Far too often, parts of the left fall into a strange inconsistency when dealing with religion. For example, when it comes to Islam, conservative (even extreme) voices are often shielded from criticism, including from fellow Muslims, under the label of “Islamophobia.” Even the mildest irreverence can be treated almost like “blasphemy” and met with outrage, and people being ostracised from campaign groups etc.
Meanwhile, liberal or reformist Muslims are sidelined, thrown under the bus when fundamentalists attack them, or dismissed as not being “authentic” enough. Just look at the treatment of Zarah Sultana in light of ongoing attacks from socially conservative and landlord MP Adnan Hussain in her own party, and from elements of the Muslim community calling her “not a real Muslim” because she has socially liberal views. There has been no solidarity from her party, no defence, yet they have however circled the wagons circle to protect the right wing landlord.
When it comes to Christians, the pattern flips. Progressive Christians are frequently dismissed or mocked on the left simply for being believers, while conservative Christians are demonized as the embodiment of reactionary politics, labelled hate preachers, bigots, and worse. There’s rarely the same instinct to defend Christians from prejudice, even when attacks cross the line from critiquing ideas to targeting people. One example recently in left-wing politics is Rebecca Long-Bailey, who faced horrendous treatment from the media, the Labour Party, and even parts of the membership during her leadership campaign for daring to be a Catholic with socially liberal views on abortion, gender roles, and more.
This double standard makes little sense. The left should be consistent: defend people of all faiths, or none at all, from discrimination, but don’t ever give reactionary ideas a pass or legitimise them simply because they come from a minority group. Nor should anyone’s religion ever come before standing up for human rights, whether that’s LGBT equality, women’s rights, gender roles, bodily autonomy, freedom of expression, or the right to dress as one chooses. Liberal Muslims deserve as much solidarity as liberal Christians, and illiberal theology deserves criticism whether it’s Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or otherwise.
The fact is, the left should be secular at its core, not playing bizarre holy wars, or creating and enforcing hierarchies of solidarity for people of different cultures, but standing for equality, dignity, and justice across the board.
Only united together, across faiths and none, as one working class (fighting for socialism) can we take on the billionaires and the system that serves them.
