"We are seeing the advance of an intolerant, neo-Marxist ideology that seeks to prevent the promotion of conservative ideas," says Yoram Hazony. Interview with the Israeli thinker, head of the Edmund Burke Foundation in Brussels, at the NatCon conference.
What do you think about the chaos surrounding the NatCon conference?
It's the same fight we're fighting everywhere. We are seeing the advance of an intolerant, neo-Marxist ideology that seeks to prevent the promotion of conservative ideas.
We have to fight it, we have no choice.
I'm very proud of what we're doing and the conference is going ahead despite several aggressive attempts to stop it, but they couldn't stop us.
What chance do conservatives have in such a political situation?
Although the situation is very bad, one cannot see the future and cannot really predict it. There are trends. It might look like it's going to get worse, but we don't know what will actually happen. So we have to act according to our best knowledge, we have to try, and then maybe God will have mercy on us.
It is fashionable to talk about "secular conservatism" these days. Let's keep the Judeo-Christian value system, but leave God out of it. Do you think this is workable?
I think there is no such thing as secular conservatism. We have thousands of years of history behind us.
Either we try to conserve and transfer this millennial heritage to the future, or we discard it.
If someone says he doesn't care about the Bible, doesn't care about God, doesn't care about his ancestral heritage, but claims to be conservative, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Conservatism really means nothing to such a person.
You may have seen Richard Dawkins recently saying that he considers himself a "cultural Christian". He added that he prefers Christianity to Islam.
Dawkins has done everything in his power to destroy Christianity, and now he doesn't like what has replaced it. What a surprise! I would like to add: we should be happy with every small step. But faith in God also means that there are limits to what man can achieve with his own strength. Without God, the ego fills the space, and the ego becomes God.
You can't be conservative if you don't understand man's limitations and leave room for God.
One of the strange things about the scandal surrounding the conference is that those who want to prevent it claim that they are "anti-fascists".
There is nothing surprising in this: the term anti-fascist was originally used by the communists. So they are not actually inconsistent, because communism and fascism have always had a lot in common.
We are witnessing the rebirth of communism live.
In recent months, the Israeli war has dominated the news. In parallel with the conflict, huge anti-Israel demonstrations broke out all over the Western world. What do you think about anti-Semitism since the war?
There are parts of the phenomenon that are new and parts that are not. It is not new that there are Europeans and Americans who want to do good to the Jews, who want to support Israel. Most of them support Judaism primarily because they are Christians and their Bible includes the Jewish Bible.
As soon as you take the Bible out of Western civilization, you immediately create a void that can be filled with horrible things.
Wherever the Bible is pushed aside, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israel rapidly increases. This is not a new phenomenon, it has accompanied Western history. What is new is the alliance of the neo-Marxist left tribe with the Islamists. This strategic alliance is extremely powerful.
How do you see the future of Israel? It is not an easy situation, but most Israelis still speak positively about the future.
This is a very difficult situation for Israel, but the Jewish state is still in better shape than the rest of the Western world. We in Israel have children. We are loyal to our traditions. Our children serve in the army. Our nation is more united than ever.
And what do you think about Europe?
I can't promise that good things will come. Do what is right and maybe God will be merciful.
Featured image: Mihály Molnár/MCC
