'One Law For All' activist speaks at UofT
Lecture on "Freedom of Expression and Political Islam" looks left for solutions
By Lara Zarum, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/26/09 Section: News
Do we have a duty to criticize Islam? For Maryam Namazie, the answer is a resounding "yes."
Namazie is the spokesperson for several human rights campaigns and organizations, such as Equal Rights Now, an organization that aims to eradicate women's discrimination in Iran. On Monday, March 16, she delivered a lecture at the Centre for Inquiry entitled "Freedom of Expression and Political Islam."
A self-professed atheist and communist, Namazie looks to the left for the solution to the problems raised by political Islam. She maintains that the right wing ignores the amount of political power bestowed on religion. The war in Iraq, she argues, only strengthened political Islam by showing the "same capacity for infinite brutality."
In her talk, Namazie chastised "misguided liberal attempts" at inter-faith and multicultural efforts. For Namazie, the argument that all religions should be treated equally is flawed because it applies the language of human rights to religious institutions instead of human beings.
Despite her personal aversion to religion, Namazie asserted that private religious belief is acceptable. "The reason Islam is a problem," she said, "is because it's a part of the political sphere. [Politics should hold that] the human being and nothing else sacred." A staunch defender of free speech, Namazie accused the Canadian Human Rights Commission and other such organizations of being more concerned with defending Islam than defending people. "Get over your post-colonial guilt," she urged.
Recently, Namazie has garnered attention as the spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia, or Islamic, law in Britain. The campaign is aimed at preventing Sharia law from being established in Britain, but opposes any form of religious law in secular society. Since its inception in December, the campaign has accumulated over 10,000 signatures.
Sharia law, Namazie says, is a discriminatory system that is "imposed very often by brute force." For Namazie, the introduction of Sharia law in Britain would change the fabric of society for all citizens.
Namazie is the spokesperson for several human rights campaigns and organizations, such as Equal Rights Now, an organization that aims to eradicate women's discrimination in Iran. On Monday, March 16, she delivered a lecture at the Centre for Inquiry entitled "Freedom of Expression and Political Islam."
A self-professed atheist and communist, Namazie looks to the left for the solution to the problems raised by political Islam. She maintains that the right wing ignores the amount of political power bestowed on religion. The war in Iraq, she argues, only strengthened political Islam by showing the "same capacity for infinite brutality."
In her talk, Namazie chastised "misguided liberal attempts" at inter-faith and multicultural efforts. For Namazie, the argument that all religions should be treated equally is flawed because it applies the language of human rights to religious institutions instead of human beings.
Despite her personal aversion to religion, Namazie asserted that private religious belief is acceptable. "The reason Islam is a problem," she said, "is because it's a part of the political sphere. [Politics should hold that] the human being and nothing else sacred." A staunch defender of free speech, Namazie accused the Canadian Human Rights Commission and other such organizations of being more concerned with defending Islam than defending people. "Get over your post-colonial guilt," she urged.
Recently, Namazie has garnered attention as the spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia, or Islamic, law in Britain. The campaign is aimed at preventing Sharia law from being established in Britain, but opposes any form of religious law in secular society. Since its inception in December, the campaign has accumulated over 10,000 signatures.
Sharia law, Namazie says, is a discriminatory system that is "imposed very often by brute force." For Namazie, the introduction of Sharia law in Britain would change the fabric of society for all citizens.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Rod Fraser
posted 3/27/09 @ 12:07 PM EST
Great posting. It's encouraging when those on the left defend freedom of speech. And so well!
Bob Devine
posted 3/27/09 @ 4:52 PM EST
This article is quite remarkable. I am 70 years of age and a communist has made a statement that I agree with. It is to bad that not a single communist regime or country has ever had the same outlook. (Continued…)
Natalija Milicevic
posted 4/03/09 @ 2:48 PM EST
I enjoyed this piece but my only contention is that Islam is not the only religion that has mixed with politics. Did George Bush not practically preach crusade? And in the far East, the Dalai Lama is both a political and spiritual leader. (Continued…)
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