[lbo-talk] Islam and Muslims (was Doug and Islam)

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

On 3/17/07, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Mar 17, 2007, at 2:19 AM, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
> > As
> > Marxism in practice has ceased to be an ideology of liberation and has
> > instead become an ideology of progressive capitalist development minus
> > transition to socialism in many countries (with some exceptions such
> > as Cuba, Nepal, and Venezuela), the poorer half of the world are
> > likely to turn to religion more than ever.
>
> So you're saying that Marx got religion exactly right in the classic
> heart of a heartless world passage? The sigh of an oppressed
> creature, but a doctrine that cures nothing, only perpetuates and
> mystifies earthly misery?

No.  I'm saying that the positions of Marxism and religion have become
inverted in many countries: Marxism has become "a doctrine that cures
nothing, only perpetuates and mystifies earthly misery," because
Marxism _without transition to socialism_ is a Zombie Marxism, merely
a philosophy of progressive capitalist development whose motto may be
"Expropriate the Expropriated," leaving religion to attend to earthly
needs and desires of the global slum dwellers.
-- 
Yoshie