The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and Maryam Rajavi were once again the subject of Iranian anger and hatred at the top of Iran-related hashtags. Iranian users used the hashtag “MEK terrorists” tens of thousands of times within a few hours.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Massoud Rajavi, in a message of congratulating the “heroic people of Syria,” referred to the Syrian government’s opponents as “rebel vanguards” who came to power for “freedom, justice, and a democratic revolution.” The Syrian rebels, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, bear many similarities to the MEK.
Like once the MEK was, HTS is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council and is on one of the European Union sanctions lists due to its links to Al Qaeda. The US and UK governments have also included the group on their lists of foreign terrorist organizations.
In his message of December 8, Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the MEK clearly declares that the Syrian rebels are counterparts of the MEK and their so-called resistance units in Iran, and promises the early overthrow of the Iranian government – a promise that has been repeated for nearly five decades.
These similarities have not gone unnoticed by the MEK’s warmongering American supporters in the Republican party and their media outlet Fox News. It speaks of the opportunity of the fall of Bashar al-Assad to force Iranian regime change.
The Fox News article mentions some US Republican senators who support the MEK, who we have previously seen on the list of speakers at MEK rallies. These senators consider Maryam Rajavi to be the counterpart of Mohammad al-Jolani and the National Council of Resistance of Iran to be the counterpart of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for changing the Iranian government.
The Fox News article is the beginning of the story. A Twitter storm broke out when Fox News published the article’s title on its X social media account, along with a photo of Maryam Rajavi. The post was met with intense anger from Iranian users across the political spectrum, and eventually the hashtag #MEKTerrorists trended on X English and the hashtag “Maryam Rajavi ate shit” on X Persian. Some of the comments and replies to Fox New, on the most popular pages are noteworthy. These posts, reposts or replies are a few of the contents that contain #MEKterrorists:
Mohammad Reza Torabi, a former child soldier of the MEK:
Down with Fox News and a bunch of money-loving Republicans and anyone else who promotes the Mojahedin or Rajavi. The reality is that this old woman and her criminal husband, who occasionally issues announcements from his mouse hole and has become a homeless rooster, have long been considered dead to the Iranian people. Nothing can bring them back to life. Today is the best time to say once again #MaryamRajaviateshit.
Salome Seyednia, host of Iranian TV channel, Manoto:
Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) is a terrorist group that has no credibility or support in Iran! They are very despised and have no standing among the Iranian people! Don’t waste your time on them!
Tina Ghazimorad, editor-In-Chief at manoto TV Newsroom:
That Fox News is promoting the MEK, a terrorist sect rooted in Marxist-Islamic ideologies, is completely absurd and beyond comprehension. Not only does it discredit you, it also insults the memory of Americans who once died. Before glorifying the leader of a sect with blood on their hands, do your homework and check the historical facts. No matter how much money they spend to sell themselves as “freedom fighters,” or how skillfully they parrot what you want to hear, their history of terrorism and betrayal is undeniable.
Sarah For Trump, Iranian-American X user:
What the fuck is this shit?
The #MEKterrorists are a bunch of Islamist-Marxist, undemocratic as*holes who force women to wear hijabs in their fucking cult. Their crap ideology screws over the U.S, Israel, and the Iranian people hate their guts.
Sarah Raviani, Iranian American X user:
The MEK is a terrorist organization that chanted “Death to America” and celebrated the 1979 U.S. Embassy seizure in Tehran after Iran fell to Khomeini.
Ali Hamid, Iranian documentary filmmaker:
To clueless U.S. politicians:
The MEK, which you support and normalize, killed dozens of Americans, including these servicemen. If Iranian lives don’t matter to you, respect your own victims’ families. Shame.
MEK killed US personel newspaper
Niyak Ghorbani, UK-based Iranian user:
Supporting the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), (OIAC Iran) is akin to supporting the terrorist organisation Hamas 30 years from now—a group that has always been an enemy of Israel and the Jewish people. The MEK, allies of Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat, and responsible for the killing of thousands of Iranian soldiers and civilians, will have no place in a free Iran of the future. Instead, they will be brought to justice for their crimes against the Iranian people.
Saeed Ghasseminejad, Iranian economist:
MEK is a Marxist-Islamist cult with American blood on its hand.
Hillel Neuer International human rights lawyer, writer, Executive Director of United Nations Watch:
Because I occasionally appear on FoxNews, I need to inform them: this woman Maryam Rajavi and her Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) are a cult. Not a credible voice at all.
Mazda Parsi