Re: [Marxism] Secular Chauvinism (was How to answer these questions?)

[Einde O'Callaghan <einde@xxxxxx>]

Louis R Godena schrieb:
> > My claim is, instead, that there exists secular chauvinism, a common
> > vice among Western leftists, which makes them assume that secular
> > nationalism and secular socialism of any variety is better than Islam
> > of any variety in any respect.  That assumption is contradicted by
> > historical evidence, when it comes to treatment of ethnic and
> > religious minorities, for instance.
>
>
> On the whole, the more advanced a society, the more secular its 
> character. Ancient, malevolent superstitions like Islam (and to some 
> extent the "western" religions) are the response of people afraid of the 
> future.  I mean, how can one respect a civilization that sends its 
> members by the hundreds of thousands to the roof-tops to shout "God is 
> Great!"? 

The defiance of the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who went onto 
their rooftops shouting "Allahu akbar!" during the Iranian revolution 
was a vedry powerfulo sign that the Shah had lost control. Since at the 
beginning none of these people really knew if their neighbours would 
dare to do so too, I think they deserve youre respect.

We shouldn't forget that the Russion revolution of 1905 started with a 
demonstration of tens of thousands marchivn behind religious icons and 
addressing an appeal to the "Little Father" with the Bolsheviks making 
up a relatively insignificant part with a couple of banners in the midst 
of the essentially religious mainfestation.

This isn't to say that the two events were directly comparable, since in 
Russia the Orthodox church was the state religion whereas in Iran the 
Shhites were in opposition to the Shah.

>  And, I would think that (again, on the whole) it was people 
> like the Communists who were most conscientious of the rights of 
> minorities.
I depends on who you define as Communists - the chauvinism of the 
Czechoslovak Stalinist leaders against the Sudenten Germans makes pretty 
sick reading. Ironically Gottwald, the leader of the party, was himself 
of German ethnic origin, as his name clearly reveals.

Also the anti-semitism (in the sense of promoting anti-Jewish 
sentiments) used by the Polish stalinists in their propaganda against 
the student movement in the late 1960s (under the guise of anti-Zionism) 
 also makes pretty sick reading.

And the Stalinist deportations of whole people's (Crimean Tartars, 
Chechens, Volga Germans etc.) during the Second World War doesn't 
exactly show great respect for the rights of ethnic minorities.

Einde O'Callaghan

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