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Showing posts with label Salman Rushdie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salman Rushdie. Show all posts
Maryam Namazie ✊ alleges a direct link between the threats and violence faced by Salman Rushdie and that faced by generations of women and men in Iran.

Maryam Namazie (left) and fellow
activist Rana Ahmad by Ayman Ghoujal.
Salman Rushdie’s agent has confirmed that the courageous writer has lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand after a brutal attack whilst he was preparing to speak at an event on asylum for writers.

The attack in New York state on August 12th has been a stark reminder that even decades after Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa against Rushdie and his book The Satanic Verses, the writer remains unsafe to write and to speak.

After all these years, it is still unimaginable that someone, somewhere, can be attacked or killed for their words and expression. And that for many, accusations of causing offence, hurting fragile sensibilities and of ‘Islamophobia’ are enough to justify loss of life and limb.

In this topsy turvy worldview, words are harmful, violence justifiable. It’s the age-old victim blaming in defence of the powerful at the expense of those who challenge the sacred and taboo, and dare to dissent.

Infuriatingly, after all these years, those issuing or supporting threats of violence face little consequence even though incitement to murder is a crime.

To give an example from Britain, Iqbal Sacranie, who had said “death, perhaps, is a bit too easy for [Rushdie],” was knighted by the British government in 2005.

Meanwhile, officials of the Islamic regime of Iran continue to travel with ease and without fear of prosecution. Only a few days after its morality police reportedly beat Mahsa Amini to death for ‘improper’ hijab, Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi was given a visa to address the United Nations General Assembly – in New York, no less. The Iranian regime, a regime of femicide, even sits on the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Since Raisi’s UN visit, many more protestors have been beaten, disappeared and killed using weapons of war. According to human rights groups, over 300 protestors have been killed, many of them children. The real numbers are higher. Over 14,000 have been arrested, including two women journalists who first broke the news of Mahsa Amini’s death. An official of the regime has stated that the average age of those arrested is 15. A thousand have already been charged in summary kangaroo courts. Some have been issued death sentences for ‘enmity against god.’

Clearly, there is a direct link between the decades of threats and violence faced by Salman Rushdie and that faced by generations of women and men in Iran. It is the Islamic regime of Iran which today is faced with a women’s revolution that aims to end theocracy once and for all.

The veil, which since its imposition has been the most visible symbol of Islamic rule, is now the target and symbol of a women’s revolution, led by a brave Generation Z that refuses to back down and has no illusions about Islamic rule. Their main slogans are: ‘Woman, Life, Freedom,’ ‘We don’t want an Islamic state,’ and ‘We don’t want an anti-woman state.’

Just as the rise of the Islamic regime in Iran saw a corresponding rise of fundamentalism everywhere, the end of this regime via a women’s revolution would herald a new dawn in Iran, the Middle East and the world. This regime came in by imposing the veil with acid attacks and violence. It will come to an end with free women burning and removing their veils.

Despite the ongoing protests in the streets of Iran and across the globe, western governments continue with business as usual, making only empty condemnations.

Pressure on western governments to stop relations with the regime of sex apartheid is one of the important ways in which secularists and freethinkers can defend the women’s revolution as well as brave dissenters like Rushdie.

A banner at one of the protests in support of Iran’s revolution sums it up perfectly:

“To the world leaders. Iranian women do not need you to save them. They only need you to stop saving their murderers.”

In 2006, 12 writers (including Rushdie and I) signed a Manifesto against Totalitarianism, which says:

We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of “Islamophobia”, a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatisation of those who believe in it.

We defend the universality of the freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit can exist in every continent, towards each and every maltreatment and dogma.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits in every country that our century may be one of light and not dark.

The women’s revolution in Iran has allowed us all to fathom another Iran and world free from fundamentalism.

Supporting it, defending it, and safeguarding its gains can help make this century ‘one of light and not dark.’

This piece was written for MIZ to be published in German.

Maryam Namazie is an Iranian-born activist and Spokesperson 
of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All.


Salman Rushdie And The Women’s Revolution In Iran Are Linked

Laure Daussy ✒ From Maryam Namazie  blog.

We were able to attend one of the largest gatherings of atheists and freethinkers in the world, Celebrating Dissent, organised in Cologne by Maryam Namazie, co-founder of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, and by Freethought Lebanon (many of whose members reside in Germany). An event with a very special tone, Salman Rushdie’s aggression being in everyone’s heads. More than ever, these atheists wanted to show that they are more and more numerous and determined to win the battle against obscurantism. Surprisingly, Charlie was the only French newspaper to cover this demonstration.

Report.

“Machallah”, maliciously says Sami Abdallah, the president of Freethought Lebanon, as an introduction to the event, under the laughter of the audience. It means “Allah willed it”; “it is the will of God”. Obviously, in front of an assembly of atheists, many of whom are ex-Muslims, it can only make you laugh. This Celebrating Dissent was held in Cologne, Germany, after a first edition held in 2019 in Amsterdam. The demonstration brought together about fifty atheists and freethinkers from more than 30 countries. It’s quite incredible to meet so many atheists and freethinkers in the same place, each with stories each more upsetting than the other (read our portraits here). Many risk their lives because of their commitment, especially ex-Muslims: apostasy is punishable by the death penalty in 12 countries, and blasphemy also punished in many parts of the world. Most of the ex-Muslims present have refugee status because they had to flee their country of origin. This gathering allows them to support each other and make their voices heard.

Read Also: Portraits of atheists: “To live free, I had to flee my country”

Of course, the attack on Salman Rushdie is on everyone’s lips. “Unfortunately, we know that he is not the first and that he will not be the last to be assaulted,” says Maryam Namazie as an introduction (read our interview here). The assembly adopted a resolution to support him: “Celebrating Dissent condemns the violent attack on Salman Rushdie and provides unwavering support to the courageous writer. A resolution that also welcomes the fact that, this time, Rushdie is supported, “unlike the usual slanders that are heard against freethinkers when they are targeted by Islamists”. In the evening, participants embark on a march through the streets of Cologne, in support of Rushdie, behind the banner of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain displaying “Apostasy is not a crime”. Around an aperitif, in the hotel where all these atheists reside, some evoke with fun – as if to put it at a distance – the risk of an attack, although very real. In the previous edition, the fire alarm was triggered in the middle of the night, and some, terrorised, had believed in a terrorist attack.

“Is it improving a little in Morocco? “We try with Betty Lachgar, a Moroccan feminist activist and atheist who organises many actions on the ground. Betty reminds us of the sad reality: a woman has just been imprisoned for blasphemy. One of the conferences concerns precisely this issue of blasphemy and freedom of expression. Are the two still linked? “Any criticism of religion is mostly perceived as blasphemy,” explains Susanna McIntyre, a former American Catholic. Tunisian filmmaker and activist Nadia El Fani speaks: “I remind you that blasphemy only concerns people who believe in a religion. If I don’t believe, I’m not concerned about blasphemy. And to recall in passing that a blasphemy law still exists in Germany.

Read Also: Maryam Namazie: “Islamists are afraid of us”

Do not talk about “Islamophobia” to these ex-Muslims. “It’s a word that is made to prevent us from criticising Islam,” says Halima Salat, a native of Kenya. Islam is an ideology, and as such, it must always be able to be criticised. Sami Abdallah emphasises the difference “between criticising Muslims as people and criticising an idea”. But he does not hesitate to go even further: “Islamophobia” refers to the fear of Islam, but, personally, I think that indeed there are things that scare in the Koran. When the speakers address the issue of the limits of freedom of expression on social networks, to the host who believes that Trump has been rightly banned from Twitter, Jimmy Bangash, a former Muslim and gay, from Pakistan, replies: “Trump is banned, but what about Iranian mullahs, who can continue to call for the killing of gays or Salman Rushdie? They are always present on the social network. ”

During these two days, other conferences were organised: on the difficulties that there are sometimes being recognised as a refugee when you are an ex-Muslim; on the issue of the hijab and women’s bodies (it goes without saying, none of the ex-Muslims wears the veil anymore). At a conference on identity policies, ex-Muslims emphasised how the left sometimes abandons them. Zara Kay, an atheist from Tanzania, a refugee in Sweden, denounces: “The left has betrayed us. It is normally on the side of emancipation, but it abandons dissident Muslim women. In Sweden, I am considered to be right-wing, because I speak as an ex-Muslim. They do not understand that Islamism is of the extreme right. Applause in the room. Halimat Salat (see her portrait), shows that she was “disinvited” from a Women’s march conference in the Netherlands, because she was preparing to criticise the wearing of Hijab.

This rally was also taking place as the war in Ukraine continues. The absence of Inna Shevchenko, who was to speak at one of the conferences, sadly recalled this. She read a text, explaining her “disillusionment with the democratic world”. “You will notice that many of my liberal comrades, including many left-wing, who have often hesitated to condemn acts of violence committed by religious extremists […] have also hesitated to condemn Putin’s criminal regime and its atrocious attack on the Ukrainian people. ”

Read Also:  Poland: atheists and feminists against the dictatorship of the Church

Throughout these two days, art has occupied an important place, because it is on this ground, too, that contestation is located. Between conferences, we could see a YouTuber singing Music is haram, a former evangelical pastor turned atheist playing the piano and singing in a loop “beware of dogmas”, or also Afghan artist Sara Nabil offering a performance where she cuts her hair. At the end of the day, it’s time for guest star Richard Dawkins, a British scientist and atheist activist. He arrives under a standing ovation (if you dared, it looks like he’s the only guru they follow here). He praises science for their independence from any culture: “There is no Japanese or American physics, it’s just physics. And advocates the scientific method: “The only important thing is the evidence. Never believe in anything if there is no evidence. If we say “it was revealed to me”, it’s no reason to believe it! ”

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain had already launched Apostasy Day on August 22. This time, at the end of the event, they called for the creation of an International Secularism Day on December 10, to promote secularism throughout the world. We are told that the next edition of Celebrating Dissent could take place… in France. “We would like to do the next edition in Paris,” confirms Maryam Namazie. To do this, we would need to obtain the support of French secular associations and groups. I hope that will be the case. We hope too, but it’s not won. 

Maryam Namazie is an Iranian-born activist and Spokesperson 
of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All.

Cologne ✑ Disbelievers Celebrate Salman Rushdie And Prepare For The Future

National Secular Society ✒ has reiterated its commitment to free speech at an event to show solidarity with author Salman Rushdie.


NSS campaigns officer Alejandro Sanchez (pictured) joined other free speech campaigners at 'Stand with Salman', which was held in London last week following the recent attack on Rushdie.

Rushdie was stabbed on stage while giving a talk on free speech in the US last month by a man who accused him of 'attacking Islam'.

Rushdie has faced attempts against his life after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 ordering Rushdie's execution following the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous.

At the event, which was subject to heavy police presence, Alejandro read NSS chief executive Stephen Evans' official response to the attack.

Other speakers included Toby Young of the Free Speech Union and anti-extremism academic Wasiq Wasiq.

Alejandro's reading called for the end of the "stealth blasphemy code" and "climate of self-censorship" that have developed. Just last year, a teacher was forced into hiding for using images of Muhammad in class, while this year a film was pulled from cinemas following religious protests.

Continue reading @ National Secular Society.

NSS Defends Free Speech At ‘Stand With Salman’ Event

Maryam Namazie ✒ Translation of Interview in Charlie Hebdo.


She fled the Iran of the Mullahs and founded, in Great Britain, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. We caught up with Maryam Namazie at the big gathering of atheists – many of them ex-Muslims – Celebrating Dissent, which she organized in Cologne on August 21-22. A few days after Salman Rushdie’s attack, Namazie says she is more combative and optimistic than ever: this attack is proof that atheists are dangerous for Islamists.

Charlie Hebdo: This event must have a special connotation for you, a few days after the attack on Salman Rushdie?

Maryam Namazie: I would say that there are so many Islamist attacks that each time there is a gathering of this kind it is a singular moment. But of course it has a special meaning after the attack on Salman Rushdie. We know who is responsible; it was Iran that issued this fatwa. With this demonstration, atheists and freethinkers want to show that there is a great resistance movement against the Islamists.

CH: Were you surprised by the attack?

MN: I think anyone who knows Islamism is not surprised. Salman Rushdie is not the first and will not be the last to be threatened by a fatwa. He is known in the West, but there are so many other brave people fighting for freedom of expression who are under threat. During this rally, we will also pay tribute to Soheil Arabi, accused of blasphemy and sentenced to eight years in prison, and now under house arrest.

CH: The Islamists do not seem to be losing ground, are you afraid?

MN: On the contrary, we must remember that this attack means how much the Islamists are afraid of us! They want to silence us, because they know how loud our voices are and how many we are. They are more afraid of us than we are of them. And the reason is that we are dangerous for them: there is a tsunami of atheism in Iran today, especially among the younger generations. Because the vast majority of the Iranian population is young, there will one day be a clash with the fundamentalists. No one understands the need for secularism better than someone who lives in a theocracy. And these young people want secularism. When we look at history, there are always two camps, those who want to submit and those who resist, and who advance society. We are on this side of history. This will be the advent of dissidents.

CH: Are you sufficiently supported by Western countries? What about left-wing parties?

MN: That’s a problem: many western countries support the oppressors, support the Iranian regime, and don’t give a damn about human rights. As for left-wing political parties – I am a communist myself – the fight against religions remains a left-wing fight. There is a part of the left which has become pro-Islamist, it is a betrayal. Yet they do not understand that the Islamists have swept away the workers’ movement. But fortunately, there are also many on the left who continue this anticlerical discourse and defend secularism. Sometimes this focus on the left is a way to attack him. In reality, much support for Islamist movements comes from right-wing governments.

CH: How do you respond to those who accuse you of having the same discourse as the extreme right in your criticism of Islam?

MN: The far right criticizes Islam because it hates immigrants and Muslims. We criticize Islam because we fight for a society in which believers and non-believers can live freely. This fight is not against Muslims, but against fundamentalism. Let’s not forget that the Islamists are on the far right too! Why not fight these two far-rights head-on? It is possible to defend the reception of refugees, the opening of borders, and to denounce fundamentalism.

⏩Maryam Namazie is an Iranian-born activist and Spokesperson of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All.

The Islamists Are Afraid Of Us

Anthony McIntyre ✒ 'A religion that claims it is able to behave like this, religious leaders who are able to behave like this, and then say this is a religion which must be above any kind of whisper of criticism, that doesn't add up' - Salman Rushdie.

More than three decades after theocratic fascists issued a licence to murder the writer Salman Rushdie, an assailant almost succeeded. A smile brought to a certain face in the grave of Hugh Trevor Roper.

Fortunately, Rushdie was not killed in the attack, inflicted while speaking at a New York event. He is now said by his agent to be on the road to recovery. The pen has survived the knife. The irony lies in Rushdie having been at the event for the purpose of giving a speech on the US as a safe haven for threatened writers. The US not being a safe haven for schoolkids is unlikely to be one for writers who annoy religious fanatics. 

Rushdie's woes began with the 1988 publication of Satanic Verses. Then, much of the Muslim world was convulsed by frenzy and relentlessly battered by wave upon wave of incendiary incitement stoked up by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini:

I inform the proud Muslim people of the world that the author of the The Satanic Verses book which is against Islam, the Prophet and the Koran, and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, are sentenced to death. I ask all the Muslims to execute them wherever they find them.

Hate Theology in an unadulterated form. There is nothing in Satanic Verses as offensive as a call to murder. 

Whether the bounty offered at the time of the original fatwa in 1987 by the Hate Ayatollah still stands is not entirely clear. Ten years after the original fatwa the Iranian Foreign Minister stated:

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention, nor is it going to take any action whatsoever, to threaten the life of the author of The Satanic Verses or anybody associated with his work, nor will it encourage or assist anybody to do so.

However in 2019 Twitter took action against the account of the country's leader which stated that “Imam Khomeini’s verdict regarding Salman Rushdie is based on divine verses and just like divine verses, it is solid and irrevocable.” There really only is one way to impose such nonsense: repression.
 
At the heart of the Rushdie controversy sits the contrived crime of blasphemy.  Rushdie, allowing himself to be drawn onto the Mullahs' ground, denied from the outset that his work amounted to blasphemy:

It’s not true that this book is a blasphemy against Islam. I doubt very much that Khomeini or anyone else in Iran has read the book or more than selected extracts out of context.

He later mumbled an apology which his haters dismissed. 

Not being a particular fan of Rushdie over the years, I have followed his literary odyssey with only passing interest. In 2006 I publicly backed his support for the Danish anti-theocratic cartoons which saw some on the Left side with the theocrats. I found his characterisation apt:

so much of the left always seems to fall for fascist bastards pretending to be speaking on behalf of the masses. They've done it before with communism in its various forms, and here's another bunch of fascist bastards claiming to be speaking for the downtrodden masses, and they're falling for it again.

Paramount is the need to protect his freedom to write, it being vital to a healthy society where ideas flow and are not derailed by some mullah brandishing a Stop sign. 

Most shamefully, within a day of Salman Rushdie almost losing his life for defending freedom of opinion, there has also been the spineless spectacle of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, speaking fluent wankology to justify its banning of the comedian Jerry Sadowitz. 

Victory to the Committee of Public Safety
Long Live the Dictatorship of the Woketariat. 

⏩ Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

Someman Mustdie

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