OPEN LETTER TO THE LEFT AND FAR LEFT

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 representing 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 masquerades 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 remind 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?

Initial Signatories:
(To sign on to Marieme Helie Lucas’ letter email her at: mahl@wanadoo.fr. Signatories will be updated on SIAWI website.)

Marieme Helie Lucas, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue
Maryam Namazie, Iranian-born Political Activist
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 Peace