It is clear that Mustafa is unable to defend his own politics since he makes no
attempt to present a counter argument to the one made by me.

There is too much of this Muslim/non Muslim dichotomy. Mustafa talks as if the way in
which the Muslim is to be treated must be special and unique. It is as if the term
Muslim carrys some kind of special unique characteristics in contrast to christianity
that I am obliged to pay reverence to. I am not a Muslim nor a Christian. I am a
communist. I have every right to make criticisms of the muslim religion. I can even
make fun of that religion if I so wish after all I dont believe in it and much of it
is makes for daftness. I am under no obligation to pander to reactionary religions
whether they are Muslim or christian or hindu. When it gets down to it they are all
the same -reactionary ideologies designed to prop up capitalism  --and sometimes its
worst aspects.

So god bless the virgin mary allah and mickey mouse.

Regards
Karl Carlile
Be free to join our communism mailing list
at http://homepage.eircom.net/~kampf/


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/
>