How to fight Fascism?
Is Identity Politics, Political Islam or glorifying Hijab the answer to the Hindutva assualt?
I have seen many FB friends post this Hannah Arendt's quote: “If one is attacked as a Jew, one must defend oneself as a Jew. Not as a German, not as a world-citizen, not as an upholder of the Rights of Man.”
This is taken as the final truth as is often the case in Social Media debates. One quote from a renowned person is supposed to be the end of debate. There is a term for this - "Appeal to authority" - a logical fallacy. But what do friends posting the quote really want to convey? I truly want to understand.
Is it a statement against discrimination on the basis of religious markers? But the fight against that is universal, no? The right to life, to education, or eat adequately and what you want, dress as you wish are universal. So, why must we narrow down this fight to our particular social identity? Also, wouldn’t sound tactics dictate that one would want to universalise these struggles for having maximum chances of success against a very formidable opponent. The lessons from the Farmers movement would seem to point in that direction. It was critical to make it a struggle of all farmers and workers, not just of Sikh farmers. The farmer leaders clearly adopted this strategy.
Going back to Hannah Arendt. She associated with the Zionist movement. And the quote was probably from during that time. Post war, she came under fierce attack from Israel and the Zionists who renounced her. But that aside, was Zionism the only way or even a viable strategy to fight the Nazis. In fact the Zionists collaborated with the Nazis and their leaders consciously recognised that state anti-Semitism was essential to their colonial project. It is no accident that Zionism would transform into the grotesque Israeli state, post war. On the other hand, many Jews refused to identify with Zionism, were ardent Communists who sacrificed their lives fighting in the German Resistance. Were they not truly fighting the Nazis? Were they cowards shying way from their religious identity? Or where they doing what they felt was the only way to fight the Nazis - by universalising their fight.
Now extend this logic to those in the current times who argue that the fight against modern Fascism could only be won through identity politics.