Manifesto: Together Facing the New Totalitarianism

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MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism was made in response to the Muslim violence surrounding the Muhammad cartoons controversy, which resulted in more than 200 deaths and hundreds of injuries.[1]

Text of Manifesto

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new global totalitarian threat: Islamism.

We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.

Recent events, prompted by the publication of drawings of Muhammad in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values.

This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field.

It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism between West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarian ideologies, Islamism is nurtured by fear and frustration.

Preachers of hatred play on these feelings to build the forces with which they can impose a world where liberty is crushed and inequality reigns.

But we say this, loud and clear: nothing, not even despair, justifies choosing darkness, totalitarianism and hatred.

Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present.

Its victory can only lead to a world of injustice and domination: men over women, fundamentalists over others.

On the contrary, we must ensure access to universal rights for the oppressed or those discriminated against.

We reject the "cultural relativism" which implies an acceptance that men and women of Muslim culture are deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secularism in the name of the respect for certain cultures and traditions.

We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", a wretched concept that confuses criticism of Islam as a religion and stigmatisation of those who believe in it.

We defend the universality of the freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit can exist in every continent, towards each and every maltreatment and dogma.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits in every country that our century may be one of light and not dark.


Signed by:


Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Chahla Chafiq

Caroline Fourest

Bernard-Henri Levy

Irshad Manji

Mehdi Mozaffari

Maryam Namazie

Taslima Nasreen

Salman Rushdie

Antoine Sfeir

Philippe Val

Ibn Warraq[2]

Second Manifesto

The second manifesto (asking supporters of the original twelve signatories to put down their names as signatures) was created in response to a death threat issued from Ummah.net (now Ummah.com).[3]

"We support the signatories of the Manifesto 'Together facing the new totalitarianism' On Saturday, March 11, a thread on the British Islamist site, www.ummah.net, issued a death threat against the 12 signatories. The text of the threat is very clear:
'Excellent - makes killing the kuffar [apostate] all the bit easier... Now we have a hit list of a 'Who's Who' guide to slam into. Take your time but make sure their gone soon - oh and don't hold out for a fatwah it isn't really required here.'
We, the undersigned, wish to express our unequivocal support for and solidarity with the twelve signatories and our outrage at the Islamist movement's attack on them. We stand firm with the 12 against this reactionary movement and join in their call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all."[3]

See Also

  • Library - WikiIslam's online library of books

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References