On Friday 25th of April a French man stabbed a young Muslim man who was praying in a mosque in a small town in South of France. Aboubakar, who was in his 20s, was cleaning the mosque when the attacker first walked into the mosque. The attacker manipulated the victim, in fact had planned his crime so viciously and deceitfully. He asked Aboubakar to teach him how to pray as he was interested in Islam. Aboubakar innocently believed him. The attacker took his knife, shouted swears at “Allah” and stabbed him over 40 times while he was prostrating, according to the security cameras and a film on the attacker’s phone.
The crime was so obviously anti-Muslim that no one could deny it. The murder has been condemned as a “racist” and “anti-Muslim” attack by authorities, including Macron and the prime minister who has called it “Islamophobic.” However, no one in the media or the government has called it terrorism! Just close your eyes for a minute and change the characters around! A Muslim man stabbing a non-Muslim European while praying in a church or synagogue, what would everyone shout? “Terrorism”!
“Fascination with death”!
It’s become comical! It’s a formula everyone is too familiar with: If the attacker is Muslim, it is terrorism, if it’s White or non-Muslim it is the result of a mental health disorder. We’ve seen it over and over. It is bizarre that the public prosecutor of the southern city of Ales, Abdelkrim Grini, told BFM TV that “the anti-Muslim motivation is the preferred lead,” however, they’re exploring other motives, including a “fascination with death”! Whatever that means!
Less than a year ago a 28 year old Afghan man attacked a crowd and killed a policeman in Germany, shouts of terrorism and Islamic terrorists were all over the media. The right wings including Iranian and anti-Muslims or Ex Muslim called for a mass protest to get rid of Islamist terrorists. In reality this call is nothing short of calling for mass deportation of Muslims, which is on the agenda of not only the German state but the whole Europe and the US.
A short time after the above incident, an Ex Muslim did the same, he was first called an Islamic terrorist, but after being identified as a Muslim hater EX Muslim, he was quickly described as a man with mental health disorder. Another incident again in Germany had a right wing man as the attacker and a Muslim man as the saviour, a brave man who followed the attacker with a great risk to his own life. No mention of terrorism. Rather quietly the incident which if it was the other way around would make hours of TV coverage and calls for anti-Islamic protests were buried!
A similar event in London: A young English man attacked a white European mother and a child, a young security man from Muslim background risked his own life to save the mother and daughter. It only received one day of short coverage, and no statement from Muslim haters acknowledging the bravery and decency of this young man.
Last but not least, the mass killing in Sweden. A young Swedish man attacked a school with many refugee and immigrant adult students. No mention of terrorism: mental health disorder was given as the probable cause of this mass shooting targeting and killing immigrants from Muslim background.
These are five violent incidents in Europe in the past year which received international coverage. There are many others perhaps with less severe consequences. The racism and deliberate false narrative of the Western ruling class and their mouthpiece, the media, has specially become too vulgar in this time of genocide. Lies and fascist propaganda in defence of Israel and in an effort to dehumanise Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and anyone who looks like they belong to the genocided race have become commonplace. Any word against Israel is punished severely as Anti-Semitic crime, while dehumanising Muslims is a routine everyday occurrence. According to the dominant narrative and current law the former is racism in its highest form and the latter, a trivial issue which is acceptable in the realm of freedom of speech.
Muslim ghettos, pogroms and holocaust on its way!
This is not exaggeration or fear-mongering. The threat is real. How do you think the deep rooted racism of the Nazis against the Jews (not only Jews but also Romani people) escalated to that brutal level? The narratives and the political climate of now and when Nazis gained power in Germany are alarmingly similar. We must take this warning seriously. It is the logical conclusion of political analysis of today and 80 years ago.
However, Muslim haters* are on their hate-missions, and running their idiotic circus.
Last year after the attack by the Afghan man and hate-mongering call of the right wings and Ex Muslims for protest against “Islamists”, (i.e. Muslims) we called for calm and reflection on the consequences of such calls, the rise of fascism and the dangers of it. We pointed to the danger of such hate-mongering propaganda, especially at this dire time. We warned that this time the Muslims will be the main victims. We will be witnessing Muslim Pogroms, ghettos and holocaust. So far these warnings have fallen on deaf ears. Mockery and right wing political propaganda has been their response.
The good news in this sad and worrying time is that two sizable demonstrations were organised by the left in France to condemn racism against Muslims and a call to the government to take these crimes more seriously.
We need to strengthen our progressive movement against racism and the rise of fascism. The left, Socialists, working class organisations, all progressive and freedom loving people, those with conscious who fight for justice must come together in solidarity. We need to push this monster back. Tomorrow might be too late.
(*I use this expression because if at this dire and dangerous time, there are still some activists who under the guise of free speech spread hate against Muslims, ridicule them, dehumanise them, constantly harass and provoke them, they are knowingly or ignorantly promoting hate and hostility and play in the hands of the fascists.)
⏩Asar Majedi is a Member of Hekmatist Party leadership & Chairperson of Organisation for Women’s Liberation.
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