Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur’an and Muhammad — especially zakāt — are compatible with principles of economic and social equality. They draw inspiration from the early Medinan welfare state established by Muhammad. Muslim socialists are generally not as socially liberal as their western counterparts. Like Christian democrats, Muslim socialists found their roots in anti-imperialism. Muslim socialist leaders believe in democracy and the derivation of legitimacy from the public, as opposed to Islamic religious texts or claims to be Muhammad’s successors.
Until then, parties on the left had embraced the mostly working-class minority as a natural ally. Migrants from Muslim majority countries first began settling permanently in Western Europe in the 1970s and ’80s. The unexpected transformation of receiving countries into “immigration societies” provoked nationalist and racist reactions on the right, while parties on the left appeared the likely beneficiary of the influx of future voters. German trade unions were already enrolling Gastarbeiter (guest workers) in the 1960s, decades before the German state considered granting Turks easy access to citizenship. When the Socialist leader François Mitterrand was elected French president in 1981, he authorized foreigners to create cultural and political associations—mostly benefiting Algerians, Moroccans, and Tunisians—that party leaders hoped would federate under the Socialist banner.
Parties of the left began supporting civic integration efforts at the same moment that center-right parties began battling an ascendant extreme right. While Christian Democrats repeated the mantra that “Germany is not a country of immigration,” for example, German Greens and Social Democrats lobbied for dual nationality for Turks. Conservative coalitions at the time portrayed the immigrant population as a drain on resources and a threat to security and the national way of life. The Social Democratic defense of the second generation’s “right to be different” and to participate in politics allowed center-left parties to defend their ideals while making inroads into a budding electorate of millions.
Mitterrand followed a similar path in creating SOS Racisme, a pioneering anti-discrimination organization that offered proof of pervasive everyday racism in French society, from the front doors of nightclubs to human resources offices and housing agencies. Through media work and effective use of the slogan “Touche pas à mon pote” (“Get your hands off my buddy”), the group contributed to a revolutionary shift in the public imagination of North Africans from immigrants to fellow citizens. Naturally, it was hoped that the association would act as a feeder for activists from the banlieues into the party.
The second meeting of the Socialist International Special Committee on the Arab World took place in Istanbul on 23-24 March 2012, hosted by the Republican People’s Party, CHP (list of participants). Discussions centered on empowering the progressive actors to secure the success of the transitions at a turning point in the region, with special focus also on the ongoing humanitarian and political crises in Syria, where daily violence and massacres have caused much consternation and anguish within the social democratic movement and the wider international community.
Socialism in India was established early in the 20th century as a part of the Indian independence movement against the colonial British Raj. It grew quickly in popularity as it espoused the causes of India’s farmers and labourers against the zamindars, princely class and landed gentry. Socialism shaped the principle economic and social policies of the Indian government after independence until the early 1990s, when India moved towards a free-market economy. However, it remains a potent influence on Indian politics, with a large number of national and regional political parties espousing democratic socialism.
Hindu Socialism:
This is the thumb rule. This is what Hindus are expected to be in truth and what they should be doing according to the philosophy of the Hindu scriptures. But in reality, a great majority of the Hindus fail to see the unity. Brought up in a society that is organized
on the basis of caste system and on social values that are centered around the concepts of karma and maya, an average Hindu is more obsessed with the problems of his evolutionary impasse and preordained existence than with the harsh realities of the illusory world.
Hindu society has always been divided deeply on the basis of caste, region, gender, language, beliefs, occupation and ideology. And every average Hindu considers these inequalities justified and puts up with them. Hinduism recognizes social and economic inequalities inevitable constituents of society because of the individual differences in the nature of their karma
Hindu Socialists have high intellect and wish to amend the Social Injustices that occur in India and around the world. Proving that Socialism is organic as all humans wish to receive wisdom and compassion. Hindusm see all concerned people world wide sharing the same thoughts and values and are Karmically intertwined.
For Kshama Sawant
The Dissident 