Massoud Rajavi is known to be an egocentric power maniac whose character and leading flaws has so far suggested exhibiting many of the behavioral characteristics of marked megalomania and paranoia. Many even go beyond to state that he is a psychopath who has succeeded to enforce himself onto the leadership position. Their assertion is in no way an arbitrary judgment but based on comprehensive researches done by prominent academics and cult experts.
the main strategy of Mojahedin leadership in recent years has been grabbing hold of empty promises to keep on his illegitimate hold over the body and soul of a number of deceived and ill-fated individuals. Two years ago, Rajavi promised to make the grounds for the overthrow of the Iranian regime up to the U.S presidential election; otherwise, members would be free to either remain in Camp Ashraf (dwelling of Mojahedin rank-and-files in Iraqi soil) or quit the organization.
The crushing coup over the body of the organization following the mass arrests in 1971 as well as the ideological schism of MKO/PMOI in 1975 were two alarming incidents that could well help its leaders to start a thorough analysis of strategic and ideological failures so as to make revisions to overcome further encountered challenges
The second secretary of the American embassy in Baghdad, published a documented report on the crimes committed by the MEK’s(aka PMOI/MKO) leaders who bloodshed their own colleagues, raped the women of Ashraf, poisoned and executed dozens of the defectors.
Many of Marxist members wanted to announce their strategic turnabout even before the declaration of Marxist wing manifesto. There are many statements made by imprisoned Mojahedin in this regard …Rajavi refusing to reveal the identity of Marxist members as well as his own conversion from Islam to Marxism
The mistakes made by Rajavi can be classified as those made in the early years of his seizing the power as the leader of MKO or the so called PMOI and those made after the victory of Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979…Rajavi made his first big mistake of resorting to armed struggle just to achieve his totalitarian ambitions..
It is meaningless to talk of a cult in the absence of its leader because formation of a cult depends on the outstanding ability of the founder termed as the leader or guru who charms and wins over followers. In fact, the life and survival of a cult is strongly tied to the leader that steers it. That is mostly because the purpose of a cultic group is to serve the emotional, financial, political, and in general power ambitions of the leader.
Since my separation from your organization and stepping into the free world one and a half years ago, I have concluded, through a variety of studies, that Mujahedin organization is definitely a cult …It is typical of cult leaders to take nobody’s advice and it is a vain attempt to change them….Camp Ashraf in Iraq will have no better ending than David Koresh’s Mount Carmel complex outside of Waco in Texas or the Peoples Temple’s Jonestown located in Guyana in South America.
Unlike normal procedures, Massoud Rajavi, by the effective aid of the brave martyred commander Musa Khyabani, disregarded many existing potentialities and started reorganization by purging all reactionary inclinations in an attempt to accomplish Hanif’s unfulfilled plan of bringing together a versatile cadre. He suspended all previous memberships and started a new recruitment out of the imprisoned Mojahedin
A charismatic leader does not appear in a vacuum and is in part the product of a larger social or political trend. To build a hierarchical authority with him atop, a charismatic leader claims divinity or special knowledge and demands unquestioning obedience and devotion from the followers. Doubting or questioning the leader’s authority is not at all tolerated and the leader may be aided by one or more core of leaders.