YCLSA PRESS STATEMENT
Friday July 17, 2015
"Eid Mubarak" to all Muslims – from the Young Communist League of SA
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] wishes all South African Muslims and others throughout the world a joyous Eid al Fitr.
This feast and celebration comes at the end of a month of fasting wherein observant Muslims experienced something of the hunger endured by millions throughout the world. Let the month of Ramadan that you have just completed teach you heightened solidarity with those who are forced to exist in perpetual starvation because the capitalist economic system conspires to keep them hungry.
On this occasion we reiterate our opposition to all forms of racial and religious discrimination including ant-Semitism, Zionism, xenophobia, afrophobia and particularly the escalating Islamophobia throughout the world. The scapegoating of Muslims just because they refuse to succumb to the hegemony of imperialism must end now.
We call upon Muslims throughout the world to be mindful of the ceaseless attempts to appropriate religion and religious symbols for capitalist consumerism and even oppression. Rather, we urge Muslim comrades amongst our ranks and the Muslim community more generally, both young and old, to resurrect and advance the subversive and heroic memories of the brave heroes and soldiers of justice in your Islamic tradition who chose resistance above exploitation.
Make a choice and advance the courage of Moses who resisted the unjust Pharoah, advance the revolutionary spirit of Muhammed who resisted the oppressive and powerful Quraysh, make a choice to advance the spirit of Abu Zarr al-Ghiffari who opposed those who sought to make money out of the revolution that Muhammad, your Prophet initiated, choose Ali Shariati who resisted the Shah in Iran when the Shah was a lackey of imperialist powers, and choose, from within our own compatriots, to advance the spirit and courage of comrades Yusuf Dadoo, Fatima Meer and other South African Muslims who gave their lives together with others in the fight and struggle against Apartheid.
Have a wonderful Eid al-Fitr even as you are painfully aware of millions of brothers and sisters in faith who are dying – no, not dying but being murdered – in Bahrain, Burma, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. Remember the millions more who are having the light of freedom extinguished in countries such as Egypt under miliary dictatorship and the millions living under illegal occupation in Palestine and Western Sahara.
Celebrate, enjoy Eid, and, yes, do eat on this day of festivities but only because revolutionary soldiers, communist cadres and young lions cannot fight for a more just world on empty stomachs!
A revolutionary Eid Mubarak!
For Comment:
Mluleki Dlelanga, YCL SA National Secretary: 0786429004
Muhammed Desai, YCL SA National Committee Member: 0842119988
Issued by YCLSA Media
