Islamic Fundamentalism

This statement by our French comrades condemns the brutal assassination of a teacher in the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine suburb of Paris by an Islamic fundamentalist. We reject hypocritical attempts by the right wing in France to exploit this tragedy as part of a propaganda war against Muslims. Imperialism is responsible for creating the poisoned soil in which fundamentalism flourishes. 

Yesterday, an inquiry into the May 2017 Manchester bombing began, more than three years after the attack. The inquiry's chairman stressed that he was “not looking for scapegoats”, but rather searching for the truth. In reality, the purpose of this inquiry is the exact opposite. We republish here an article by Alan Woods, written the day after the attack, which traces the criminal role played by British intelligence agencies, which facilitated the tragic event. 

All religions have their fundamentalists; there are Christian fundamentalists, Hindu fundamentalists, Jewish fundamentalists, Buddhist fundamentalists and so on. They all play a reactionary role, and they are all growing in number. All of them believe they are the holders of the absolute truth, while all others are heretics or even the work of the devil himself. They are all used to sow division among toiling people around the world. The phenomenon affects all countries to one degree or another.

On what should have been a peaceful and calm Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by a horrific terrorist attack. Churches and hotels across the island were bombed. The explosions were so powerful that church rooftops were torn off and smoke could be seen for miles. The blasts have killed 321 at the last count, leaving as many as 500 injured. We condemn this disgusting and cowardly attack in the strongest possible terms.

Il 22 maggio, in una piacevole serata erano in migliaia, principalmente adolescenti, ad un concerto pop nell’Arena di Manchester. Ma ciò che doveva essere un’occasione di divertimento, si è trasformato in un bagno di sangue quando un attentatore suicida solitario ha fatto esplodere un dispositivo esplosivo a frammentazione improvvisato nell’ingresso dell’Arena, affollato di genitori che stavano aspettando i propri figli.

A terrorist attack in London left seven people dead last night, after three terrorists drove a van at high speed onto pedestrians in the south side of London Bridge, and then proceeded to stab multiple people before they were killed by armed police. National campaigning for the election on June 8 has been suspended today, and there have been some calls for the election itself to be postponed. We wholeheartedly condemn this attack, which as well as killing innocents only serves to fuel racism and provide a justification for imperialist adventures and attacks on civil liberties.

The defeat of Isis is imminent – their last pocket in Mosul is about to be wiped out, Raqqa is being encircled and even Deir ez-Zor is under pressure. The end of Isis in Iraq and Syria has begun a struggle for the aftermath.

On 22nd April, the Progressive Youth Alliance held its Lahore city-wide convention at Al Hamra Hall, dedicating the event to Mashal Khan. More than a hundred students from various universities across Lahore participated in the convention, and delegates from other cities’ universities were also present to address the convention. A new executive body was also elected. The atmosphere was one of anger, directed at the killing of Mashal Khan, a 23 year old journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, who was lynched after he was falsely accused of blasphemy.

The brutal lynching of Mashal Khan, a 23 year old student of journalism in Abdul Wali Khan University, by a fundamentalist mob is a new and shocking example of the reign of terror that is being waged against left-wing and progressive forces in Pakistan. Even by the barbaric standards of fundamentalist violence, this murder was characterised by its extreme savagery. Dragged from his hostel room, Mashal Khan was battered with wooden planks before being shot dead. Not satisfied by this butchery, those cowardly murderers then proceeded to desecrate and humiliate his dead body.

On April 13, Mashal Khan, a 23 year old student of journalism in Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan was lynched by a mob. He was dragged out of his hostel room and shot at with bullets while the mob lynched him. Even after being killed, his body was desecrated and humiliated.

On Friday, 7 April at 2:53 pm, a truck crashed into the department store Åhlens City in Stockholm, after first going on a rampage along Drottninggatan. Four people were killed, 15 wounded and 9 are in critical care. We strongly condemn this terrorist attack and our deepest sympathies are with all the people affected.