In the Midst of the Assault on Palestine, People Need Science, Not Religious Consolation Today, in the wake of Hamas’s resistance to Israel, some people are looking into Islam as a religion that can sustain resistance and provide resilience. But this will lead people to a very bad place, one that will sooner or later pose an obstacle to the actual emancipation of all humanity, including especially women and LGBTQ people.  As the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian says, “Oppressed people who are unable or unwilling to confront reality as it actually is, are condemned to remain enslaved and oppressed.” What people need is science, not the mental shackles of religion.  In the book AWAY WITH ALL GODS! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World, Bob Avakian (BA) analyzes in great depth the religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. In this book, BA demystifies religious belief and examines how, even in its most progressive interpretations, religion stands in the way of the emancipation of humanity.  We are reprinting here two quotes from BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian and two chapters from Away With All Gods on Islam: Islam Is No Better (And No Worse) Than Christianity Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Today's World? We strongly recommend that all those who want to see a world without exploitation and oppression—including liberation for the Palestinian people—get into and engage what BA has written here.  Léalo en español BAsics 4:16 What is the role of religion—and is it really harmful? A lot of people say: “Alright, maybe it’s not true, but what harm does it do? It makes people feel better—a loved one dies and they want to believe that the loved one went to heaven, and when they die they’ll be reunited with that loved one. Or something terrible happens in someone’s life, and she wants to take comfort and solace in the belief that there is some larger purpose, directed by some god, that makes this have meaning in some form. How can that do any harm?” Well, let’s paraphrase Stevie Wonder’s song “Superstition”: “When you believe in things and they don’t exist and you suffer, superstition’s in your way.” (Actually he says, “When you believe in things that you don’t understand...”—but it’s the same point.) You do suffer when you believe in things that you not only don’t understand, but that, by definition, you can’t understand. And whether or not Stevie Wonder had religion in mind in saying this, it definitely applies to religion. BAsics 4:17 The notion of a god, or gods, was created by humanity, in its infancy, out of ignorance. This has been perpetuated by ruling classes, for thousands of years since then, to serve their interests in exploiting and dominating the majority of people and keeping them enslaved to ignorance and irrationality. Bringing about a new, and far better, world and future for humanity means overthrowing such exploiting classes and breaking free of and leaving behind forever such enslaving ignorance and irrationality. This revolution relies on the support of the people everywhere in this country who can't stand the way the world is, who dream of a much better world. Donate to Put Revolution on the Map! DONATE Revcom.us—where you go to scientifically understand and radically change the world... Go to www.revcom.us every day.