Creation of the Muslim Equality Commission and Other Resolutions Submitted to the 28th (2005) CPUSA Convention (Chicago, Illinois) via Western Pennsylvania District

Title: Creation of the Muslim Equality Commission

Introduced by: Asad Ali, Western Pennsylvania District

WHEREAS, the direction and strategy of monopoly capitalism is targeting nations with large segments of Muslims both abroad and within the United States; and

WHEREAS, Muslims have a capacity and potential to take up mass political activity against monopoly capitalism in an anti-monopoly coalition; and

WHEREAS, disseminating racist ideas about Muslims is part of the strategy of monopoly capitalism to divide the US and International working class and to win the US working class to accept the wars and restrictions in civil rights necessitated by monopoly capitalism; and

WHEREAS, the international working class communist movement has deep roots in predominantly Muslim nations in the form of Communist Parties as well as in the form of key active participation by Muslim Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution; and

WHEREAS, the Communist Party of the United States of America has activists who have a Muslim background and social connections with Muslim communities; and

WHEREAS, Islam is spreading in the United States at over 100,000 converts a year, the majority of whom are African-American and women, and although Muslims do form some stable communities of language and territory within the United States these communities are still in formation; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Communist Party of the United States of America shall form a Muslim Equality Commission of its leading Muslim activists to inform and advise the Party on matters relating to Muslim communities and affairs, as well as to make recommendations to Party activists in Muslim communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Muslim Equality Commission is not an equal or counterpart of nationality commissions such as the African American Equality Commission or the Mexican American Equality Commission because Muslims are not a nation but a layer within nations.

 

Title: The Leadership of Nationally and Racially Oppressed People in the Fight Against Racism

Introduced by: Asad Ali, Western Pennsylvania District

WHEREAS, the leadership of nationally and racially oppressed people in the mass activity of nationally and racially oppressed people is indispensable to an anti-monopoly coalition and a multiracial coalition against racism; and

WHEREAS, nationally and racially oppressed people being in a position to defend gains against racism achieved by a multiracial coalition will leave nationally and racially oppressed people in the least vulnerable social position; and

WHEREAS, the leadership of nationally and racially oppressed people in the fight against racism and national oppression does not negate the fact that there do exist and have always existed white people who are against national oppression and racism, and that fighting national oppression and racism is in the interest of all workers; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that in the section of the Draft Program “Multiracial Unity for Full Equality and Against Racism” the last paragraph shall be changed to begin with “Nationally and racially oppressed people, supported by white people, should take the lead in combating all instances of racism and national oppression wherever and whenever they occur” ; and be it further

RESOLVED, that nationally and racially oppressed people should be allowed every opportunity to lead the mass activity of the nationally and racially oppressed people.

Title: The Leadership of Women in the Fight Against Sexism

Introduced by: Asad Ali, Western Pennsylvania District

WHEREAS, the leadership of women in the mass activity of women is indispensable to an anti-monopoly coalition and unity against sexism and male supremacy; and

WHEREAS, women being in a position to defend gains against sexism and male supremacy achieved by a united coalition will leave women in the least vulnerable social position; and

WHEREAS, the leadership of women in the fight against sexism and male supremacy does not negate the fact that there do exist and have always existed men who are against sexism male supremacy, and that fighting sexism and male supremacy is in the interest of all workers; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that in the section of the Draft Program “United Against Sexism: The Struggle for Full Equality for Women” the last paragraph shall be changed to begin with “Women, with the support of men, should take the lead in combating all instances of sexism and male supremacy in the labor and people’s movements as well as in the family”; and be it further

RESOLVED, that women should be allowed every opportunity to lead the mass activity of women.

Title: The Relative Advanced Consciousness of Women and Men

Introduced by: Asad Ali, Western Pennsylvania District

WHEREAS, in each socio-economic and national layer of the working class women face sex oppression; and

WHEREAS, sex oppression is not limited to issues of war and peace and social welfare programs; and

WHEREAS, to say that women are generally more advanced than men in some specific fields of political work is an ambiguity in rejecting sexism and full equality for women, and may imply that women are not more advanced than men in other fields of political work; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that in the section of the Draft Program “United Against Sexism: The Struggle for Full Equality for Women” the second to last paragraph shall be changed to end with “Generally, women are more evenly advanced than men in social consciousness”; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the concept that women are more advanced than men only in some fields of political work and not others is rejected.