The many faces of terrorism
May 4, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Editors’ Note:
The following leaflet by the Communist Party of Iran (MLM) was distributed as part of overall efforts to promote a revolutionary communist perspective and fight for Bob Avakian’s new synthesis of communism during the recent World Social Forum held in Tunisia.
The terrorist attacks attributed to the “Islamic State” at the National Bardo Museum in Tunisia that resulted in killing many foreign tourists on Wednesday March 18 has disturbed the people of Tunisia (and the world over). This once again has put the spotlight on “terrorism” in the minds of the people of the world. The imperialist media and particularly the French media (France has dominated Tunisia for many years and is today’s guardian of the ruling class there) have unleashed a political and ideological campaign primarily to drive the angry and confused Tunisian masses under their own wing. These imperialists are trying to take ultimate advantage of a situation that has been created by the action of reactionary and criminal Islamist forces: to manipulate the people of the world to accept the ultimate lie that either people have to choose between the reactionary, outmoded and ignorant sword of Islamist rule or seek refuge under the flag of capital, military and security forces of imperialism. At the same time, these imperialist forces are trying to establish another point, which is to portray the current Tunisian state as a great “Alternative” in the revolting and unstable sea of Arabic-speaking countries of North Africa and the Middle East. And whomever does not align with them is being labeled as a justifier or pro-terrorism.
In this situation, a significant portion of the opposition forces (whether liberal or radical), grassroots organizations or trade unions, progressive and secular intellectuals and artists who, at the blossoming of “the Arab Spring” had reconciled with the concept of “Revolution” and were saying it without any fear or hesitation now are being pulled towards the official institutions of “formal democracy” and the established order with its security. Thus, the real nature of the exploitative and oppressive forces governing the destiny of the people is hidden (and forgotten) under the dust created by the recent crimes of reactionary Islamist forces.
Do not fool yourself! See the realities of the world as they really are! Crimes and assassinations, inequality and injustice, dislocations and instability, crisis and divisions and anti-Communist, anti-revolution brainwashing, while they spread and strengthen ignorance and superstitions through their media are all rooted in and caused by the fundamental contradictions of the capitalist-imperialist world. The real contention and confrontation between the Islamist Jihadists and Western (imperialist) powers and non-religious regimes of the region is based on the sharpening of these contradictions and deepening economic, political and ideological crisis.
We must look at reality the way it is.
The collusion and contradictions between the imperialist and reactionary powers on the world scale find their reflection in the objectives and actions of the different branches of Islamist fundamentalists. You can trace the money, weapons, media and plans of reactionary anti-people states such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Gulf kingdoms and the Western and Eastern imperialist citadels in the movements of these fundamentalists.
Names such as the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Daesh (ISIS), Boko Haram, Al Shabab, or other unknown criminal Iraqi Shiite or new Nazi groups or armed criminal Christian groups or other fundamentalist forces are the nuts and bolts of the machinery of world capital and profit. The illusions and thinking of their soldiers or what social grouping they are part of is not the key. They are assisting the international bourgeoisie in this crisis ridden situation. Their existence and their activities are the justification for the vicious political, social suppression, and the savage attack of capital on the livelihood of the proletarians and other masses of different countries....
Terrorism has many faces.... Terrorism is not just shockingly killing tourists in the halls of a museum. It is not just killing the editorial staff of a magazine.... Constructing Guantánamo or torturing in Abu-Ghraib is also terrorizing and horrifying people of the world. The bombing of villages in Afghanistan and Pakistan by US drones is also bullying and terrorizing. The Israeli siege of Gaza and starving the Palestinian people is Terror. The austerity measures imposed on masses of people of different countries that have resulted in unemployment, homelessness, hunger and more is terrorism. Production and reproduction of the pornography “industry” and the maddening encouragement of male domination of women is terrorizing women, body and soul....
The obstacle and the problem facing humanity is the whole system of capitalist-imperialist (and reactionary) forces. What drains the potential of the masses of people and their initiative, desire and their creativity to bring about a totally new and different world without exploitative relations, a world without class, gender, national and religious oppression amongst people of all countries (of the world), a world without unemployment and poverty, ignorance and superstition... is again the whole system of capitalist and imperialist forces that these outmodeds represent and serve. The living expression of these outmodeds (rotten or decayed) in today’s world are the two camps of the imperialists and religious fundamentalists. The political, ideological and military conflicts and rivalries between these two camps, as well as their collaboration and reconciliation, are totally against the interests of the oppressed masses of people, workers and proletarians of the world. No illusion, nor gravitation, nor surrendering to this or the other camp! The only way to emancipate humanity is the Communist revolution!
Communist Party of Iran (MLM)
March 20 2015
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