Haz Al-Din: A Leader for a New Generation of Communists

Haz Al-Din is a prominent Marxist-Leninist thinker who rose to prominence by streaming on YouTube and Twitch, where he would debate other prominent political figures online, in the process becoming a leader for a whole new generation of communists. Currently, he serves as the executive chairman of the American Communist Party, which has risen to prominence in only a few short months. Recently, he joined me for a discussion on various issues ranging from what led him to realize he is a communist to the mission of the American Communist Party.

Grant Klusmann: Before realizing you are a communist, what political activities were you involved in?

Haz Al-Din: None.

Grant Klusmann: So, your first foray into politics was as a communist?

Haz Al-Din: Yes, that is correct.

Grant Klusmann: What led you to realize that you are a communist?

Haz Al-Din: The moment that I realized my parochial ethno-religious background, ideologically, was not enough to reflect broadly and generally a revolutionary position.

Grant Klusmann: What ideology did you adhere to before realizing that you are a communist?

Haz Al-Din: I was very interested in the Shia ideology of the Iranian Revolution. My parents came from South Lebanon when they were young, so the first political topics I was interested in included topics like Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East because they were just the kind of direct extension of the parochial family honor, and that was the launching point for more of a universal outlook.

Grant Klusmann: When did you first come into contact with the other American Communist Party members who now make up the party’s leadership?

Haz Al-Din: For Midwestern Marx, I think it’s been one to two years. For Jackson, it’s been over three years.

Grant Klusmann: What caused you and the rest of the American Communist Party’s leadership to form a political party?

Haz Al-Din: There was already a party, the CPUSA, which we were interested in revitalizing and leading away from the Democrats, and we decided to anticipate that if the leadership of the CPUSA were going to act like how we thought they would act at the 32nd National Convention and just circumvent all of the protocols, then we would have to prepare a contingency plan to reconstitute the party. The CPUSA is a dysfunctional party; it’s not working in a democratic centralist way, and it’s not abiding by its constitution.

Grant Klusmann: What are the objectives of the American Communist Party?

Haz Al-Din: The main objectives of the American Communist Party are the complete cancellation and wiping of all debts, as well as the nationalization of the significant infrastructure industries and the resources and the pursuit of a national and domestic path of development that is not aligned with the global imperialist system, and which is built based on a new collective self-awareness of the American people.

Grant Klusmann: Who or what do you believe is getting in the way of achieving these objectives the most?

Haz Al-Din: Ourselves. We are still new, young, and learning, and our external obstacles are not worthy of our recognition as formidable or worthy enemies. The real enemy is us. Our inadequacies, our failures, our mistakes, and we have built a platform in which we have faith in the ability to learn from whatever shortcomings we have in the world and become more successful and more resilient.

Grant Klusmann: What do you think is the most vital attribute of the members of the American Communist Party?

Haz Al-Din: Belief. Genuine belief. I think it’s rare. I think other parties don’t have that. They have people who believe in themselves only. They believe in their own opinions, experiences, and personalities, while our membership believes in something bigger than that. They believe in a cause worth dedicating themselves to and seeing to the victory of.

Grant Klusmann: Some who lived through the Cold War become fearful when they hear words like communism. What would be the most helpful tool for the American Communist Party to use to demonstrate that communism as an ideology is not to be feared?

Haz Al-Din: To paraphrase Hegel, all that is real is rational. This is a roundabout way of me saying there is a reason communism is feared. There can be no makeover to domesticate or make it appear less frightening. There is much to be feared when it comes to the word communism. Communism is involved with an incredibly destructive, tragic, and terrifying historical process, but that process is not the result of communism. It’s just that communists are the only ones who can respond to it. So, my response would be frankly, and it pains me to say it, but America is headed for an incredibly terrifying future, in my opinion. Terrifying times. Times that Americans would have never guessed, or thought was possible. The word communism and all the fear that is attached to that word at least gives Americans the opportunity to face their fears to enter into a relationship with the era of frankly political terror that is to come. With communism, there is an ability to integrate that process into something rational and meaningful. Without communism, there will be senseless violence, gang warfare, and warlords. There are no communists that are necessary to affect that; it will happen. It reveals something about the nature of class struggle, the state, and the foundation on which the state is built. The communists are only guilty of representing that unfortunate and inconvenient truth.

Grant Klusmann: Do you see the American Communist Party as following in the footsteps of the revolutionaries of the past?

Haz Al-Din: Yes. Definitely. That is a profound aspiration of ours.

Grant Klusmann: Who would you describe as the principal ideological inspirations for the American Communist Party?

Haz Al-Din: That is a good question. It’s Marx through Mao primarily, Deng Xiaoping, and Xi Jinping. The Marxist-Leninist tradition is not the tradition of a single personality, but a living synthesis of the unit of theory and practice expressed across history in a successive tradition. That is the bedrock and foundation upon which the party rests. Regarding the personalities, I would say Michael Hudson is one, to be fair. Michael Hudson has been a significant influence on us.

Grant Klusmann: What would you say is most important for the various chapters of the American Communist Party to prioritize for the foreseeable future?

Haz Al-Din: The most important things are for the members of the various chapters to create good standing in the communities they are in, pursue entrepreneurial initiatives to become self-sustaining to expand and broaden the scope of activity far beyond what they can currently do with the numbers they have now, and finally intervene and start participating in the issues facing their communities locally. Look at some of the injustices going on, no matter how small. Get involved and become a voice, become a decisive figure.

Grant Klusmann: Where do you see the American Communist Party in the future?

Haz Al-Din: Fighting, struggling.

Grant Klusmann: What advice would you give to the newest members of the American Communist Party?

Haz Al-Din: Be patient and learn how to separate the personal from the impersonal. That is the most important thing.

Grant Klusmann: With the American Communist Party on the rise and Americans expressing their frustration with the two-party duopoly now, perhaps more than ever, many across the country will be interested in seeing what the party’s future has in store. I look forward to what the party will do next, and I thank you for your time.

Haz Al-Din: Thank you too, Grant.

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