Originally carried in Jyllands-Posten on February 28, 2006THE MANIFESTO OF 12: Together facing the new totalitarianism
After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new global totalitarian threat: Islamism.
We -- writers, journalists and public intellectuals -- call for resistance to religious totalitarianism.
Instead, we call for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values worldwide.
The necessity of these universal values has been revealed by events since the publication of the Muhammad drawings in European newspapers. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the arena of ideas. What we are witnessing is not a clash of civilizations, nor an antagonism of West versus East, but a global struggle between democrats and theocrats.
Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The preachers of hate bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a world of inequality. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred.
Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of greater power imbalances: man’s domination of woman, the Islamists’ domination of all others.
To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed people. For that reason, we reject “cultural relativism,” which consists of accepting that Muslim men and women should be deprived of their right to equality and freedom in the name their cultural traditions.
We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of “Islamophobia,” an unfortunate concept that confuses criticism of Islamic practices with the stigmatization of Muslims themselves.
We plead for the universality of free expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on every continent, against every abuse and dogma.
We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of enlightenment, not of obscurantism.
Signed,
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Chahla Chafiq , Caroline Fourest, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Irshad Manji , Mehdi Mozaffari, Maryam Namazie, Taslima Nasreen, Salman Rushdie, Antoine Sfeir, Philippe Val, Ibn Warraq
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, of Somalian origin, is member of Dutch Parliament, member of the liberal party VVD and writter of the film Submission which caused the assassination of Theo Van Gogh in november 2004. She lives under police protection.
Chahla Chafiq
Chahla Chafiq, is a novelist and an essayist of Iranian origin, exiled in France.
Caroline Fourest
Essayist, winner of National prize of laicité in 2005, editor in chief of Prochoix, a pro-Choice journal based in France, .
Bernard-Henri Lévy
French philosopher, born in Algeria, engaged against all the XXth century 'ism's, and most recently, the author of American Vertigo.
Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji is a Fellow at Yale University and the internationally best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith.
Mehdi Mozaffari
Mehdi Mozaffari, professor of Iranian origin, exiled in Denmark, author of several articles and books on Islam and Islamism such as : Authority in Islam: From Muhammad to Khomeini, Fatwa: Violence and Discourtesy and Glaobalization and Civilizations.
Maryam Namazie
Writer, TV International English producer; Director of the Worker-communist Party of Iran's International Relations; and 2005 winner of the National Secular Society's Secularist of the Year award.
Taslima Nasreen
Journalist, novelist and poet, Taslima Nasreen attained global attention when fundamentalist Muslim clerics lead a violent campaign for killing her and a prize was set for her head in response to her books and articles.
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is the author of nine novels, including Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses and, most recently, Shalimar the Clown. An Honorary Professor in the Humanities at M.I.T., and the president of PEN American Center.
Philippe Val
Director of publication of Charlie Hebdo (Leftwing French newspaper who republished the controversial cartoons on prophet Muhammad).
Ibn Warraq
Ibn Warraq , author notably of Why I am Not a Muslim; Leaving Islam : Apostates Speak Out ; and The Origins of the Koran, is at present Research Fellow at a New York Institute conducting philological and historical research into the Origins of Islam and its Holy Book.
Antoine Sfeir
Born in Lebanon, chose French nationality to live in 'laïc' (real secular) country. Director of Les cahiers de l'Orient who has published several reference books on Islamism such as Les réseaux d'Allah (2001) et Liberté, égalité, Islam : la République face au communautarisme (2005).
