The Anti-Freedom Movements Aren’t So Different

As misinformed and indoctrinated college students continue to fall prey to the poison of Islamic totalitarian propaganda regarding the victim status that has been bestowed on Hamas, it would be prudent to push back against the false narratives flooding out of the mainstream media. As the facts present, Hamas is the aggressor – a totalitarian aggressor – which has more in common with Marxism than those who value individualism and freedom – the true ideology of the Western World.

Islamism and Marxism, at different times and in various regions, have exhibited totalitarian tendencies; and authoritarian appropriation through the use of oppression and violence at times tallying the slaughter of tens of millions in their quest for control, albeit for different reasons.

While their ideological underpinnings may seem fundamentally unique, there are notable and significant similarities in how they have manifested as forms of authoritarian governance. In the end, Islamic, Socialist, and Communist rule is – in every circumstance throughout history – oppressive and antithetical to freedom, choice, self-determination, and liberty.

The November 10, 2023 Segment on America’s Third Watch

A Cursory Historical Context

To understand the oppressively totalitarian similarities between Islamism and Marxism, it's crucial to consider the historical context in which these ideologies emerged and gained power.

Islamism, a relatively contemporary political ideology circa 610 A.D., is based on a strict and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. Devout Islamists consider the Quran as the literal word of Allah (words not open to interpretation), and the Hadith (mandated Muhammadian traditions for all Muslims). This stands in stark contrast to the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Torah, which are all interpretive records of individuals – Holy and otherwise – and historical accounts sans, the Ten Commandments.

The conquest-oriented nature of Islamism goes back to its genesis in the 7th Century which resulted in the establishment of authoritative caliphates, including:

• Umayyad Caliphate: 661–750

• Rashidun Caliphate: 632–661

• Abbasid Caliphate: 750–1258

• Samanid Dynasty: 819–999

• Saffarid Dynasty: 861–1003

• Fatimid Caliphate: 909–1171

• Ghaznavid Empire: 977–1186

• Seljuk Empire: 1037–1194

• Delhi Sultanate: 1206–1526

• Abbasid Caliphate: 1261–1517

• Ilkhanate: 1295–1335

• Ottoman Empire: 1299–1922

• Golden Horde: 1313–1502

• Chagatai Khanate: 1347–1660

• Timurid Empire: 1370–1507

• Safavid Empire: 1501–1736

• Mughal Empire: 1526–1857

More contemporarily, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, marked a turning point in the spread of political Islam. It demonstrated the potential for a religious movement to seize control of a state and establish an Islamic theocracy. Since then, various Islamist groups and regimes have emerged across the Muslim world, including the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Marxism, on the other hand, originated in the 19th century with the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It evolved into various forms – including socialism, with communism being the most prominent.

The October Revolution in 1917 brought the Bolshevik Party to power in Russia, establishing the first communist regime. The 20th century witnessed the often violent spread of communism across Eastern Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. It led to oppressive totalitarian regimes in countries like the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, each of which came at the price of human purges – pogroms – that resulted in the mass slaughter of millions of people.

While the historical contexts of Islamism and Marxism differ in terms of geography, time, and ideological foundations (addressed later), both ideologies emerged in opposition to established political orders based on individualism and liberty and sought to establish new, elitist, authoritarian systems of governance.

The False Promise of Utopian Ideological Foundations

While Islamism and Marxism have distinct ideological foundations, there are noteworthy similarities in how each defines their respective “utopian societies.”

Islamism is rooted in a strict fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, aiming to establish a society governed by Islamic law or Sharia law. Its vision of a utopian society is deeply Muhammadian, emphasizing the “moral” and “ethical” values in their exclusive accordance with the Quran and Hadith, which have been proven to be authoritarian texts. In the Islamist view, a “just” and “virtuous” society can only be achieved through the application of Islamic jurisprudence.

This jurisprudence includes a woman to provide 4 male witnesses to any accusation of rape. If the woman claims rape and doesn’t provide 4 males willing to testify on her behalf, the woman is essentially admitting to having engaged in adultery, a “moral” crime punishable by death by stoning.

Marxism, in contrast, is a secular ideology that focuses on class struggle and the abolition of private property. The utopian vision of Marxism is a classless society based on equity where the means of production are collectively owned. It envisions any government based on the idea of individualism, liberty, and the will of the people eventually withering away, resulting in a society where resources are distributed according to the principle “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.”

Of course, even in a Marxian utopia, there would need to be a class (read: privileged and elite) that assures the acquiescence of the people to the “will of the collective” and defined by that elevated class, obliterating the “classless society” immediately in its use of an elite class of overseers.

Despite these foundational differences, both ideologies share a common aspiration to create an “ideal society.” They view the existing order as corrupt, oppressive, and in need of radical transformation. This shared vision of a utopian society is a critical similarity between Islamism and Marxism, as it motivates their followers to pursue authoritarian – and often lawless and violent – means to achieve their goals.

The Consolidation Of Power = Suppressing The Opposition

Totalitarian regimes, whether Islamist or Marxist, employ a range of methods to consolidate power and suppress opposition. These methods demonstrate striking similarities:

• Suppression of Dissent: Both Islamism and Marxism rely on the suppression of dissent to maintain control. In Islamic theocracies like Iran, criticism of religious authorities or deviation from religious orthodoxy can lead to severe punishment or even execution. In Marxist states like the former Soviet Union and China, dissent against the ruling party’s ideology often resulted in imprisonment, forced labor, or execution.

• Propaganda & Indoctrination: Both dogmas emphasize the importance of ideological purity, the propagation of their worldviews, and their dogma’s eventual global domination. In Islamist regimes, religious indoctrination is a mandatory central aspect of education and media. In Marxist regimes, the state controls information and promotes communist ideology through propaganda, censorship, and state-controlled media.

• Cult of Personality: Totalitarian regimes, such as Islamism and Marxism are, often cultivate a cult of personality around their leaders. In Islamism, figures like Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, Mullah Omar in Afghanistan, and the now-dispatched Osama bin Laden have been elevated to near-mythical status. In Marxism, leaders like Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong – almost in ignorance of the tens of millions they both killed in their quests for revolutionary power – became iconic symbols of their respective regimes, with their images adorning public spaces and their thoughts enshrined as dogma.

• Surveillance & Control: Both Islamism and Marxism have used extensive, pervasive, and limitless surveillance and control mechanisms to monitor and suppress opposition (a critical debate on the use of these actions is currently underway in the Western Culture). This includes the use of secret police and informants to maintain social order. In both cases, citizens may live in fear of being reported for deviating from the official ideology.

• Violence & Repression: Violence and repression are common features of totalitarian regimes. Islamist groups have engaged in acts of terrorism and violence to achieve their political goals. In Iran, for example, the LGBTQ community is marked for immediate execution, while “immodest” women are often “disappeared.” Similarly, Marxist regimes have been responsible for mass purges, forced labor camps, and political repression on a massive scale. One need only consider the Soviet Gulags or the Uygher “re-education” camps in communist China.

The Threat To Global Stability By These Dogmas

The totalitarian similarities – the oppression, manipulation, coercion, and violence – between Islamism and Marxism have significant implications for political, social, and global stability:

• Human Rights Violations: Both ideologies, when implemented in a totalitarian fashion (as they most often are), have a track record of severe human rights violations. The suppression of individual freedoms, freedom of speech, and religious liberties is widespread in Islamist and Marxist regimes. Citizens may face persecution and violence for expressing dissenting views or practicing their religion. Nowhere is this more evident than in communist China where Yughars and Tibetans are indentured, or historically in the Soviet Union where Jews were subject to pogroms and detention in the gulags.

• Destabilization: Totalitarian regimes based on Islamism or Marxism often contribute to regional and global instability. Today’s spread of radical Islamist groups like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas – as well as the expansionist ambitions of Marxist regimes both today and during the Cold War, have disrupted international relations and contributed by way of aggressive destabilization as the catalyst in several global and large regional conflicts, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and today’s War in Israel where the Israelis are being forced to defend themselves against Islamofascist aggression emanating from Hamas, al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and Hezbollah, the former and the latter controlled by the Islamist mullahs of Iran.

• Resistance & Opposition: Totalitarian regimes also face resistance and opposition, whether from domestic dissidents, external actors, or regional alliances. Opposition to these regimes can take various forms, including armed conflict, civil disobedience, and diplomatic pressure. Two very good examples of this come in the current Isreali-Palestinian conflict and the free world’s opposition and push back against the Marxist-based “woke” movement.

• Ideological Appeal Via Indoctrination: Despite their grotesque flaws, authoritarian tendencies, and quests for world domination, Islamism and Marxism continue to appeal to weaker, less educated, and intellectually stunted segments of the population. Today, the purveyors of the totalitarian dogmas disingenuously position themselves as champions of justice, equality, and sometimes religious righteousness. They attempt to achieve transitional chaos through the Balkanization of populations using the strategy of divide et impera – divide and conquer, commonly attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli but first conceptualized by  Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.

In The End…

While Islamism and Marxism have unique and separate ideological foundations and historical contexts, they share significant and dangerous totalitarian similarities in their methods of control and the consequences of their governance. Both ideologies claim to want to establish utopian societies but in reality want to assume the position of elite and privileged overseers to the whole of those utopian societies, thus proving the lie of the utopian concept.

In the end, both Islamists and Marxists are willing to employ deceptive, manipulative, oppressive, and deadly authoritarian means to achieve their goals. The implications of these similarities and these chosen tactics are profound, as they manifest in unspeakable human rights violations, contributing to regional and global instability.

Understanding these factual parallels is essential for elected officials and their subordinate policymakers – as well as those in academia, advocacy, and individuals seeking to address the dangers posed by authoritarian ideologies, not only in their impact on societies and global affairs but to the very existence of individualism and freedom in the world.

Sadly, today the Marxist ideology holds significant sway through a corrupted media and through a network of fascist elites who give short shrift to the sanctity of individual freedom in their quest for privilege and control.

So, the next time you see the ignorant masses of the Western university undergraduate community chanting catchphrases and screeching hate towards Israel at pro-Hamas protests; the next time you see demonstrations hawking social justice or diversity, equity, and inclusion; the next time you see con-artists like Ibrahim X. Kendi, Klaus Schwab, Robin DeAngelo, George Soros, Nicole Hanah-Jones, Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama pontificating about the need for “change,” please identify what their core belief systems are and realize that they are not liberators or even supporting the continued existence of freedom. They are the power-greedy elites who seek to rule over their fake utopias; utopias that in and of themselves are lies.

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