The terms Right and Left are frequently confused with conservative and liberal, respectively. They are not the same thing. Conservative and liberal wings have coexisted for long within democratic societies of capitalism. During the last two centuries, almost all societies, with the exception of Muslims, agreed to separate the state from religion. So, the terms conservative and liberal essentially showed the difference between those who emphasised ‘freedom of religion’, and those who wished ‘freedom from religion’. These two positions did have their impact on politics and economy but both sides agreed on nationalism, trusted tolerance and rule of law and both subscribed to the freedom of thought and expression.

The terms Right and Left came in greater use only after Marxism challenged capitalism, and gradually became synonyms with conservative and liberal, respectively. Socialists claimed to be ‘scientific’ and ‘progressive’ and condemned the capitalist views as ‘reactionary’. On the other hand, capitalists claimed to be ‘Right’, ‘creative’ and ‘free’; they condemned the Marxists as ‘leftists’, ‘parasitic’ and ‘dictatorial’.

These two sets of terms were quite distinct from each other in capitalist societies till the rise of Muslim fundamentalism, which helped the fall of world socialism followed by the rise of Chinese communist capitalism.

Modern liberalism started with the Age of Enlightenment. It stood for reason and science, and proved its merit by building the modern world of human rights and freedoms of thought and expression. For more than four centuries, reason and science won every battle against the medieval worldview. Some of the winning virtues of scientific thought were (1) the nation-state and nationalism; (2) constitutional rights and rule of law; and (3) equality of all faiths without discrimination. The most brilliant concepts of this modern world were (1) equal opportunity, which meant level field for merit; (2) freedom of religion and freedom from religion, which took away the sword not only from the believer but also from the atheist; and (3) freedoms of opinion and expression, which meant freedom for reason so that correct ideas could prevail.

Unfortunately, colonialism of the West and emergence of Marxism pushed the liberals toward anti-capitalist positions. Differences of opinion gradually turned into mutual dismissal. Liberals disagreed with colonial capitalism while their masses did not, and the conservatives did not. Thus, in spite of their prestige and integrity, liberals of the West gradually moved away from capitalism and their masses.

Instead of promoting a more liberal human world, the liberal Left has promoted two giants of absolutism: Chinese capitalism and Muslim fundamentalism.

The 21^st Century started with certain drastic changes in political and social fields, which have been viewed as the rise of the right wing. In fact, this shift had already started in the sixties of the last century but became visibly aggressive in its eighties, when Western power centres, led by liberal thought, decided to promote Muslim fundamentalism and Chinese communism. Their successful excuse for this strategy was the popular position: to build alliances against the Soviet threat. Moderate Muslim leaders were overthrown one after the other. The Saudi version of Islam started showing, with the rise of Zia ul Haq and jihad, and finally the Taliban. Khomeini’s revolution further deepened the shift of 1 billion Muslims towards revivalism. Revivalism naturally leads to rejection of the new. Soon, Muslims who had valuable resources and proven fighting talent, looked like a threat to older religions which had been less active under capitalism. It was not only in India that a strong conservative religious identity of teeming millions faced political correctness of the Congress Party.

Liberal rulers of the Christian West told their Christians to welcome Muslim immigrants with their love of sharia. Liberal thought of the West continued to debunk white supremacy and Christianity while also preaching that all ideologies are relative truths; that capitalist liberty is no better than an aggressive believer’s blind faith; that no culture like the Western culture of freedom and innovation is better; that Western nationalism and constitutions deserved debunking because they were built on the blood of slaves. Indian liberals held similar views on Hindu civilisation for its failings while Muslims and their history of conquest were too glorious to be reviewed. Powerful liberal media from America and the Europe to India and New Zealand aggressively banned freedom of thought. Meanwhile, the liberals of the West promoted China at the cost of their own economies. Liberalism of the West and the East soon became a synonym for wasteful sex and decadence. This changed the world in many ways. Masses with more mundane realities looked toward the mundane Right.

It seems that Donald Trump’s revolt against America’s ruling hidden state, and Modi’s Hindutva are natural reactions to a liberalism that has lost contact with history and reality. Instead of promoting a more liberal human world, the liberal Left has promoted two giants of absolutism: Chinese capitalism and Muslim fundamentalism.

On the other hand, what is happening in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world is interesting. Liberals hate Trump for the Saudi shift, which Modi’s India supports. Strangely, the liberals of the West and India are not pleased with the Saudi shift towards more liberty. So, they unite with China to support Iran. Will this help?

The writer is the author of, among other books, Tehzibi Nargasiyat, Mubalghay Mughaltay, and Taliban: A Tip of the Holy Iceberg. He can be reached at mobarakhaider@gmail.com