Terrorism and Destructive Cults – speech by former MEK member Massoud Bani Sadr
This year’s FECRIS annual Conference was hosted in London by The Family Survival Trust (UK) on 16 April 2010.
FECRIS (European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism) was founded on 30 June 1994 in Paris following the Congress on Sectarianism in Barcelona in 1993. It is a non-commercial association under French law. It declare itself politically, philosophically and religiously neutral as stated in article 2 of its statutes.
Dr. Massoud Bani Sadr, a former member of the Mojahedin-e Khalq cult, was a speaker at the meeting. He talked about the links between terrorism and destructive cults such as the MEK.
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Back to terrorism; let me give you an example: Although MEK that I was member of born with an ideology based on Islam and Marxism and recruit with anti Imperialism and anti Zionism and social justice slogans; and later after the revolution, when I along tens of thousands more students of schools and universities joined it, used any ills, any injustice or lack of freedom to recruit; but after it changed into a terrorist organisation and then into a destructive cult, its survival, its internal strength had nothing to do with either of causes of its existence, its original slogans, or what was happening in Islamic world or in Iran. To survive and to fulfill the leader’s dreams, contrary to their nationalistic slogans; during Iran-Iraq war, they collaborated with Sadam Hussein and hand in hand with Iraqi army they fought with Iran. Sadam’s generous assistance to MEK; financial help, free land to build their bases in, sophisticated armament etc; didn’t mean that MEK will be loyal to their host, when they saw American army, they announced their readiness to help Americans and fight along side of new victorious army[i]. All said it doesn’t mean that MEK now is going to be loyal toward American; because cults are not loyal to any partner or friend, ideology, policy, slogan, agreement but only those that help their survival and their goal’s advancement.
As the matter of fact for me as for almost all members, after MEK’s ideological revolution (the name they gave to their brain washing techniques[ii]), Iran and Islam where not important anymore; or at least not nearly as important as the existence and success of the organisation and its leader. Then in a letter to the leader I explained this change in myself and other members by admitting that if they ask us to choose between happiness and success of Iranian and Muslims in one hand and victory of our leader anywhere around the world even if he becomes president of Zimbabwe, we all will choose the latter one. Of course then our logic was based on this assumption that if our leader finds a foothold anywhere in the world, soon he can expand his influence and can save the whole world and change the history. Yes MEK was and still is using any ills that might exist in Iran to recruit, for propaganda purposes and for legitimization of its existence, but for its members what is happening in Iran or as matter of fact in the whole world outside, is not slightly as important as their internal relations, their absolute loyalty and obedience toward the leader
FECRIS Conference, London