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| Kashmiri Hindus were killed because they had jobs |
We have all heard the proverb, “birds of a
feather flock together”. The equivalent Hindi version would be, “ek he thayli
ke chatte batte”. The proverb is used to describe similar behaviour of humans
with similar traits. Sportspersons take extreme care of their daily exercise
routines and physical fitness, musicians practice on their instruments for
hours to get that perfect note, children show curiosity to know the unknown.
They all share a common passion and work to achieve it. It is this common
passion or values that make them behave in a similar manner.
The radical Left and the Islamists too share
common values and ideals. This is the reason why we see the Left apologising
for the Islamists after every terror attack. From the liberal shores of
Vancouver to the ghats of Varanasi, the Left always tries to cover up the
horrors of Islamists by blaming it on bizarre things like an impending divorce.
The Left shields the Islamists from negative public opinion and tries to build
a positive narrative by using emotional blackmail. This usually comes in form
of images, of wailing children of Gaza or painting a terrorist as the son of a
“poor headmaster”. They even go as far as to blame employment as the reason for getting killed.
But how can the godless Left have any
similarity with the deeply religious Islamists? On the face of it, they do not
have any similarities. In fact they appear to be the complete opposite of each
other. But scratch the surface and one finds that they are similar in more ways
than one.
The similarity of
ideology
Both the Islamists and the Left believes that
the current society is not ideal. Both believe in a utopian idea of a perfect
world where everyone in the world will be same. The Islamists believe that the
entire world will be one large Islamic Caliphate and Sharia will become the
universal law. The Left believes that Communism will rule the world and every
single individual will become equal. The ideology of Islamists and the Left
arise out of different sources. But in the end, however, they both seek to
destroy the diversity and individuality of society and replace it with a uniform,
authoritarian ideology.
We saw such attempts in Stalin’s Russia and
Mao’s China. Both went against the diversity of society and individual liberty
to impose an authoritarian rule. We see the same with the Islamists. Whenever
they manage to capture territory they impose their authoritarian rule and an
otherwise diverse society becomes a monolithic entity. Taliban in Afghanistan
and ISIS in Iraq are examples of such brutal repression of diversity.
Similarity of the
means to achieve
Both Islamists and the Left believes that the
only way their ideology can be propagated is by a revolution, an armed
revolution. The utopian society they both want to create can only result from a
complete overhaul of what exists today. An armed revolution, like the October
Revolution or the takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban, will remove the evils of
the society. The new society will be free from the infidels and the bourgeois.
The only way to achieve utopia is to eliminate everyone who opposes them.
Similarity of not
learning from the past
An armed revolution may bring in change but we
have seen what follows. The great revolutions in Soviet Russia and Communist
China killed millions of people in forced labour camps and by extra-judicial
killings. The Taliban killed hundreds of thousands to establish an Islamic
Caliphate. The result was not the utopia they wanted to achieve but utter
misery on the people living under their control. Russia and China moved towards
a liberal market economy and the Taliban is struggling to strengthen its foothold.
But the past is no learning for the Left and the Islamists. They both firmly
believe that the previous revolutions were not pious enough and the next one
will change everything.
Similarity of my way
is the right way
While both the Left and the Islamists fight for
their cause, there seems to be a great degree of disagreement among themselves.
The Islamists have different ideas of achieving the Caliphate. They often do
not agree on the process and split, with a firm belief that their way is the
right way. We have the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, LeT, etc. who wants to achieve
Islamist supremacy but for some reason can’t work together. The Left started as
a monolith but soon met the same fate as that of the Islamists. In India alone
there are at least 10 versions
of mainstream Communist party. Though the ideals of these communist parties are
same, they somehow find it difficult to sit under the same roof.
Similarity of disregard of science
The Islamists believe the earth is flat and
horses can fly. The Left questions the Big
Bang theory and Black
holes. The Left goes on to label the widely accepted Big Bang Theory as,
“creationist”. They reduced the theory to mere Church propaganda.
Similarity of
dedication to the Book
Both Islamists and the Left derive and justify
their actions based on teachings of the Book they consider sacred. Both cite
their prophet’s words as the justification of their actions. Both fail to
realise that the world has changed since their respective Book was written.
Both fail to understand that the needs of society and humans are no longer the
same as they used to be. But still, both firmly believe in one man’s version of
truth, written a long time ago.
Similarity in
radicalising the believers
The Islamists brainwash their potential
recruits by highlighting the atrocities by the Western governments and the
heretic governments of Islamic countries. The Left brainwashes their carder by
highlighting similar atrocities by the Western governments and “fascist”
countries. Both employ the power of consistent fear mongering and distortion of
events to suit their agenda.
There may be many more similarities between the
Islamists and the Left. These similarities of world dominance and armed
revolution makes them birds of similar feather. That is the reason why the Left
is always at the forefront when it comes to supporting the radical Islamists or
apologising for their terror activities. The Islamists and the Left have found
common ground and probably a shared dream of world dominance that they think
can be achieved by supporting each other.
