Letter from Tunisia here ♦ How Will We Win People here ♦
Letter from Tunisia
I was fourteen years old. My entire class got thrilling news that Hamas had launched a massive missile attack on Israel. Our parents and neighbors told us that Gaza was an occupied prison ruled by Israel. People were jubilant, chanting slogans. We all went around the city celebrating.
The news spread like wildfire. We were overjoyed.
My father had spent two years in jail during the Arab Spring. He told us that the people in Tunisia were fed up with hunger and starvation. He would always tell us that he was proud to oppose the oppressive government. That led to his arrest.
An uncle had been jailed in 1983. He was a soldier. Many soldiers like him sympathized with the hungry people. My uncle came from a very poor family. When people were marching in Tunis in search of food, President Bourguiba raised bread prices. He called the army. My uncle and many thousands refused to fire on people. My uncle was arrested and spent six months in a very harsh prison.
I never forgot those two events in my life. When Hamas organized an attack on Israel, I immediately identified with the Palestinians. But what happened after October 7th was a horror movie coming to life. The genocide made many very angry, some confused, and everyone looking for an answer.
I asked my uncle. He still has a permanent injury from his prison life. He said he sympathized with the Palestinians. But he believed in Allah, that Allah was great, and Allah would take care of them. This was very painful for me. I felt betrayed by religion, and by the person whom I trusted – my uncle.
This is when I spent two weeks with a friend of my father. We formed a close relationship. He told me that capitalism was the root of the problem in Tunisia as well as in Palestine. He shared a copy of Red Flag. He said that we can learn from his uncle, who fought in the army. The more I read Red Flag, the more I was convinced that communism is the only way. My confusion cleared. I started to talk to my friends.
I even went to my uncle. I told him that I would like to know more about his fellow soldiers and their lives. I visited my uncle with my friend who had given me Red Flag. We spent several hours with him. He was so happy that I was taking an interest in changing the world. He did not say anything about Allah.
He told me stories of the soldiers’ lives, their hard times, and how they refused to fight for the dictator. They all suffered atrocities and spent time in jail. I told my uncle that they should have fought for communism. My uncle thought deeply for a long time. He said we were angry; we had no ideology. I told him that I am very attracted to communism. Inshallah, my uncle gave me heartfelt approval as he firmly embraced my desire.
—High school student in Tunisia
Letter: How Will We Win People to Join Our Party
We all know many potential party members. Some are industrial co-workers, school friends, relatives, and people we have met at rallies or distributing papers. They come from different places, are different ages, and have a wide variety of interests.
But they usually have one thing in common…they want to change the world. Some will agree that we must have a revolution, and others believe in fighting for reforms. They want to know “Can we win?” and “How do we win?”
If we want to get them involved, we must find out what they are willing to do to build the party. Not everyone is comfortable going to a lot of meetings or demonstrations. We must build strong social ties to do this.
Right now, we are working with a person who we have known since they were young. A close family member was in the party. Both had worked at Boeing. This person is now the head of her family and working two jobs to survive. She comes to our social events regularly and to May Day. She has written letters to Red Flag and wants to write as often as she can.
She has attended several zoom meetings where comrades from South Africa have participated…and she made a connection with them. This has motivated her. It would be great for her to meet some young comrades in LA. Hopefully, she will be able to clear her schedule so she can go to a meeting in the near future and meet up with people who have similar responsibilities, but who were won to join the ICWP and are now taking leadership.
— Seattle (USA) comrade
Please send your letters, responses, and suggestions to contact@icwpredflag.org