamentalism is
> capitalism's saviour. Its ideological and political function is designed
to
> prevent the masses from turning towards communism. In Iran where a
revolutionary
> situation emerged the Muslim movement led by Khomeni was the form assumed
by the
> counter revolution. It prevented the Iranian working class from deepening
the
> revolutionary process and thereby challenging capitalism. The
Afghanistanian
> mujahideen was sustained by imperialism through the CIA and the Pakistani
state
> in the struggle to preserve and develop the class interests of imperialist
> capital.
> Islamic fundamentalism is not as strong as it has been presented even by
its
> apparent enemies. There has been much hyperbole in this regard. If it
posed a
> threat to the stability and development of capitalism it would not be
compelled
> to resort to terrorism. The current condition of the Palestinians is
irrefutable
> evidence as to the weakness of Islamic fundamentalism. Islamic
fundamentalism in
> the Middle East has shown its complete political bankruptcy. Instead of
the
> situation improving as a result of its growing influence the situation has
been
> deteriorating. This is because its strategy is incapable of solving the
problems
> of the Palestinian masses. Its sectarianism has generated division and
further
> polarised Jew from Arab. The problems of the Palestinian masses can be
only
> solved when Jewish and Arab worker join hands against Middle East
capitalism and
> its states --the Israeli, Jordanian, Syrian and Egyptian states. There is
no
> essential difference between the Israeli  and Jordanian state. All such
states
> ultimately exist to perpetuate the class interests of imperialist capital.
All
> must be abolished.  An attack on the Middle East capitalist states is an
attack
> on imperialist capitalism.
> Muslim fundamentalism, and Islam in general, is a sectarian religious
ideology
> and even political philosophy and practice. It essentially promotes the
class
> interests of imperialism. Muslim and Christian fundamentalism are
particularly
> sectarian. Muslim fundamentalism has been effectively promoting
polarization
> between Eastern and Western workers at a time when the globalisation of
the
> working class into a unified political reality is an urgent necessity.
While
> attacking racism it sustains racism a multiplicity of ways because it is
> inherently racist.
> The conflict now developing between  US state and Islam fundamentalism has
its
> source in the needs of US imperialism. US imperialism to survive must
> relentlessly  extend and deepen its influence economically, politically
and
> ideologically. The developing global economic crisis is testimony to this.
> Consequently it must engage in specific geopolitical actions in pursuance
of
> this aim. It cannot tolerate relatively autonomous, albeit contradictory,
forces
> that hinder it in its desperate effort to extend and deepen its influence.
> Muslim fundamentalism is, largely speaking, one such force. Its
destabilising
> character in the current situation  outweighs its benefits for
imperialism. It
> is a destabilising force in Asia and the Middle East. Regimes that
American
> imperialism has needed are threatened with destabilisation and even
collapse by
> Muslim fundamentalism. Iran is a classic example where Muslim
fundamentalism led
> to the collapse of an actively pro-imperialist regime that was the
lynchpin of
> US geo political regional strategy.
> However imperialism is a contradictory force which means that it engages
in
> policies and actions that lead to its own undermining. Although the
function of
> Muslim fundamentalism, as a counter revolutionary force,  is the
prevention of
> the development of the working class into a communist working class it is
these
> unique characteristics that, in the immediate sense, obstruct imperialist
> expansion. Consequently imperialism's relationship to fundamentalism has a
> contradictory character. It uses it  in pursuance of its class interests
while
> simultaneously undermining it. In the same way Muslim fundamentalism is
> contradictory. While actively sustained by imperialism it at the same time
> attacks imperialism its very source of nourishment. Bin Laden personifies
this
> contradictory relation. While sustained by the CIA in his struggle in
> Afghanistan he turns his guns on it.
> In many ways Muslim fundamentalism is similar to Stalinism.  Stalinism is
a
> counter revolutionary force that prevents the existence of communism.
> Consequently it serves imperialism's interests. Yet to maintain its unique
role
> as a counter revolutionary form it has acted, at the same time, in a way
that
> obstructs imperialism. This generates conflict between the two forces. The
Cold
> War was just such a conflict.
> Muslim fundamentalism is a religious and political ideology and practice
that is
> petty bourgeois. It serves the class interests of small capital. It is
this that
> makes it reactionary. However the very fact that it serves the interests
of
> small capital in the context of increasing capitalist globalisation is
what
> lends it  its acutely anachronistic image in the eyes of the Western
working
> class. However it is its specific class character that gives it its appeal
to
> the masses that exist outside of western capitalist society. Its
representation
> of the interests of small capital means that it expresses a hostility to
big
> capital. And what bigger capital than US imperialist capital --the Great
Satan.
> It is this hostility by small capital against big capital that gives its
> anti-imperialist appearance. It is this anti-imperialist appearance that
lends
> its anti-oppressive appearance. Consequently the Muslim masses identify
with it.
> Despite its anti-imperialist appearance it ultimately serves imperialism
class
> interests --essentially it cannot exist independently of global
capitalism.
> Muslim fundamentalism is a politics of the image. This is why it presents
itself
> as quixotic pageantry -- religious rhetoric, images, long beards etc. This
form
> of politics assumes a religious form because it is a politics of
appearance. And
> what more suitable a form for such a contradictory politics than its
disguising
> itself in religious --the class image system.
> Given the political character of Muslim fundamentalism there is no
possibility
> that it can successfully resist the enormous power of capitalist
imperialism
> bearing down on it in the  form of this Washington led coalition of
"Infinite
> Justice".  Only the modern working class can effectively challenge the
might of
> the imperialist bourgeoisie.
>
> Note: Forgive the unpolished character of this posting since it was
written in a
> hasty manner because of the pressure of time and the fast pace of
developments.
>
> Regards
> Karl Carlile(Global Communist Group)
> Be free to join our communism mailing list
> at http://homepage.eircom.net/~kampf/
>