Is Canada unleashing terrorists on its own soil and, if so, on whose order?
The grievances between the US and Iran is not new for any of us. Whether we think dialogue should prevail over hostilities or visa-versa, surely no-one can believe that using a destructive cult (which is globally listed as a terrorist entity) to force Iran to give up enrichment of uranium is a particularly clever idea. This is especially so considering that the group has gradually been dismantled since the fall of Saddam Hussein. In any case, the average age of its fighters – about 3000 remain in its isolated Iraqi camp – is between 45 and 50 (some ‘fighters’ are over 65 years old and in any other society would be collecting their pension). Iran has openly and repeatedly rejected any payment in exchange for the group. Only a couple of months ago, the Iranian Foreign Minister explained that the problem presented by the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation is nothing to do with Iran, rather the group is a problem for western countries – but Iran would be willing to help these countries if they ask for it!
But who are those who still think the dead horse has a value? They are certainly not far from Washington and certainly not far from the neo conservatives HQ. But that the terrorist Mojahedin’s backers are not as strong as a couple of years ago is clear from the shift from Washington to Canada as the platform for this support.
CNEWS reported today (April 20, 2007) about yet another seemingly desperate attempt by the neo conservatives to rescue the remains of the Rajavi cult (aka Mojahedin Khalq).
Read the time line of Mojahedin Khalq Organisation – Rajavi cult
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=816
Focus on line reported last month that a paid ‘rent-a-crowd’ had been transferred from Cologne to Brussels for a similar protest to remove the Rajavi cult (aka, Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, MKO, MEK, PMOI, National Council of Resistance …) from the terrorism lists. The news agency said:
Around 60 Iranian actors and actresses, who were not informed beforehand about the action, were paid the usual 50 euros per day fee to take part in the recent demonstration in Brussels where the MKO was protesting its continued blacklisting as a terror group by the European Union.
http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/gekaufter-protest_aid_51864.html
The Rajavi cult which was responsible for the assassination of Americans in Iran during the reign of the Shah, has openly admitted to killing innocent civilians by the use of mortars and bombs in crowded places in Iranian cities. The number is believed to be in excess of 16,000. The armed terrorist cult had also been engaged in the massacre of the Iraqi Kurds and Shiites in collaboration with the intelligence services and army of Saddam Hussein inside Iraq. And if these were not enough, the cult has tortured and killed its own disaffected members according to the records of many humanitarian organizations, including Human Rights Watch.
In 1997, the US put the group in its list of terrorist entities and a new report was given out. We can read in the report:
The Mojahedin collaborated with Ayatollah Khomeini to overthrow the former Shah of Iran. As part of that struggle, they assassinated at least six American citizens, supported the takeover of the U.S. embassy, and opposed the release of American hostages. In the post-revolutionary political chaos, however, the Mojahedin lost political power to Iran’s Islamic clergy. They then applied their dedication to armed struggle and the use of propaganda against the new Iranian government, launching a violent and polemical cycle of attack and reprisal. In 1981, the Mojahedin leadership fled to France and with other Iranian opposition movements formed the National Council of Resistance (NCR).
Yet within a few years the NCR became a mere shell as individuals and groups abandoned the organization because of Mojahedin domination. In 1986, France expelled the leader of the Mojahedin, Massoud Rajavi. Rajavi was a member of the Mojahedin original "Central Committee" and "Ideological Team." Imprisoned by the Shah’s government from 1972-1979, he nonetheless remained influential within the group. He rose to command in 1975 after the Mojahedin experienced an internal schism. From his release from prison until today, he has maintained absolute control of the Mojahedin, the NCR, and its associated groups. In 1993, his wife Maryam Rajavi replaced him as the NCR’s "future president" of Iran. Previously, she had held the appointed position of NCR secretary-general. After his expulsion form France, Rajavi relocated to Baghdad, Iraq, adopting Saddam Hussein as his patron, in 1987.
The report continues:
Despite Mojahedin assertions that the group has abandoned its revolutionary ideology and now favours a liberal democracy, there is no written or public record of discussion or debate about the dramatic reversals in the Mojahedin stated positions. Moreover, the Mojahedin 29-year record of behaviour does not substantiate its capability or intention to be democratic. Internally, the Mojahedin run their organization autocratically, suppressing dissent and eschewing tolerance of differing viewpoints. Rajavi, who heads the Mojahedin political and military wings, has fostered a cult of personality around himself. These characteristics have alienated most Iranian expatriates, who assert they do not want to replace one objectionable regime for another. Given these attributes, it is no coincidence that the only government in the world that supports the Mojahedin politically and financially is the totalitarian regime of Saddam Hussein…
Read more about the report:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=818
In year 2000, the United Kingdom added the name of Mojahedin Khalq Organization to its own terrorist list.
In 2002, the European Union added the name to the list of banned terrorist organizations and Canada added the name in 2005.
Read more about the Canadian Statement:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=782
The cult was investigated again by the USA and a report was given out in 2004 by the State Department.
Read the report:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=783
In May 2005, Human Rights Watch published an 18 page report about the abuses of Human Rights inside the Mojahedin (Rajavi Cult).
Read the report:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=797
The Mojahedin’s backers, including an MEP from Portugal, disputed the HRW findings and the human rights group published a further condemning report strongly endorsing its previous findings.
Read the second report by HRW:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=797
From 1997 up to now, there have been yearly reviews in the US, UK, European Union and Canada over the inclusion of the cult and all new investigations have led to the point that the cult is still committed to its undemocratic and violent strategy (it is called Armed Struggle by the leaders if the cult).
The group has been disarmed by the US army after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The guru of the cult, Massoud Rajavi, is a fugitive and wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Rajavi’s 3rd wife, Maryam Rajavi, (nee Ghajar Azodanloo) is awaiting her court case hearing in France. She has been charged with terrorism related crimes by the French judiciary. Maryam Rajavi ordered the staged self-burnings in Europe and Canada in an attempt to put pressure on France to drop the charges. Although the authorities did not back off, two of the people who committed self immolation died subsequently (one of them, Neda Hassani, a young Iranian- Canadian girl recruited from Canada, trained in Iraq and burned herself to death in London).
http://www.iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=1909
And
http://www.iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=1485
Now CNEWS reports:
"OTTAWA (CP) – Several hundred chanting, flag-waving demonstrators paraded on Parliament Hill on Thursday, urging the government to drop an Iranian opposition group from the formal list of banned, terrorist organizations."
The rented crowd amounting to a few hundred, compared with the Iranian Canadian population of Ottawa, speaks for itself. Any mid-level Persian event in Ottawa gathers thousands of Iranian without notice.
CNEWS continues:
"The group is banned by the government as part of a larger terrorist organization called Mujahedeen-e-Khalq or MEK."
It is a shame that serious journalism can get such a simple fact wrong. No one, including the Rajavi cult itself has ever claimed that Mujahedeen–e Khalq or MEK are different organizations to the PMOI.
Read more about the aliases of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/files/info/mojahedinaliases.htm
CNEWS also reports:
"Raymonde Folco, a Liberal MP from north of Montreal who spoke to the group, said:… I think that, quite frankly, the appellation, the title that they have given themselves, the mujahedeen, which means the fighters, has an extremely bad reputation in North America and, I think, all over the world, They are not terrorists ". "
With all due respect to the constituents of Ms. Folco, we can’t help saying that this simplistic and frankly, ignorant, approach of an MP to the investigative work of the US, UK, EU, and Canadian government as well as most of the Asian and Arab world in countering terrorism and the use of violence to achieve political aims, is a huge insult to all the thorough research work carried out across the globe, including research by the Canadian Authorities.
CNEWS continues:
"Paul Forseth, a former Reform and Conservative MP who also addressed the demonstration, said he believes the group was first labelled terrorist by Washington in an ill-fated attempt to appease Tehran. Canada then followed suit, he added."
Dear Mr. Paul Forseth, although an ex MP, we are confident that you can still have access to the reports by your Government explaining briefly the grievances between the USA and Iran and the history and the ongoing problems between Canada and Iran. The claim that the world has added the name of a violent destructive cult supported by Saddam Hussein to its terrorist lists for pragmatic or political reasons would surely mean that, after 10 years from the first prescription, they should have been removed for the same pragmatic or political reasons long before now. No, Sir. This destructive cult is no longer an annoyance for the Islamic Republic of Iran (at least not since the fall of Saddam). The problem of the Mojahedin is now left for the people living in the west (including your country) to deal with and is something western authorities (including your own authorities) are desperately trying to eliminate.
CNEWS ends its report by saying:
"MEK was placed on the list of banned groups in May 2005 and its status was reviewed last November.
"The Public Safety Department describes the group as "an Iranian terrorist organization that was based in Iraq until recently. It subscribes to an eclectic ideology that combines its own interpretation of Shiite Islamism with Marxist principles. The group aspires to overthrow the current regime in Iran and to establish a democratic, socialist, Islamic republic."
"The department also says MEK is believed to have had ties to Saddam Hussein, as well as a number of Palestinian factions and is suspected of working with the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan."
Read the full report by cnews:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2007/04/19/4068822-cp.html
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Massoud Khodabandeh, April 21, 2007
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