The Myths of the Anti-War Movement

Monday 22 July sees a public meeting in London entitled "Islamophobia - The New Racism" by Media Workers Against the War (details below).

I believe the meeting is misguided, and the politics behind it crass and opportunistic. Here's why.

Firstly because crying "Islamophobia" daily and saying the US invaded Iraq as part of a "war against Muslims" has been an absolute disaster for the UK anti-war movement. It is dishonest, and aimed at recruiting support from one particular community at the price of lying to the others.

The American strategy is about oil, not religion, and as writers like Nafeez Ahmed point out it is the drive for oil that will continue to motivate future wars, not the perceived Anglo- American opposition to Islam. As we saw recently with the Saudi corruption scandal, we have a Prime Minister who will even rip up tenets of British law in order not to offend the rulers of the richest Muslim nation. A strange "Islamophobe".

Secondly we used to have an anti-racist movement in the UK that brought together people of all races and creeds. As Peter Tatchell argues, the rise of the "Islamist" politics in the UK has served to marginalise and divide that movement. Look at some of the idiots on anti-war marches calling for Israel to be bombed to see what I mean. How can you build a united anti-racist movement when violence against one country, or one racial group, is seen as acceptable?

Thirdly when it comes to racism black people are still far more likely to get the shit end of the stick from the British police than Asians, and when it comes to racist attacks, Jews actually suffer more in Britain than Muslims (See for e.g. the figures Greater Manchester Police published just before Christmas)

I suspect meetings like this one are far more motivated by the desire of certain political groups to milk the Muslim community as voting and demonstration fodder than a desire to tackle racism per se.

Fourthly I am Islamaphobic. I am scared of Islam, just as I am scared of all religions. I happen to fear the "religion of peace" (sic) a little bit more than all the others because I know, as a class struggle anarchist, that if I lived in most of the Muslim nations in the world I would either be dead or in prison by now. Indeed how many Muslim countries would tolerate an internet blog like this?

ISLAMOPHOBIA - THE NEW RACISM
Speakers:
GARY YOUNGE (Guardian)
URMEE MAZHAR (Bangla TV)
LOUISE CHRISTIAN (Lawyer for Guantanamo detainees)
CRAIG MURRAY (Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan)
CHRIS NINEHAM (Stop the War Coalition)

DATE & TIME: Monday 22 January, 7.30pm
VENUE: Bloomsbury Central Church Hall, 235 Shaftesbury Ave WC2H 8EP

Comments

[Duncan Money]

Good post Paul, didn't know Jews suffered more attacks that Muslims still.

My other problem with the embrace of Islamist groups by some in the anti-war and anti-racist movements is that it promotes anti-Semitism and nutcase conspiracy theories of the stupidest kind.

I remember last year going on an counter-NF march in Newcastle and seeing a woman marching with us holding placard saying 'Stop Israel controlling America'.

Me and my mate we were like 'Excuse me love, are sure you're on the right march here?' but nobody was challenging her, and this on a march of supposed anti-racists.

[Paul Ingham]

Your probably not going to like this but I'm 95% in agreement with you. Concern about the threat from Islamism aka Islamo-fascism is not racist. Those on the left such as RUC who are in bed with "moderate" Islamists such as MAB are as self deluding as those conservatives and nationalists who thought they could "control" Hitler in the 1930's.

We can talk about the Islamist threat to Women, Gays, liberal democracy. But those most at risk are ordinary muslims trying to get on with their lives. They face intimidation, physical violence and explotation by these political gangsters. It is a pity that anti-fascist groups don't give them the same priority as BNP, NF etc.

I live in Tower Hamlets so I am in the "front line" with regards these issues. I've noted the growing frustration of certain anti-fascist activists such as Terry Fitzpatrick with the race relations establishment. An anti-Islamist coalition would take in a different set of partners to those engaged against "racial Fascists".

[Larry O'Hara]

Terry Fitzpatrick? The same one who has openly boasted about surveilling my Tower Hamlets address, and whose Searchlight scum associates have tried to incite others to 'take me out'? Hardly a bona-fide anti-fascist, more a low-grade secret state slug.