Art isn’t only about taste and enjoyment, but about struggle and resistance. “A Language for Exiles,” the Muslim Youth Collective of Indianapolis’ annual art show July 31 did just that. Showcasing Muslim art and voices in the community as expressions of resistance to imperialism and colonialism through poetry, speeches, and visual art, they connected the pain of dispossession and oppression with the joy of resilience and resistance.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation salutes the Muslim Youth Collective and expresses our gratitude for their solidarity and their organizing. We encourage all of our members and supporters to follow the MYC on social media (on facebook, twitter, and instagram) and to back their initiatives. The collective’s work is pivotal for the struggle in this city and everywhere.
The following solidarity statement was read and distributed at the event:
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim violence in the U.S. are not new. Nor is it coincidental that they’ve increased dramatically over the last 20 years. The imperialist ruling class promotes this bigotry in order to justify their crimes against the peoples of the Middle East (or West Asia and Northern Africa), to create a false enemy for working and oppressed people in the U.S., and to legitimate the surveillance and scapegoating of Muslim communities here. The U.S. has a long and bloody history of intervention in the region, from Libya and Iran to Yemen and Sudan from Afghanistan and Iraq to Palestine and Syria. Since 1945, it has waged brutal wars, conducted assassinations, overthrown popular governments, installed brutal puppet dictatorships, imposed sanctions, occupied, and generally tried to control the entire region. The government doesn’t care about Muslim people of the world (which tells us that their “concern” for the Uighur community in China is just a justification for their imperialist aggression against the People’s Republic of China).
Islamophobia is not the problem of individual ignorance or bias, but of the imperialist system. While their language and tactics might differ superficially, both the Democrats and Republicans are imperialist parties. It doesn’t matter what Party is in office or what identity the President is, U.S. imperialism pursues its objectives abroad and at home.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation fights for the right of oppressed people to self-determination and combats all forms of bigotry. We have a common enemy and if we work together, we can defeat them and create a world free of exploitation and oppression.! Victory to the oppressed!
