WHO PUT THE MENTAL IN FUNDAMENTAL?

 

The British state and its political representatives have always been willing to work with Islamic Fundamentalists if it suits their objectives.

Thatcher cut funding to local government to support Afghan Fundamentalists – who were rebranded as Rebels for the British Market.

Cartoon from Tony Hall. More of his work can be viewed at:- https://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/6328-tony-hall-booklet-2020.pdf

Then as Fundamentalism gained a grip here then Labour politicians such as Ken Livingstone were happy to ignore what was going on within the Asian community and even speaking alongside Antisemites calling for the death of Jews.

By 1996 the Colin Roach Centre in Hackney had developed links right across London and the RPM magazine was a popular read with each edition selling over 1,500 copies. Here is an article from the magazine and which is followed by another article on similar lines that was written nine years on in 2005.

The failure to take up these issues by ‘the left’ has been a disaster.

WHO PUT THE MENTAL IN FUNDAMENTAL?

The rise of ‘Clerico-Fascism’ in the South Asian Community.

Colin Roach Centre RPM magazine number 2 in the Summer 1996

By Indranil Ray

The names of Hizb-ut-tahrir, Al Muhajiroun, the BLP, the RSS, Shiv Sena and the Sikh-Youtir Federation are becoming increasingly prominent in British political life. They represent different strands of Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh fundamentalism which seeks to divide Asian communities on the basis of religion and are increasingly splintering opposition to ‘white racism.’ They can all be defined as theocratic ideologies which believe that all other religions must be outlawed and its followers either forcibly ‘converted’ or, in the final analysis, eliminated.

There is a political war taking place between the ideas of communism and the ideas of secularism. At present the followers of ‘Clerico-fascism’ are organised and vociferous – its opponents are not. With a few laudable exceptions such as the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain), organisations working in the Asian communities have been noticeable by their silence of the activities of the groups mentioned above, as have mainstream politicians.

At the height of the inter-communal conflict in India 4 years ago there were also violent incidents in Britian, including London. Working at the time for Camden Racial Equality Council, I decided that it was essential that we respond politically. Urgent meetings were held, local organisations were mailed, and press releases were issued. As part of the response I contacted an East London monitoring organisation to find out what their response was, their reply was stunning – “We are keeping our head down on this one.”

In some London boroughs fundamentalist organisations receive covert (and occasionally overt) support from religious and national centres. Temples, mosques and gurudwaras offer resource and meeting space. Some even invite them as guest speakers – witness Advani, the BJP (Hindu fundamentalism) leader from India speaking at the opening of the Hindu temple in Neasden. Some Indian and Pakistani community centres do likewise.

As recently as this year, while working for Brent Racial Equality Council, I advised Ken Livingstone, MP, that he was being conned into speaking at a ‘front’ meeting for Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Willesden. “Red Ken@ ignored my advice (along with pages of relevant documentation) and proceeded to speak on a platform with Omar Bakri (HUT/Al Muhajiroun), a man who openly calls for the “killing of Jews.” One can only summarise that his decision may have been determined by electoral considerations, rather silly when the vast majority of local Muslims despise the politics of HUT.

Civil Liberties groups and politicians have campaigned for fanatics like Masari (fundamentalist Saudi Arabian opposition leader) and Chohal (Khalistani leader); the Anti Racist Alliance invites Bakri and the Siddiqui (Muslim Parliament) to speak at its rally opposing the Asylum and Immigration Bill.  What is going on? Don’t they realise that fascism can have different faces with different traditions? Let’s be clear the fascism can be based on religion as well as race and class. Let’s be clear that the ‘Final Solution’ of Clerico-fascism is the persecution, slaughter and genocide of racial and religious minorities, the elimination of Communists, Socialists and Anarchists, the total oppression of women – witness the Taliban in Afghanistan, which has banned women from working and introduced summary execution for religious-based offences.

Local organisations (black and white) and politicians are mistakenly terrified of alienating potential supporters and voters. It is time they realised, not least those from the Asian communities, that ‘Clerico-Fascism’ will not go away by ignoring it or colluding with it. For all anti-fascists in Britain ideological and physical opposition to fascism must include ideological and physical opposition to a form of fascism that affects all of us.

 

Who put the mental in fundamental?  Imperialism ?

 

The struggle between Imperialism and Clerico fascism

 

By Ghana, a secular communist in an article dated August 5^th 2005.

 

Before the degeneration of Soviet socialism: Lets take a step back in time to the 1980s [1] when the global struggle was between the forces of reaction, imperialism, and the forces of progress, socialism. Afghanistan had the first progressive government in its history that was bringing education, health, and social progress, including the emancipation of women, to all its people.

 

The forces of reaction including the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] and the Pakistan Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] agency are engaged in actively supporting the forces of clerico fascism in Afghanistan, soon to result in the world’s most barbaric theocracy under the Taliban. Osama Bin Laden is hailed as a freedom fighter and given technical and military support after the Soviet Union has been asked by the Afghan government to come to its assistance because of Imperialist aggression. The Taliban and al Qaeda are conceived by Wahabi Saudi Islamic feudalism, born in the arms of a Pakistani military dictatorship, and given sustenance by US led Western Imperialism.

 

After the fall of the Afghan government we see the emergence of Taliban rule with the support of al Qaeda. The West initially is not unhappy. It feels its economic, political and military interests in the region will be progressed.

 

The rest is recent history: The invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11 gives the US the pretext to secure decades of oil and a strategic presence. The Taliban is toppled. Al Qaeda is severely injured but not fatally. Indeed globally support for the amorphous al Qaeda increases. From Afghanistan they disappear only to re-emerge fomenting terrorism in Kashmir and Chechnya.

 

The West wants a permanent military presence in the region. The invasion of oil rich Iraq results in an Iraqi based al Qaeda for the first time. Recruits are flooding across the borders to Iraq. The genie is now most definitely out of the bottle. The pandora’s box of fundamentalism has been opened and shows little sign of closing.

 

Those of us that warned about the consequences of Imperialist intervention and the consequent growth of Islamic fundamentalism have been proven correct. Al Qaeda, which has never been an organisation in the traditional sense of the word now has an ever increasing loose coalition of terrorist cells worldwide intent on the creation of the ‘Caliphate’ or the ‘Khilafah’.

 

Inaction and collusion in the United Kingdom:  Over the past decade we have seen the growth of Islamic fundamentalist organisations and ideas on our doorstep. Groups like Hizb-ut-tahrir [HUT] and Al Muhajiroun have openly called for the killing of Jews, Hindus and homosexuals; and violence against women. Anti Semitism has often been cloaked in the rhetoric of Anti Zionism. Over the period decisions not to prosecute have been based on ‘political’ rather than legal or moral consideration.

 

 Flirting with fundamentalism has become commonplace: Nationally the only organisation which has been willing to challenge and confront fundamentalism  consistently has been the Indian Workers Association (GB), primarily because of its communist secular tradition. In addition the London based Friends of Afghanistan and the Afro Asian Peoples Solidarity Organisation have also maintained principled opposition to the forces of Islamism because of its progressive secular leadership. Over the decade most of the organisations in the Asian and Black communities have been noticeable by their silence on the activities of fundamentalists, whether Muslim, Hindu or Sikh. The activities of the Nation of Islam, Shiv Sena and the Sikh Youth Federation have largely been met with a deafening silence.

 

There have been double standards on the issue of Zionism and Palestine. Many Zionists have been happy to condemn Islamic fundamentalist groups while tacitly condoning the protracted genocide against the Palestinians. Islamists condemn Israeli genocide while supporting Islamist theocracy everywhere on the planet.

 

Some of my own personal memories of collusion in the not too distant past highlight what I am talking about:- 

 

·                     At the height of the inter communal conflict in India in the 1992 after the Ayodhya temple incident which led to the worst religious riots in decades and the killing of at least 3000 mainly Indian Muslims, there were also violent incidents in Britain. As a member of a London voluntary sector organisation at the time it was decided that we should respond politically. Urgent meetings were held, local organisations were called and mailed, and press releases were issued. I personally contacted an East London monitoring organisation whose response was stunning – ‘We’re keeping our heads down on this one’.

·                     Working for a different London community organisation in the mid 1990’s I advised the present Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) that he was being conned into speaking at a ‘front’ meeting for HUT. He rejected my advice and supporting documentation and proceeded to speak on the same platform as Omar Bakri Mohammed who was the leader of HUT (later leader of Al Muhajiroun). Bakri had already called the Holocaust ‘a fabrication’. HUT had already regularly called for the killing of Jews and homosexuals and the beating of women. Decisions in the past not to prosecute have been based on political rather than legal or moral considerations.

·                     Around the same time as the above Civil Liberties groups and politicians were campaigning for fanatics like Masari (Saudi fundamentalist), the Anti Racist Alliance invited Bakri to speak at a rally on the Asylum and Immigration Bill.

·                     Collusion was not limited to Islamic fundamentalist groups. Similar succour was given to Hindu and Sikh fundamentalists. Advani, the BJP Hindu fundamentalist leader, recently charged with offences relating to the massacre of Muslims in 1992, was guest speaker with Michael Howard, then Home Secretary, at the opening of the Hindu Temple in Neasden. Chohal (Sikh fundamendalist leader) was also supported by civil liberties campaigners and politicians.

 

Undoubtedly there was the simple European (including the most of the left) ignorance of the issues around Communalism, Fundamentalism and Clerico Fascism. Europeans were, and still largely are largely ill educated when it comes to this issue. If they were not ignorant they either didn’t have the balls to confront this phenomenon and/or they were petrified at being labelled racist in some way because most of the fundamentalists were ‘people of colour’.  Didn’t they realise that fascism (not in the classical Marxist definition of the term) can have different faces and traditions. Let’s be clear that fascism can be based on religion as well as race and class. The ‘Final Solution’ of Clerico Fascism is the persecution, slaughter and genocide of racial and religious minorities, the elimination of liberals, socialists and communists, and the total oppression of women. In this country politicians by and large have looked to short term electoral considerations first without any real longer term view of Clerico Fascism.

 

The Muslim Communities: If we just look at the development of Islamic fundamentalism in this country we need to look at the role of many Mosques and Islamic centres in turning a blind eye to the activities of fundamentalists whether leafleting or publicising meetings and other activities. There has been a lack of political will at best in confronting this cancer, leaving many of their young people vulnerable to these predators. Children have been sent back to Pakistan for ‘education’ in Madrassas. Many Madrassas, as now acknowledged by even the Pakistani military dictatorship, have been turning impressionable young men into fanatics, ready to terrorise from Kashmir to Kennington. In addition, how many young men have been Talibanised by their visits to Afghanistan? 

 

Since the bombings in London we have seen Blair meet with Muslim ‘leaders’, the same Muslim leaders who have dismally failed to provide any leadership against fundamentalism and are totally disconnected and alienated from their young people. Many of these characters have historically been involved in the divisive, sectarian politics of religion. This was a totally cosmetic exercise.

 

Education: The government continues to approve the dramatic increase in religion-based schools. What sort of message is this sending out? Instead of pandering to religious bigotry and the fact that Jews and Christians already had state funded schools, by approving Muslim, Sikh and Hindu Schools, the response should have been to send a clear message out by ceasing state assistance to all religion based schools. We are looking at the development of the new Madrassas and religious apartheid. This will be a particularly pernicious development in areas where housing apartheid has already ghettoised different communities. This is playing into the hands of the far right and state racism.

 

Perhaps this is motivated by Blair’s Catholic beliefs [2], as evidenced by his wholly inappropriate appointment of Ruth Kelly a Catholic fundamentalist as Education Secretary. The issue of Christian fundamentalism in secularist clothing is perhaps an issue for another day and a discussion on ‘Bush, Blair and Berlusconi and the clash of civilisations’.

 

You reap what you sow. Imperialism sowed the seeds of the multi headed amorphous hydra al Qaeda with their support for Bin Laden against the only progressive government in Afghanistan’s history. Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan again now are acting as recruiting agents for Al Qaeda. I’m sure many of us on the secular left would like to stand on the sidelines and watch Imperialism and Fundamentalism attempt to destroy each other. The British state will become increasingly oppressive. There will be more innocent victims; of the fundamentalists and the state. Unfortunately we are now caught in the crossfire. We have to take stand against both.      

 

1. The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan [PDPA] in December 1978 signed a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union leading to support from the USSR. Resistance to the USSR was led by the Mujahadeen; with massive financial, military and political support from the USA and to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom. [see article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Afghanistan] and [The Anglo-American support apparatus behind the Afghan Mujahideen at http://www.juancole.com/2005/08/fisking-war-on-terror-once-upon-time.html and http://farmrunoff.blogspot.com/2005/08/afghanistan-spectral-apparitions.html ] A ten year ended in February 1989 with a victory for the Mujahadeen and its western backed supporters.
2. Although Blair regularly attends Catholic Mass with his wife Cherie and their four children, all of whom are Catholics, it is worth pointing out that Blair remains an Anglican.