Leftists and Islamists

Will the left ultimately end up being consumed by Islamism? When I first read about it, the idea of a coalition between the hard left and Islamism seemed as outrageous to me as cooperation between Saddam and al-Qaeda seems to anti-war types. I was probably being overly generous to the left. I was aware that communists of various stripes were behind the Iraqi war protests and that they met up there with Islamists and those pushing anti-Judaism. But I didn't think it likely that the hard left would voluntarily put aside its radical egalitarianism and secularism and find common cause with a fascist religous movement.

From the excellent Belmont Club back in September:

The hollowing out of the Left -- the death of its Bolshevik core -- is one of the great unwritten stories of the late twentieth century. The decline of the cadre of professional revolutionaries at its center was simultaneously matched by the inrush from the periphery of the network of sympathizers, fellow travelers and "useful fools" which it once adopted as protective coloration.

and

The corpse of the Left has already been twitched aside by Islam, which refers to it only in the past tense. All that remains in its path is the United States of America, behind whom the feeble stragglers from Marxism's golden age shelter, still resentful, still self-important and still contemptible.

At the time, I didn't really buy it. I didn't doubt that the left was essentially empty of ideas- the wistful daydreaming on the left for some alternative to capitalism that hasn't already been discredited, as voiced by Katrina vanden Heuvel, for instance, demonstrated that to my satisfaction. But I did doubt that any on the left woud be tempted to fill this void with Islamism and its overt fascism. A few days ago, however, came this account of the European Social Forum, which met in Paris last week, by Christopher Caldwell writing in the Weekly Standard (via Sullivan):

But the EU is one of the world's institutions that appears the most tottering, confused, and unsure of itself, and it may be ripe for hijacking. Particularly now that the Social Forum movement has linked up with a force that has all the energy and clarity of purpose that it lacks, a force that is not boring or programmatic at all: Islam.

THIS LINKAGE TAKES MANY FORMS. Muslims were hugely overrepresented among the Social Forum's delegates; they even comprised a large chunk--perhaps a majority--of the American speakers. Perhaps this is unsurprising given the role played in this radical ideology by the American occupation of Iraq (universally opposed) and Palestinian terror against Israel (almost universally supported).

Here's Belmont Club again, on the big event:

Yet the admission of Ramadan into the Social Forum, at first a mere gesture of Leftist solidarity towards Islam, showed instead how far the equilibrium between them had shifted. Ramadan, far from acting the part of the token Ayatollah, swiftly proved he had the power to rearrange the agenda of the Leftist forum itself.

The picture being drawn is that a lost or dying movement is trying to draw energy from a rising movement. Some on the left think they can use the power of Islamist anger and channel it to their own ends. That it may be the Islamists who have the strength to drive the agenda, because of their greater confidence and ruthlessness, seems not to be a primary concern. I am reminded of how German communists were taken advantage of by the Nazis in their rise to power.

Here's leftist writer George Monbiot, writing about the emptiness at the center of the left in a Guardian forum (though he wouldn't characterize it that way):

I haven't spelt out a position on this, simply pointed to one of the problems we encounter in trying to formulate an "anti-capitalist" ideology. And I have not given up the search for an answer; I'm just aware that the search and the answer are gravely constrained by a pretty intractable reality.

He's knows what he's against but Monbiot has only a vague notion about what he's for. But don't worry, he's still searching. Meanwhile, in the intro to that forum, the Guardian writes of Monbiot (via LGF):

As well as involvement in the World and European Social Forums, Monbiot is currently in discussions with a coalition of Stop the War, George Galloway, trades unions, the Muslim Association of Britain and others on forming a parliamentary opposition to the mainstream political parties.

The Muslim Association of Britain is an offshoot of Egypt's notorious Muslim Brotherhood. I guess the question is, how much of the answer that Monbiot and others like him are searching for will be provided by Islamism? Or does Monbiot think that the left can use Islamism's energy at no cost? A UK website called Chartist dedicated to "people active in radical politics" posted an article, apparently back in May about this. The writer is trying to convince the left to put aside any worries they may have about Islamists. Here's the intro:

A different coalition has emerged on the streets of Britain in opposition to the Iraq war. But Adam Riaz Khan argues that the left and Muslims must learn to build on their shared anti-capitalism.

Khan writes:

It is important that progressive left wing forces capitalise on the rise in political consciousness of the Muslim community and in particular the Muslim youth who flooded the streets of East London on the day that war with Iraq began.

Stop the War Coalition has indeed realised that the time has come for revolutionary purist attitudes to be abandoned.

Note the appeal to Islamism's vitality and youth. In order to tap into that energy, so lacking on the left, the purist attitudes that the left needs to abandon presumbaly include objections to religous totalitarianism. Of course the left is no stranger to totalitarianism, but they tend to prefer the leftist version of it. But to defeat capitalism, they'll work with people who favor the theocratic version. And hope for the best afterwards.

What will come of all this I couldn't possibly say. But it is a perfect demonstration of Blair's Law in action: the ongoing process by which the world's multiple idiocies are becoming one giant, useless force.