Not all about opium: the Marxist attitude to religion

Many oppressive rulers have used religion to justify their brutality. George Bush would claim that God is on his side, although many Christians detest what he has done in Iraq. However, the repressive regimes that called themselves Communist and were led by atheists, also have a rotten track record, and the fact that religion was often suppressed under these Stalinist dictatorships perpetuated misconceptions about the Marxist attitude to religion.

Marx was a democrat before he became a socialist. His socialism is actually about extending democracy by giving the working class majority democratic control over the economy. Workers in Mao's China or Stalin's Russia had no democratic control over anything. For Marx, religious freedom was a fundamental democratic right and religion was a private matter in which the state should not interfere.

The defence of religious freedom has always been a key principle of genuine Marxism, and for good reason: the struggle for socialism must necessarily involve the mass of the world's workers, the majority of whom will identify with some faith. Marxists therefore strive to build solidarity among workers across all faiths.

Dawkins argues that religion is to blame for war. This patently false idea provides a cover for imperialism. The world's rich and powerful states compete with each other for resources, access to markets, and so on. Corporations in powerful countries like the US rely on their government to look after their interests - including using force to shore up their status in the world.

The conflict in Palestine, for example, is not about religion; it is about occupation. The racist state of Israel is built on stolen Palestinian land. Many Zionists involved in setting up Israel were secular nationalists and often atheists. While Islamic groups like Hamas now play a leading role, the Palestinian resistance was initially dominated by the secular factions of the PLO.

Unfortunately, left-wing organisations and individuals have at times taken a wrong position on questions of religion. When the French government banned the hijab from schools and government buildings, much of the French left failed to defend Muslims. Disgracefully, they supported this racist attack on the dubious grounds of defending secularism, and the bizarre claim of defending women's rights (by stopping young women from attending school because of what they choose to wear?).

So, we need to be wary of claims about "defending secularism", and look at the political context. The real issue may well be about “scapegoating” and oppressing a minority. Often it will be about imperialists finding a pretext for war - as with the so-called "war on terror".

It is not only in relation to oppressed religions like Islam that socialists must show respect and sensitivity. We also want movements for change to include people who belong to so-called mainstream religions.

Sections of the Australian left seriously erred in their reaction to the Pope's visit to Sydney in July. A rally was organised to oppose the Pope's homophobia and stance on contraception. As led by the Democratic Socialist Perspective (DSP), it became an exercise in sniggering at religious people. The DSP's decision to thrust condoms at pilgrims led to an inevitable confrontation. Such behaviour can only isolate the left from potential allies. Some pilgrims had attended a rally for Aboriginal rights that week, and many Catholics groups and individuals have been involved in the anti-war movement.

None of this is to say that we are not for secularism as such. We, as Marxists, are for the separation of Church and State. But socialists will never tolerate attacks on people's right to practise religion, especially as it relates to oppressed groups, and the left must not belittle people of faith.

Marxists have no problems seeking allies among religious people. The revolution that needs to take place on this earth must involve people of various faiths as well as those of no faith. Making a fetish of secularism and atheism will not aid this process.