It is not so hard a task to prove that al-Qaeda’s 9/11 terrorist operation is a depiction of MKO’s ideal political, ideological and strategic yearning. Regardless of revelling a full night away in Camp Ashraf after the terrorist incident and beating drums of jubilance for days after, MKO’s early ideological pamphlets contain evidences of advocating armed techniques to combat, as one of the most potent adversaries of the US, against the US imperialism. If al-Qaeda’s terrorist moves like 9/11 attacks relied heavily on religiously theorized teachings, MKO considers armed struggle and application of violence a historical necessity that is strongly imbued with its ideology.
Mojahedin’s early ideological series of pamphlets, especially Takamol (Evolution) and Shenakht (Epistemology) that were designed to translate their general aspirations into a more systematic world-outlook and the pamphlet Rah-e anbiya rah-e bashar (The way of the prophets, the way of humanity) which was much a philosophical and historical work, absolutely asserted the armed and violent strategy in the curse of campaign. Mojahedin claimed to have discovered new laws ruling over the existence and believed that the law of evolution worked as a dominant law termed as ‘jabr-e tarikhi’ (historical determinism), an integral part of existence. In the same way, confrontation with the US imperialism and its elimination through violent means was believed to be an inevitable outcome of historical determinism rather than being regarded merely as a rebellion. Demarcating a rebel and a revolutionary Mehdi Abrishamchi explains:
A sine qua non of revolution is the thought that completely sees the needed ordinance for such a necessity. As a result, a rebel provided with an ideology undergoes a change to become a revolutionary. A rebel conducts blind insurgency against the ruling regime while a revolutionary element knows well whereto conduct the insurgency. [1]
If there has to be any difference between MKO and al-Qaeda, it is the fundamentally ideological viewpoint on the violence. Besides ideologically advocating application of violence and armed activities, Mojahedin consider the use of violence as a pragmatic approach for physical annihilation and resolving contradictions:
Common approaches to resolve contradictions have to be compatible to the features of each case. For instance, the only way to resolve contradictions between imperialism and the nations is through the armed struggle. The armed struggle is the common approach to resolve the mentioned contradiction. [2]
Based on such a methodology, Mojahedin’s aggressive attitudes are defined as the natural laws that even man’s own will has no role to prevent them:
Man’s will cannot resolve the contradictions against the current move of the phenomenon but in a very limited and temporary scale and with the exhaustion of much energy and impeding the general move of the phenomenon. For instance, imperialism is unable to durably resolve the existing contradiction between its own interests and those of the nations. It is against the rule of creation. [3]
In fact, Mojahedin’s favourite utopia has to be reached through a pass of adopted aggression and violence and America is believed to be the most obvious impediment on the path of social and historical evolution:
We have determined the global imperialism led by the imperialist America as the chief enemy. [4]
That is how MKO looks at the world surrounding it. Being wrapped in such a dogmatic and systematic world-outlook, MKO resorts to violence to resolve contradictions before thinking of any peaceful and democratic solution. The most explicit evidence of the group’s aggressive attitude toward the US imperialism out of America’s borders was the assassination of American employees and army personnel working in Iran during 1970’s. The 9/11 terrorist plot is the embodiment of the same anti-American attitudes within the American borders although not perpetrated by MKO:
Imperialism is vulnerable from the within and outside. Imperialism is a paper tiger. [5]
Although MKO showed no clear position concerning the 9/11 attacks, but in itself the group advocates the terrorist feat since its political and ideological principles from its very initiation have been founded on antagonistic and anti-imperialism attitudes.
Sources:
[1]. Mehdi Abrishamchi’s speech made on the ideological revolution within MKO, published by Muslim Student Association, 1985.
[2]. Shenakht (Epistemology), edited and published by MKO.
[3]. ibid.
[4]. An account of the formation and short history of Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization of Iran, 1965-1971.
[5]. Ibid.
Bahar Irani – Mojahedin.ws – Sep. 3, 2007