Week of Action in support of jailed students and political prisoners in Iran (2–9 Feb 2008)

by Nora Wed Jan 30, 2008 00:23 noorazao at hotmail dot com Malaysia 00-60125394924

ISLAMIC LEADERS USING ISLAM TO CONTINUE ON ABUSING HUMAN RIGHTS: ISLAMIC DICTATORS DECEIVING MANY SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS

We on the left must no more be trapped into supporting abuses of human rights by Islamic leaders; just in order to prevent another war such as towards Iran (this does not diminish my struggle or conviction as an Anti-War/peace activist especially against unjust capitalist imperialism as led by the US-UK regimes). Many Islamic leaders, including in Malaysia, to my great dismay have taken the opportunity to aggressively mobilize and brainwash further the "Muslim" (i.e Islamic followers) masses especially from the dominant ethnic group in Malaysia, the Malays, behind them in order to sustain their brutal, absolute, elitist and capitalist power after the Iraq War, using Islam. And that is what the brutal elite and capitalist classes including the male-dominated Islamic priestly hierarchy in Iran are doing, just as in many nations with Islamic leaders such as in Saudi Arabia and Sudan (see Malachy Browne, Death by Stoning continues in Iran, 15 Jan, 2008 at:
http://www.village.ie/World/Middle_East/Death_by_stonin...Iran/).

Thus, we socialists and other social justice activists especially need to wake up from our blinded anger and fight rationally on behalf of social justice, above racial, religious and ultra-nationalist politics. I myself fell into such trap of defending indiscriminately Islamic leaders, the "Muslim race" and the “Muslim nationhood” including in Malaysia, especially due to injustice of the Iraq War. For the most efficient (psychological) weapon of the capitalist and elite classes in their rule and divide strategy in this current historical context, is for "Muslims" ultimately towards "racializing" themselves. Thus formed, a newly constructed absolute racial identity totally based on religion since WW2 (whereas race is originally & flexibly defined based on many other factors from both physical traits and diverse cultural traits but not religion; and identity is based on many intertwined factors, and race and religion are only parts of diverse factors that determine our dynamic-everchanging construction of our whole identity). Just like the absolute "Jewish race" (i.e the "Jews") was constructed due to Hitler using the religious and racial language game of “divide and rule” where an absolute new "Jewish" racial identity totally based on religion was formed.

The hypocrisy and brutality that I saw when coming back to Malaysia, from the Malay-Islamic leaders especially from the dominant ruling party UMNO (United Malays National Organization), and the elite-capitalist classes and authority including the police force, who simultaneously use “indigenous/Malay/Muslim race”, ultra-nationalism and Islam extremely unjustly, opened my eyes and shook me up ultimately. That is, to never again support such false struggles based on religious, racial or ultra-nationalist but on social justice politics, especially on true Marxist-Socialist politics (not pseudo and barbaric ones like Maoism, Pol Pot-ism, Stalinism, Milosevicism etc). That fundamentally fights for true equality and freedom for all human beings; and between men and women. And that also fights for socio-environmental justice for the natural world. Thus the end of the unjust and primitive privileges, status and abuses of power by both the elite and capitalist classes, towards humanity and the natural world. Besides ending simultaneously the primitive and unjust dominance and sustenance of male supremacy's ideology and practises, especially in Islam.

by pat c Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:29

This is a statement from Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Iran. Full text at the link.

Since Student Day December 7, dozens of students have been arrested. According to the list produced by the families of the jailed students there were 45 of them in prison. The number of detainees keeps changing, as new arrests are being made and a few released have been made on extortionate bails ranging from $30,000 to $150,000. It is estimated that fifty-odd students are now being held. In addition to students, hundreds of libertarians and rights activists are languishing in the jails of the regime.

The gates of those jails must be broken down. The ruling brutes in Iran must be forced to retreat. Let us make the week of Feb. 2 to Feb. 9 into a week of campaign for the freedom of the jailed students as well as all political prisoners in Iran.

We urge all the working and libertarian people in Iran and across the world to come out in full support of the call by the families of the detained students and various groups of students in Iran and do their best for the immediate and unconditional release of the jailed students.

Committee for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Iran
Contact: Shahla Daneshfar shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com