Imperialism Is the Problem, Not Religion

َAgonas, Orinoco Tribune, April 4, 2024 —

“The only way we’ll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world.” – Kwame Ture

Imperialism, as a system of domination and exploitation, not only seeks to control territories and resources but also aims to impose its cultural and ideological values on colonized peoples.

Imperialism’s use of religion and culture to uphold its dominance is a form of soft power, exerting influence through persuasion, ideology, and cultural representation rather than through overt force.

By controlling the narrative and shaping the cultural discourse, imperialist powers can perpetuate their hegemonic control over both the colonized and the colonizer’s populations.

When historical and class analyses are lacking, people often scapegoat religion for complex societal issues. In reality, phenomena like patriarchy, colonialism, and imperialism utilize culture as a vehicle to justify colonization. These systems of oppression are intertwined and deeply rooted in economic and power structures, yet without proper historical and class analysis, they are often reduced to religious rhetoric.

Patriarchy, for instance, is perpetuated through cultural norms and institutionalized power imbalances, rather than solely religious teachings. Manifest Destiny, a 19th-century American belief in the divine right to expand westward, justified the conquest of Indigenous lands and the annexation of Mexican territories. The “White Man’s Burden” rationalized European imperialism as a duty to civilize “uncivilized” societies, serving as a pretext for colonial exploitation. This ideology perpetuated cultural narratives of superiority and entitlement, enabling imperialist powers to assert control over vast territories in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific while marginalizing and subjugating indigenous cultures. Colonialism and imperialism have historically deployed cultural hegemony to legitimize the exploitation and domination of Indigenous peoples.

Cultural Hegemony: Imperialism operates through cultural hegemony, a concept popularized by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. Cultural hegemony refers to the dominance of ruling class ideology over society, shaping the beliefs, values, and norms of the masses. Imperial powers use their cultural influence to promote ideas that justify and perpetuate their domination.

Religious Justification: Imperialism exploits religion to legitimize its actions and control the minds of the colonized. Imperial powers manipulate religious doctrines to portray their rule as divinely ordained and to justify the subjugation of indigenous peoples.

This manipulation involves promoting interpretations of religion that serve the interests of the ruling elite while suppressing dissenting voices within religious communities.

A current example is Zionism, which fundamentally is a political and ideological movement, and distinct from Judaism, a religious faith. It is crucial to distinguish between the religious and cultural aspects of Judaism and the political ambitions of Zionism. This ideology, is also prevalent among certain evangelical and fundamentalist Christian groups, which interpret scripture literally, emphasizing passages from the Old Testament that reference Israel’s restoration. Christian Zionists advocate for policies promoting Israel’s security and expansion, often justifying them as a biblical mandate and aligning with Western imperialism.

Cultural Appropriation: Imperialism appropriates and commodifies elements of Indigenous cultures for its own benefit. The exploitation of Indigenous cultural practices, symbols, and artifacts by imperial powers for commercial gain or to project a façade of multiculturalism and tolerance while continuing to oppress colonized peoples.

Cultural Erasure: Imperialism seeks to erase or marginalize the cultural heritage of colonized peoples, replacing indigenous languages, traditions, and customs with those of the colonizers.

It is a deliberate effort by imperialist powers to undermine indigenous cultures and promote cultural assimilation as a means of reinforcing colonial domination.

Imperialist powers, primarily Western nations, have historically intervened in the Middle East to advance their strategic interests, including securing access to oil resources, countering perceived threats to their geopolitical dominance, and maintaining control over key regions.

In many cases, multinational corporations have collaborated with authoritarian regimes and extremist groups to gain access to natural resources, exploit cheap labor, and expand markets.

In doing so, they have often supported and empowered extremist groups as proxies to achieve their objectives. For example, it is now publicly documented that during the Cold War, the United States funded, trained, and supported militants in Afghanistan to counter Soviet influence, contributing to the rise of groups like the Taliban.

Another instance that illustrates the entanglement of religious disputes with imperialist and class struggle dynamics is the East and West schism.

The schism between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, known as the East–West Schism, is often cited as a religious conflict through the lens of Western Academia. However, it should be analyzed through the lens of imperialism and class struggle, reflecting broader power dynamics and political tensions of the time.

The division between the two churches was driven by theological differences, particularly regarding papal primacy and Roman Imperialism.The Byzantine Empire, centered in Constantinople, held significant political and religious influence in the Eastern Christian world. The severing of ties with Rome in 751 AD marked a significant shift in power dynamics, as Constantinople sought to assert its independence from Western authority.

The assertion of papal primacy by the Catholic Church, with the Pope as the head of the Western Church, can be seen as a form of imperialist control and domination. Rome’s insistence on its authority over Constantinople reflected broader attempts to extend Western influence and consolidate power within the Christian world.

Imperialism is the highest form of colonization, exploiting and dominating nations and peoples. It manipulates religion as part of a broader pattern of exploitation tied to capitalism, and patriarchy.

White supremacy reinforces capitalist systems, facilitating exploitation and disconnecting us from our culture and the Earth.

This has historically justified the domination of Indigenous lands and the extraction of resources for profit. This detachment from culture weakens collective resistance and preserves a system prioritizing economic gain.

Challenging white supremacy requires dismantling its ties to capitalism and reconnecting with our culture, including a deep respect for the planet. Reestablishing these bonds is crucial for collective resistance and the planet’s well-being.

“Culture is created only by the people. All artists use this culture. They do not create it. A writer writes a song or a book, they did not create music, language or writing; the people did. Thus, the artist only represents the People’s culture. The culture of all oppressed is the culture of resistance. The enemy seeks to corrupt the artist into misrepresenting the people’s culture, thus betraying them. Thus all artists coming from an oppressed people must represent resistance in their art form. Anything other than this is betrayal.” Kwame Ture

Reading Recommendations:

“Women, Race & Class” by Angela Y. Davis – Angela Davis, a prominent activist and scholar, explores the intersections of gender, race, and class in the struggle for social justice, offering insights into the role of capitalism and imperialism in perpetuating inequality.

“The Conquest of Bread” by Peter Kropotkin – Although not specifically from the West, Kropotkin’s classic work offers a clear and accessible introduction to anarchist-communist principles, advocating for a society based on mutual aid, cooperation, and common ownership.

“The Wretched of the Earth” by Frantz Fanon – Fanon’s seminal work examines the psychological and existential dimensions of colonialism and imperialism, offering insights into the experiences of colonized peoples and the necessity of revolutionary liberation struggle.

“The Meaning of Marxism” by Paul D’Amato – D’Amato provides a beginner-friendly overview of Marxist theory, explaining its core concepts and relevance for understanding contemporary social and economic issues.