[Peace-discuss] the attack on Charlie Hebdo

[David Johnson via Peace-discuss]

A posting on a list-serve I am on that I thought you might find interesting.

 

David J.

 

 

 

" I agree with the condemnation of both the racist imagery of Islam as well
as of all religious fundamentalism, Islamic and otherwise. It also seems to
me that we can't make sense of this situation without some review of
history. Why did these brothers who apparently were responsible for the
attack on Charlie Hebdo turn to Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism as a
means of expressing their anger against Western imperialism's interventions
in the predominantly Islamic world? 

 

First there was the increased role of these reactionary forces - especially
al Qaeda - in Afghanistan, mainly through the support of the CIA and their
counterparts in Pakistan, in the struggle against the Soviet Union's role in
Afghanistan. 

 

Islamic fundamentalism also got a huge boost with the rise of Khomeini to
power in the late '70s. That occurred through the triumph of
counter-revolution in a revolutionary situation, following the fall of the
Shah. That counter-revolution involved a classic case of the role of
Stalinism, through the Tudeh Party.

 

At the same time, we saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the decline of
an independent role of the working class.

 

I remember when I was in Egypt getting lectured by a guy who was clearly
some sort of fundamentalist about how the United States government "hates"
muslims. When I replied by outlining all the crimes of the US government
against non-Muslims (Native Americans, African people, Latin Americans,
Vietnamese, etc. as well as workers in the USA), and that it had nothing to
do with hating Muslims per se, this guy was caught up short. At the end of
the conversation, he commented that I had "entered into his head." (I was
later told that that means more or less that I'd made a serious impression
on him.) 

 

But on a wider scale, who is there to put this sort of perspective forward?
Does the "representatives" of the US working class - the labor leaders?
Don't make me laugh.

 

The other point is this: Racist bullies like those who drew those cartoons
for Charlie Hebdo and reactionary Islamic fundamentalist terrorists actually
rely on each other. They would find it much more difficult to exist if the
other side didn't."

 

John

 

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