The idea that the Palestinian people have only been able to persist because of their religion is ridiculous to me. They are resisting because colonialism, apartheid and genocide are very bad things to which nobody would want to be subjected, not because of Islam. If Palestinians were atheists, is he suggesting that they wouldn’t have the strength or the will to resist? Would their lack of a belief in the supernatural turn them into doormats for Isn’treal?
I like Hakim’s content, but his position on religion is quite frustrating. He is a Muslim first and a Marxist second. Also, Joram van Klaveren is still a right-winger.
Also religious belief can 100% motivate socialist beliefs. Take as two examples John Brown and Tony Benn
Existing forms of community, such as religious groups, also lend themselves well to socialism. Religious dogma is idealistic, but it feels reductive to ignore the motivation of belonging to and supporting a community when analyzing whether Marxism and religious beliefs are compatible.
There’s evidence to support their compatibility as well as the damage religious groups can have on socialist causes. At the end of the day, I say more comrades is better.
My thinking is this look at Catholicism, they adapted to Roman patronism, they adapted to feudalism, they adapted to capitalism, they’ll adapt again with a new economic system
liberation theology could be to communism what calvinism was to capitalism