RE: [Marxism] Re: The hijab controversy

["Richard Fidler" <rfidler@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Flewers writes>>Socialists should combine the defence of the right of a 
Muslim woman
to wear a veil (or a Jewish man to wear a yarmulke, or a Christian to wear a 
cross), if
that person wishes, with a firm commitment to a secular society, that religion 
is a
private matter, and that education is secular. This involves the abolition of 
religious
schools and their resources being brought into the state educational system.<<

To which José Pérez replies, with his usual hyperbole:

>>This is an utterly undemocratic and *outrageously* anti Marxist position, 
>>drawn from
exactly the same French bourgeois anticlericalist traditions that are being 
used to
justify the ban on the veil. <<

Comment:
Excuse me? The quotation from Marx's critique of the Gotha Program that José 
cites says,
inter alia:

"Government and church should rather be equally excluded from any influence on 
the
school."

How does that differ from what Paul Flewers said, and said very well, IMHO?

RF


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