I went to a lecture by Maryam Namazie at the Centre for Inquiry in Toronto this past Monday and felt I should highlight the key points here. Maryam is the spokesperson for One Law For All, a British organization opposed to Sharia law. Sharia is the Islamic law that dictates every aspect of a Muslim's life, offering rules and guidelines for their sexuality, their business, politics, etc. Sharia courts have been set up in the UK, as well as here in Canada, which bypass civil and criminal courts in order to 'deal with' issues within the Muslim community in whatever way they see fit, much to the detriment of Muslim women and children. I will now go through the main points that Maryam made during her talk:
- Freedom of Expression is not a Western value, or a privilege, it is a universal right and it is most important when criticizing religion.
- Freedom of Expression is necessary for the progress of human civilization.
- We hear people in mainstream media criticizing and opposing supposed 'cults', but what is the difference between a 'religion' and a 'cult'?
- Islam is not just a religion that is a part of one's life, it encompasses every aspect of life, it is in the political process and the education system. It is in the public sphere, and that is why we must vehemently criticize it.
- Critics of political Islam are accused of not looking at the full 'reality' of Islam, however the 'reality' of Islam is far more violent than what is even discussed.
- Ideas such as 'feminist Islam' and 'moderate Islam' are oxymorons.
- The real problem here is the dangerous mix of religion and political power. Religion needs to be pushed out of the political sphere. This has happened almost entirely with Christianity, but Islam is still very much a part of the public sphere and that is why it is getting more criticism than the other religions. This is not 'Islamaphobia'. This is a strong opposition to religion and politics being so closely intertwined. Too many lives are at stake to compromise on this.
- Everyone is entitled to believe in whatever they want, but religion is a private matter. It should not be a part of the education system, nor any other part of public life. One should compare freedom of religion to the freedom to smoke. People are allowed to smoke, but there are restrictions on where and how, as well as taxes and warnings that say "Smoking kills". Now, where is the warning that says "Religion kills"?
- Criticizing religion is not the same as condemning an individual. We must see the difference between a person and a person's beliefs. The human being is sacred and human rights are for people, not for religion. Many human rights organizations often get this point wrong.
- Change happens through progressive social movements, we need to mobilise.
At this point, the floor was opened up for questions and a woman went up to the microphone and said "Change within the Muslim community, and particularly Iran and other places where political Islam is a very real thing, has to come from within the community itself. What are we supposed to do here in Canada? We went through many changes to get to where we are today and we can't tell other people how to live and how to change. They need to change their own mindset and push for change on their own."
To which Maryam said "This idea that Iranians and other people who have these rules and restrictions imposed on them every day actually want this is almost offensive. Iran went through a middle-class workers' revolution years ago and great social progress was made, this political Islamic regime has been forced on them and there is great resentment and opposition to it within Iran, as well as other Islamic states. Westerners need to get over their post-colonial guilt and help push for universal rights for everybody, no matter their nationality or geographic location."
Now, this last statement really hit me hard. For years I have been struggling with two opposite worldviews that pull me in different directions. One is that I should help push for social change and progress in the world regardless of where the problems are. This is the humanist perspective where I see all human beings as having value and I want to fight for universal human rights without any regard for lines drawn on a map. Now, the other side is always reminding me that I don't, nor will I ever, fully understand a culture or a people different from my own. That people who live in a certain country have a history, traditions and values that I would need to be a part of in order to push for social change. And what am I even pushing to change? Should things change? Would I just make things worse?
With this one sentence "You must let go of your post-colonial guilt", I was set free. I realized that I have been scared and hesitant to say something or ask something because I know how badly 'westerners' have fucked things up in the world, and particularly Africa. But, what I am fighting for, I realize, are universal rights. People have the same rights, and the same value, no matter what part of the world they are born. I do recognize that particular countries will have political, economic and social situations that I must try to understand as best I can, but sitting back and saying "I'm not going to interfere, that's not my place, who am I to tell someone else how to live their life?" is not an option for me anymore. I am pushing for positive social change, I am fighting for human rights, I am championing the human being.