Supporters in red "Make America Great Again" hats at a rally held by Donald J. Trump on April 6, 2016. Picture by Monica Jorge/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reservedAbolhassan Banisadr was Iran’s first post-revolutionary president before being overthrown by a coup in 1981. Here, in an interview with Mahmood Delkhasteh, Banisadr discusses the relationship between Islamic terrorism and the rise of far-right politics in the west. He argues that the political and economic models of both the left and right have failed, creating a vacuum filled by populism. A new discourse, rooted in freedom, independence, and human development, is needed to overcome this crisis.
Mahmoud Delkhasteh: We are observing the rise of anti-democratic and authoritarian far-right movements in Europe, which are shaking the foundations of the European Union. The weakening economic and political power of the U.S. has also enabled Donald Trump to become president of the country on a promise to ‘Make America Great Again.’ What is your analysis of this multi-layered crisis in the west?
Abolhassan Banisadr: We see a defensiveness within the USA and the west as a whole. This is evident in the rapid increase in anti-immigration movements, Islamophobia, and the use of fear in domestic politics, including as government policy. Even in France, with its universal and cosmopolitan culture, the conservative’s presidential candidate Francois Fillon is opposed to multi-culturalism. Previously, in violation of the principle of Laïcité and democratic norms and values, the government, with public support, banned all forms of religious expression in schools and other places. A recent survey showed that many French people think that there are 20 million Muslims in France and that by 2020, Muslims will become the majority – yet their number is less than a quarter of this. Even in Slovakia, home to only a few thousand Muslims, people are up in arms. One political leader there argued that kebab is a sign of Islamization which has to be resisted. This might sound funny, but it shows the level of defensiveness in the west.
