Update issues on Iran
Mujahedin Khalq (MKO) in the name of an Iranian Opposition group. They were based in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein and cooperated with the dictator closely. Now that they have to leave that country, they are trying to settle down in Oslo.
Ibrahim Khodabandeh talks about the group disappointedly. . Maryam Rajavi, the Cult leader was recently received in Norwegian parliament. (we should inform the readers that Ibrahim Khodabande was arrested while he was taking two million dollars out of Iraq, he is accused of working with an Iranian dissident group)
Ibrahim was arrested with two million dollars in Iraq- Syria border; Iraq without Saddam Hussein was not safe for MKO and the money had to be transferred to a safe place; at first he was detained in Syrian prison, ‘’the situation there was really bad” he says, before he was transferred to Evin Prison where “is not so bad” and he was allowed to read books on religious cults and cultures. During his research he found out that MKO is also a religious cult.
“MKO as a Religious Cult”
“In high ranks of MKO only the women can be leaders” Khodabande says. It is also said that because the women have always been under pressure now MKO wants to compensate. But in fact the reason is that Masud Rajavi, the real leader and Maryam’s husband, is afraid of making rivals; he thinks that women do not try to compete there fore their growth is allowed. He has forbidden the authority for male rivals and created the women hegemony. Masud Rajavi considers it as a part of ideological revolution.
Maryam was before the wife of one of the MKO leaders [ Mehdi Abrishamchi] he was imposed to declare his great happiness since he could help the “ ideological alliance” between his wife and Masud Rajavi.
In Ibrahim’s opinion it is one of the characteristics of a religious cult that the leader is able to marry the wife of another leader of the organization.
Another aspect of MKO, as a religious cult is that the members have always to obey and follow the leaders.( he says) the leader is everything and everyone has to follow his needs. Maryam Rajavi says:”you can doubt about God but not about Masud, because you can doubt what you don’t see but not what you see.” Nobody in the organization is allowed to doubt about Masud.
“Leader and Objective” are above every thing, Ibrahim says. “Your family and children prevent you from them”. So Masud decided to send the MKO members’ children to other countries where they could be adopted or trained. the members are not allowed to contact their children . The slogan was:” everything for the leader”.
We ask:” what happened to the children?”
Nobody wants to talk about it. Some members were affected by mental problems. Some returned to Iraq to join MKO. The total number is about 1000.
“In Iran you can easily be an opponent to regime.” He says. He himself doesn’t support the Islamic Republic regime but he thinks that he was deceived by MKO cult.
“MKO enjoys the whole criteria of a religious cult. It has a self-proclaimed leader. It enjoys an absolute monarchy structure. The leader has complete control over members’ lives.
Salt Journal – May2007
