Ram Puniyani.
“I am Muslim. I am a Democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.” (From Transcript of Mamdani’s victory Speech).
Zohran Mamdani’s victory as the mayor of major American and global city New York is a phenomenon of great significance from most angles. It is victory of the issues of average people over the domination of rich and affluent people’s concerns, it is victory of a young man with dynamism and firm convictions over the entrenched vested interests, it is victory of hope for humanistic values over the crass selfish interests, it is victory of values of march of human society towards the dream of equality.
It can be analyzed from so many angles in a way. His march from the very negligible strength to the unassailable victory! One aspect which needs to be considered is as to why he had to say that he is a Muslim and democratic socialist in his victory speech? Surely both these terms have been demonized in the popular perceptions from the last many decades. The word socialist is equated with a close cousin of Communism which focuses on the welfare of average people and is looked down upon by the right wing, more so in America.
The fear mongering against communism in particular reached its peak in the cold war era. This was the period around which many colonies were getting independence from the clutches of colonial powers and trying to plant their roots as independent nations. Russia (USSR, that time) had also emerged as the major global super power. America had already established itself as the major power, inheriting the legacy of colonial powers of yesteryears. America in particular was keen that it establish its hegemony in the newly independent states. USSR by this time was also offering these states help in strengthening their roots.
The example of Pakistan and India is quite apt. While the USSR offered to build India’s infrastructure, heavy industries etc., America was keen to sell the finished products rather than setting up the core industries here. India opted for developing its infrastructure while Pakistan generally depended on America to supply the finished products. The difference in the trajectory of two neighbors is very clear.
This was accompanied by the US propaganda machinery launching its tirade against Communism, this was practically supplemented by wars against such countries. America’s war against Vietnam was the most atrocious part of their anti-Communist tirade.
Worldwide Communism became a bad word, American media leading in the game of propaganda. This was very well demonstrated by Noam Chomsky in his thesis “Manufacturing Consent’, how the state deploys policies whereby the Media creates an impression of Communism being an evil force. In America itself its hostility to communism manifested in the form of McCarthyism, which was an attempt to root out the communists from the American administration, “SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY rose to national prominence by initiating a probe to ferret out communists holding prominent positions. During his investigations, safeguards promised by the Constitution were trampled.”
The right-wing in India toed this line and supported the American policies against countries like Viet Nam. Mercifully American armies were badly mauled in Vietnam. Meanwhile in India the right wing RSS-BJS (Bharatiya Jansangh), took a similar line. Rahul Sagar explains that Hindu nationalist parties like the Hindu Mahasabha and the Jan Sangh supported the U.S.-led anti-Communist position during the Cold War because of their “distaste for communism…”
He writes that these groups were “driven to seek friendship with the West” for ideological reasons, though they also feared Western materialism and U.S. attempts to “contain India.” Jan Sangh, the previous avatar of BJP, was critical of India’s non aligned policies and wanted India to have pro West policies. In accordance with all this M.S. Golwalkar; in his book Bunch of Thoughts writes that Hindu Nation has three internal threats, Muslims, Christians and Communists. All this created an anti-Communist-Socialist sentiments.
The phobia against Islam, Muslims is a post 9/11 phenomenon. Zohran’s father Prof Zohran Mamdani has contributed a brilliant book, ‘Good Muslim Bad Muslim’ showing that the roots of Al Qaeda and its clones were in the American policy of control in oil zones. The US had invested 8 thousand million dollars and 7 thousand tons of armaments in training and supporting these terrorist groups. The role of American media in propagating “Islamic terrorism”, associating Islam with terrorism, was nothing short of crime against Humanity.
This formula, which for the first time associated the political phenomenon of terrorism with a religion, was horrific, raising a finger against all the Muslims of the World. In India this global islamophobia was an add on the already prevalent biases against Muslims, the roots of which lay in the British policy of ‘divide and rule’ which presented Indian history through the prism of religion of the kings. While Kings rule for power and wealth, here religion was presented as the guiding motive of the policies of the king.
Through ‘selective historiography’ the demonization of Muslim kings was reflected on to the present generation of Muslims. This led to the communal violence and pushed the Indian policies in retrograde direction. This led to demonization of Muslims leading to their marginalization and ghettoization in the society.
Zohran Mamdani very brilliantly shows that these ‘Communist-Socialist’ and Muslim demonization is the curse of global society. In these both demonization’s America has played a leading role, assisted by the local factors of particular countries. Both these demonization’s are strongly present in the ‘social common sense’ globally. India is also witnessing the opposition to the humane policies under the banner of Socialism and Islam.
In the US already Mamdani is being called a Communist, a jihadi who will repeat 9/11 and what have you. It is a dangerous decoction being prepared by the vested interests for whom only their own wealth and luxuries matter. Mamdani is more for policies which will benefit all irrespective of their social hierarchy. The opposition to him is being orchestrated by urging the billionaires to leave New York and settle in other parts of America. Mamdani is very clear that socialism, regarding social welfare of all is a must and one’s religion should not matter in any way while making the policies which benefit the deprived sections of society, which are there; irrespective of their religion.
