Charlie Hebdo. Lettre aux escrocs de l’islamophobie qui font le jeu des racists. Charb. Review Article.

A vital review article of the final writing by Charb, editor of Charlie Hebdo, before he was murdered in January. Coates is amongst the vital but increasingly beleaguered voices on the Marxist left who continues to fight for the possibility of real critique, satire and freedom of speech in the face of many neo-Stalinists who seek to censor anything which upsets their fragile, reified, and class-free identity politics.

Tendance Coatesy

 Posthumous Blot of Light.

Lettre aux escrocs de l’islamophobie qui font le jeu des racists. Charb. Les Échappés. 2015.

“This text was completed on the 5th of January 2015, two days before the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo, during which Charb lost his life.”

The Lettre addresses the reader, “If you think that criticism of religions is the expression of racism” “If you think that ‘Islam’ is the name of a people.” “If you think that punishing blasphemers will open the gates of heaven for you.” “If you think that left-wing atheists play into the hands of fascists and xenophobes” “If you think that it is essential to classify citizens according to their religion” “If you think that one can laugh at everything except whatever is sacred to you.” “If you think that popularising the concept of Islamophobia is the best way of defending Islam” ………..

“So, dear reader, this…

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