Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

The double face of the MEK: between moderate opposition party and terrorist organization

Despite presenting itself as a moderate opposition force in the eyes of Western public opinion, the MEK continues to perpetrate terrorist actions in Iran for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, as demonstrated by their own official website, in which the attacks are described as heroic acts.

In our previous article, we summarized the history of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq , a political organization whose declared aim is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran , known by the acronym of MEK or PMOI (from the English People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran ). As we underlined on that occasion, in 1997 the United States included the MEK in the list of terrorist organizations , due to their modus operandi which effectively followed exactly that of a terrorist organization that uses attacks to achieve its goals.

In 2012, however, the United States decided to start using the organization for its own purposes of destabilizing the Islamic Republic and, taking advantage of the military occupation of Iraq, a country in which many MEK militants were located, made tacit agreements with them. Just in September 2012, Washington officially removed the name of the MEK from the list of terrorist organizations , with the organization’s own leadership officially acknowledging its past mistakes, declaring that it would thereafter act solely as a political force of opposition to the Republic Islamic, renouncing the path of attacks.

This cosmetic operation had highly positive implications both for the United States and for the MEK itself. The Washington government, in fact, was able to support Mojahedin-e-Khalq openly with an anti-Iranian function, without having to worry too much about public opinion; indeed, there are quite a few exponents of the most recent administrations who have expressed their support in favor of the MEK on public occasions. For its part, the organization has cleaned up its image internationally , presenting itself as a legitimate moderate opposition force to the Iranian theocracy.

The MEK has attempted in every way to attract the support of Western progressive political groups, who do not look favorably on a regime like that of the Islamic Republic, by leveraging media propaganda that exploits the pretext of human rights and the condition of women to foment anti-Iranian sentiment in public opinion. For this reason, the official political program of the MEK presents points such as the establishment of a democratic republic, religious freedom, gender equality in every sphere of society, the legalization of alcoholic beverages, freedom of speech, association and expression, the right to choose whether or not to wear the veil, all arguments that can find general agreement among Western public opinion. Furthermore, the MEK also proposes a close alliance of Iran with Western countries and the recognition of the State of Israel , which according to numerous sources would support the organization militarily.

This cosmetic operation to clean up its image, however, conceals a much darker reality, which sees the MEK continue to carry out terrorist operations in Iran , causing serious damage and casualties, both military and civilian, in order to achieve its political goals. This dark face of the MEK is clearly kept quiet in front of the Western public, to the point that the organization’s official website ( news.mojahedin.org ) does not report news about terrorist attacks, except in its own Fārsī language version . While in the foreign language versions the MEK presents itself as an opposition political party with a moderate outlook, in Persian all this turns into extremist frenzy .

In the Fārsī language version , the term ” insurrection centers ” (کانون‌های شورشی) frequently appears , which are none other than the terrorist cells that operate in Iran carrying out attacks in public places. These episodes, which continually affect the Iranian military and civilian population, are described as acts of heroism by MEK militants, but are then kept quiet in front of the Western public, which certainly could not accept their governments’ support for a terrorist group which boasts of its bomb attacks.

For example, in July this year the MEK carried out 23 terrorist operations to celebrate the 35th anniversary of what the organization calls Operation Forough Javidan (or “Eternal Light”), an attempted invasion of Iranian Kurdistan in course of the war events between Iran and Iraq. On that occasion, the MEK was defeated, suffering numerous losses, which in the language of the organization are called martyrs. As part of this wave of terrorist attacks, the MEK boasts, for example, of having blown up the barracks of the Revolutionary Guards in Ravansar, the headquarters of the national news agency IRNA in Qazvin and numerous other public buildings across the country, as well as setting fire to images of Iranian revolutionary leaders.

Analyzing the MEK website in Persian, there are numerous episodes of this type that can be found in the year 2023 alone (year 1402 of the Persian calendar). Terrorist episodes are often organized on the occasion of anniversaries considered important in the history of the MEK, such as the aforementioned Operation Forough Javidan, or the establishment of the National Council of Iranian Resistance , an organization and political coalition founded on 20 July 1981 and closely linked to the MEK. In fact, even on the occasion of this anniversary, terrorist attacks against the garrisons of the Revolutionary Guards and other episodes of violence occurred throughout the country.

Browsing the MEK’s official website, you can also see how these terrorist attacks are not isolated episodes, as there are several every month , and they affect every area of the country. The main targets of these operations are the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards and other armed forces or the judiciary, and are described in pompous tones in an attempt to glorify the actions of the terrorists, decorated with the title of “heroes”, all accompanied by celebratory videos disseminated through the organization’s Telegram channel . An image therefore very different from the one that is sold to Western public opinion, and of which we want to spread awareness through this article, so that Don’t fall into the trap of supporting a terrorist organization like the MEK again.

By Giulio Chinappi – giuliochinappi.wordpress.com

October 8, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

The double face of the MEK: between a moderate opposition party and a terrorist organization

While presenting itself as a moderate opposition force in the eyes of Western public opinion, the MEK continues to perpetrate terrorist actions in Iran for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, as evidenced by their own official website, where the attacks are described as heroic acts.

In one of our previous articles, we summarized the history of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, a political organization whose declared aim is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran, known by the acronym of MEK or PMOI (from the English People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran). As we underlined in that article, in 1997, the United States included the MEK in the list of terrorist organizations, due to their modus operandi which actually closely resembled that of a terrorist organization that uses attacks to achieve its goals.

However, in 2012, the United States decided to start using the organization for its own purposes of destabilizing the Islamic Republic of Iran and, taking advantage of the military occupation of Iraq, a country where many MEK militants were located, entered into tacit agreements with them. Just in September 2012, Washington officially eliminated the name of the MEK from the list of terrorist organizations, with the same leadership of the organization officially acknowledging its past mistakes, declaring that it would later act solely as a political force in opposition to the Republic Islamic, renouncing the path of attacks.

This operation has had highly positive implications both for the United States and for the MEK itself. The Washington government, in fact, was able to support Mojahedin-e-Khalq openly in an anti-Iranian function, without having to worry too much about public opinion, indeed there are not a few exponents of the most recent administrations who have expressed their support in favour of the MEK in public occasions. For its part, the organization has cleaned up its image internationally, presenting itself as a legitimate force of moderate opposition to the Iranian government.

The MEK has tried in every possible way to attract the support of Western progressive political groups, which do not look kindly on a government like that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, by relying on media propaganda that exploits the pretext of human rights and the condition of women to stir up anti-Iranian sentiment in public opinion. For this reason, the official political program of the MEK presents points such as the establishment of a democratic republic, religious freedom, gender equality in every sphere of society, the legalization of alcoholic beverages, freedom of speech, association and expression, the right to choose whether or not to wear hijab, all arguments that can find general agreement among Western public opinion. Furthermore, the MEK is also proposing a close alliance of Iran with Western countries and the recognition of the State of Israel, which according to many sources, would support the organization militarily.

This facade of image-cleansing, however, hides a much darker reality, one that sees the MEK continue to carry out terrorist operations in Iran, causing serious damage and casualties both military and civilians in order to achieve its political goals. This dark face of the MEK is clearly kept silent in front of the Western public, to the point that the official website of the organization ( news.mojahedin.org ) does not report news about the terrorist attacks, except in its own version in the Persian language . While in the foreign language versions the MEK presents itself as an opposition political party with a moderate outlook, in Persian all this turns into an extremist raving.

In the Persian language version, the term “insurrection centres” (in Persian: Kanounhaye Shoureshi) frequently appears, which are nothing more than terrorist cells operating in Iran carrying out attacks in public places. These operations, which continuously affect the Iranian military and civilian population, are described as acts of heroism by MEK militants, but are then kept silent in front of the Western public, which certainly could not accept the support of their governments towards a terrorist group who brags about their bomb attacks.

For example, in July of this year the MEK carried out 23 terrorist operations to celebrate 35 years of what the organization calls Operation Forough Javidan (or “Eternal Light”), an attempted invasion of Iranian Kurdistan in course of war events between Iran and Iraq. On that operation, the MEK was defeated, suffering numerous losses, which in the language of the organization are called martyrs. As part of this wave of terrorist attacks, the MEK boasts, for example, of blowing up the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps barracks in Ravansar, the headquarters of the national news agency IRNA in Qazvin and numerous other public buildings across the country, as well as setting fire to images of Iranian revolutionary leaders.

Analysing the MEK website in Persian, there are really numerous episodes of this type that can be found in the year 2023 alone (year 1402 of the Persian calendar). Terrorist attacks are often organized on the occasion of anniversaries considered important in the history of the MEK, such as the aforementioned Operation Forough Javidan, or the establishment of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an organization and political coalition founded on July 20, 1981 and strictly linked to the MEK. Also, on the occasion of this anniversary, in fact, there were terrorist attacks against the garrisons of the Revolution Guards and other episodes of violence throughout the country.

Browsing the official website of the MEK, it can also be seen that these terrorist attacks are not isolated episodes, as there are several of them every month, and they affect every area of ??the country. The main targets of these operations are headquarters of the Revolution Guards and other armed forces or of the Judiciary, and are described in pompous tones in an attempt to glorify the work of the terrorists, adorned with the title of “heroes”, all accompanied by celebratory videos disseminated through the organization’s Telegram channel. An image therefore very different from the one that is sold to Western public opinion, and of which we want to spread awareness through this article, so that don’t fall into the trap of supporting a terrorist organization like the MEK just yet.

By Giulio Chinappi

August 9, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

What is known about MEK funding in Albania?

Who is behind the financing of the People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran (MEK) remains a mystery.

The camp of about 3,000 members of this organization in Kamez, Albania, extends over a territory of 38-40 hectares, where about 127 objects are built.

For their deployment in the Ashraf 3 camp, the USA had contributed, which had given 20 million dollars to the UN refugee agency to help the relocation to Albania.

But, after an action by the Albanian Police in this camp on suspicions that its members have committed the criminal offenses of “provocation of war” and “cyber attacks”, the US Department of State emphasized that the US does not finance this organization.

The financiers of this organization are not publicly known, since the MEK does not provide official data. However, its financing has been a point of discussion several times in the world media.

In an article published in 2018, the British newspaper The Guardian wrote that the MEK organization was financed by the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussien, “for most of its life in asylum”.

The MEK moved to Iraq in 1986, after its activities in Iran were banned in 1981. The Council on Foreign Relations, based in New York, USA, writes that Hussein had been the main financier of the MEK until the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“But in recent years, the group claims to rely on the large number of wealthy Iranian expatriates in the United States and Europe, and other people opposed to the clerical regime in Tehran,” a Council on foreign Relations report said..

But the participation of the former intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia, Prince Turki al-Faisal, in a gathering of this group in Paris on July 6, 2016 had prompted criticism from Iran after he had supported the overthrow of the Government of Iran.
An Iranian official, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, had accused Saudi Arabia of sponsoring terrorism.

The professor of the University of the City of New York, Ervand Abrahamian, told The Guardian in 2018 that Saudi Arabia is behind the financing of the MEK.

“The money ultimately comes from Saudi [Arabia]. There is no one else who can subsidize them with this level of funding,” said Abrahamian, a Middle East historian.

But, The Guardian points out that the MEK has always denied that it is financed by Saudi Arabia. Radio Evropa e Lire has contacted the spokesperson of this organization regarding the financing of the MEK in Albania, but has not received a response until the publication of this article.

For various periods from 1997 to 2013, the MEK was listed as a terrorist organization in several countries, such as the USA, EU, and Great Britain.

In 2009, Great Britain removed the MEK from this list. The USA did the same, under the administration of former President Barack Obama, in 2012. At that time, The Guardian reported that a multi-million dollar campaign was made to remove it from this list.

The MEK describes itself as “the largest and longest-lived Iranian opposition group with a five-decade history of fighting for freedom and democracy in Iran.”

But on June 21, the US State Department said it does not consider the MEK to be a “sustainable democratic opposition movement representing the Iranian people” and stressed that the US does not contribute to the funding of the MEK and does not provide any support or training for the members of this organization./rel

Politiko

July 31, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

The MEK: Controversies and Allegations Surrounding Iranian Opposition Group

In Iranian politics, few groups have sparked as much controversy and animosity as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and its leader, Maryam Rajavi. With claims of terrorism, human rights abuses, and allegations of collaboration with foreign powers, the MEK and the Rajavis have become a subject of intense scrutiny and contention both within Iran and on the international stage. MEK also began a multiyear, multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to remove itself from the terrorist list, including possible financial rewards to American political figures like Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Howard Dean, MG Paul E. Vallely, John Bolton, and others.

The MEK: An Overview of Controversial Figures

The MEK, founded in the 1960s as a militant leftist organization, played a significant role in the Iranian Revolution. However, its ideology and tactics evolved, leading to its designation as a terrorist group by several countries, including the United States, until 2012. The MEK’s association with violence and its history of attacking both Iranian and Western targets have contributed to widespread condemnation.

The Rajavi Couple: Leaders and Controversial Figures

After the deceased of Masoud Rajavi, the founder of the MEK, his wife, Maryam Rajavi, they presumed a leadership position within the organization. Their hold over the MEK and its political arm, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has been criticized and controversial. Critics argue that the Rajavis maintain tight control over the group, stifling dissent and suppressing internal power struggles.

Many former high-ranking US officials – who represent the entire political spectrum – have been paid tens of thousands of dollars to speak in support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) or MEK. Ironically, these heavy-weight politicians never talk about MEK’s violent and anti-American history, but they refer to them as ‘freedom fighters’ with “values just like us,” as democrats-in-waiting ready to serve as a vanguard of regime change in Iran. Why?
But the MEK, led by Maryam Rajavi, has collected some influential American friends. They played an important role in lobbying the Obama administration to take the MEK off its list of terrorist organizations last year. Now, they are focused on the Camp Liberty massacre. It’s not an issue that can be wished away; it is one that enemies of the nuclear negotiations can exploit.

Allegations of Human Rights Abuses and Terrorist Activities

One of the most contentious aspects of the MEK and the Rajavis’ legacy is the alleged involvement in human rights abuses and acts of terrorism. Former members and critics have accused the MEK of employing cult-like tactics, including forced marriages, isolation, and torture. Additionally, claims of the group’s involvement in assassinations and bombings have persisted, further tarnishing its reputation.

Controversial International Connections and Collaborations

The MEK has garnered attention for its alleged collaborations with foreign entities, particularly the United States. While the U.S. officially removed the MEK from its list of designated terrorist organizations, critics argue that America’s association with it raises concerns about double standards in counterterrorism efforts. Claims of U.S. support for the MEK as a potential replacement for the Iranian government after Islamic Republic’s tenure add fuel to the fire, heightening tensions within Iran.

Public Perception in Iran

The MEK is almost universally denounced by Iranians worldwide and is still regarded as a terrorist group. After aiding the Islamic Revolution in 1979, bloody street battles occurred against Iran’s eventual leadership. As a result, the MEK waged war against Iranians. The group took refuge in Ashraf, Iraq, where they aided Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq War. Saddam Hussein employed this special brigade in his deadly operations against Kurds and in repressing the Iraqi Shia.

The MEK and the Rajavis’ controversial legacy continues to divide opinions and generate intense debate. Accusations of terrorism, human rights abuses, and collaboration with foreign powers have contributed to their negative image, particularly within Iran. After Ayatollah Khamenei’s departure, the alleged aspirations of installing the MEK added further complexity to an already contentious situation. As the MEK’s influence and international connections persist, the controversy surrounding the group will likely endure, shaping Iran’s domestic politics and relations with the international community.

Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) is known for its cultish Foreign Terrorist Organizations represent a critical threat to Iran’s indigenous democratic movement. Unlike Iran’s democratic opposition, which advances through nonviolence the principles of democracy and human rights, the MEK is an undemocratic organization that pursues its agenda through violence.

The Western world must realize that this group has almost zero popularity in Iran and stop wasting their money to propagate a cultish group that will never have a chance to be involved in Iranian politics.

Granite Grok – by Amil Imani

July 26, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

Evidence on MEK’s unpopularity

There are numerous facts on the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK)’s unpopularity, not just among ordinary Iranians but rather among Iranian dissidents and opposition figures, and this unpopularity is growing.

For the MEK, this Summer did not begin properly. Their headquarters in Albania called Ashraf 3, was raided by the Albanian State Police. The camp’s residents clashed with forces violently. The Move by the Albanian police came after the French government banned the group’s planned annual gathering in Paris.

The MEK could finally run its multi-million-dollar rally based on a French court order, but it could never play the part of a popular opposition group against the government in Tehran. Several undeniable, clear key points are seen regarding the news, reports and pictures that have been published since the MEK’s gathering, which indicate that the Cult of Rajavi is not considered an opposition group, but it is regarded a fraudulent force that has targeted Western politicians. The followings are some true facts on the MEK’s unpopularity:

Albanian government turned its back against the MEK

The Albanian State Police entered Ashraf 3 under the Albanian judicial order. The Police confiscated more than 200 computers from the MEK’s camp. This shows the government’s determination to end the perilous presence of the MEK in the territory. It seems that the group is seriously under scrutiny by the Albanian authorities. Eventually, The Albanian President, Edi Rama said, “Mujahedin must leave Albania if they want to fight Iran.

https://dld.nejatngo.org/Media/Report/Reporttv-Ashraf-20230620.mp4

to download the video file click here

Forced Hijab

During the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran, forced hijab of female members of the MEK and particularly their so-called president elect, Maryam Rajavi, not only distanced the group from other opposition groups but also it stimulated their hatred towards the group. Signs of a suppressive and totalitarian system are demonstrated in the uniform clothing of the group members.
An evident presentation of hijab control in the MEK was revealed in a video broadcasted after the Albanian Police raided the group’s camp. A Mujahed woman, named Homa is advised by her peer “sister” to cover her hair -of which a little is shown out of the front part of her headscarf. When Homa does not pay attention, she gets a direct order to cover her hair from a superior “sister”. Finally, Homa who is speaking a rather good English to the Albanian reporters is coerced to cover that small part of her hair.

https://dla.nejatngo.org/Media/Report/MEK-Woman-202306.mp4

Rented Crowd

Rent a crowd is the repeated scandalous image which is often seen in the MEK’s rallies. The frequent undisputable presence of a rented crowd that was once more displayed in the group’s recent gathering in Paris. The crowd includes Muslim Mideasterns who look for shelter in Europe, African refugee seekers, poor students from Eastern Europe and other fooled people who look tired and bored of waving the flags of a country that they might not have any idea about.

Rented Crowd at the MEK’s so called gathering in Paris- July 2023

Other Iranian oppositions

Opposition figures have several times declared their detachment from the Cult of Rajavi clearly. The group’s violent background, its collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, its cult-like attitude, undemocratic structure and forced hijab are main reasons for opposition groups to denounce the MEK.

The fact was even considered by the French Police when it banned the MEK’s gathering. According to France 24, there is a fear among European officials that after the 2018 foiled plot, NCRI rallies could themselves be targets of attacks, but in the letter seen by AFP, The French Police chief also warned: “The rally could be the scene of tension between supporters of MEK and other Iranian opposition activists.” The fear of the French Police Chief is quiet reasonable because clashes between the MEK supporters and demonstrators of other Iranian exiled groups frequently take place.

A few days later, Alireza Akhondi the Iranian-Swedish politician, twitted, “It is necessary to convey to world politicians that the People’s Mojahedin Khalq organization does not speak on behalf of the Iranian people.”

Akhondi’s words and numerous other assertions by Iranians inside and outside the country is a proof for the loneliness of Maryam and Massoud Rajavi despite their deep pockets of dollars to expend for buying supporters.

Mazda Parsi

July 22, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

Exiled group feels heat as Europe ups Iran contacts

A controversial exiled Iranian opposition group is coming under increased pressure in Europe as it nervously eyes the intensification of European talks with Tehran in search of reviving a deal on the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive.

Supporters of the People’s Mujahedin (MEK) regard it as the sole credible opposition group based outside Iran, although it is held in deep suspicion by many Iranians, including those opposed to the clerical authorities.

The MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an umbrella group that essentially acts as its political wing, have accused the West of “appeasement” towards Iran over the troubles that it has faced.

Last week, French authorities cited security concerns for banning a major rally organised by the NCRI on July 1 which the group hoped would gather tens of thousands of people.

On June 20, Albanian authorities launched a raid against a MEK camp that has housed its members for a decade as part of a deal agreed in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The NCRI said one MEK member was killed, a claim denied by Tirana. It also said Albanian police seized 200 computers.

And in an incident whose circumstances have yet to be fully explained, a bomb was thrown into an office of the NCRI outside Paris earlier this month without causing injuries, according to police and the group.

‘Policy of appeasement’ !

Maryam Rajavi who leads both the MEK and NCRI, told a meeting outside Paris that the incidents were the products of a “policy of appeasement” by the West, alleging they “took place at the request of the Iranian regime”.

The MEK is outlawed by the authorities in Iran, which accuses the group of carrying out a violent campaign of attacks in the early 1980s.

It had for decades worked to oust the shah and initially backed the 1979 revolution. But it rapidly fell out with the new authorities and backed Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war, meaning its members had to be moved after the US-led 2003 invasion.

It still claims to have a network inside Iran and boasts of exposing the existence of Iran’s then-secret nuclear programme in 2002, which led to confrontation with the West.

It has high-profile Western supporters, including former US national security advisor John Bolton and ex-vice president Mike Pence.

But detractors regard the group as a cult and argue it does not represent the Iranians who poured into the streets from September last year in a new protest movement.

This could make it vulnerable as Europe seeks to keep contacts alive with Iran in search of a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, an accord the MEK bitterly opposed.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi held telephone talks on June 10 while EU foreign policy number two Enrique Mora met his Iranian counterpart last week in Doha.

Paris is meanwhile keeping a close eye on the fate of four French nationals held by Iran, regarded as hostages by rights activists.

Iran last month released a Belgian aid worker in exchange for a Iranian diplomat convicted by Belgium over a plot to attack a 2018 NCRI rally outside Paris.

– ‘Raises questions’ –

Jason Brodsky, policy director at US-based group United Against Nuclear Iran, said the juxtaposition of events “certainly raises questions”.

“The Islamic Republic has long complained about MEK’s presence in Western countries, so I would not be surprised if its officials raised the issue in their conversations with Western counterparts,” he said.

If MEK’s status in Europe was up for discussion, it would represent a “paradigm shift” as Europe and the US had always wanted the talks on the nuclear crisis to be limited to that issue, he noted.

“This is certainly a dynamic to watch,” he said.

The MEK has never had smooth ride in the West: it was expelled from France in the mid-1980s as Paris sought to improve relations with the new Islamic rulers. It was only in 2012 that the US removed MEK from its list of terror groups after years of lobbying.

There is also genuine fear among European officials that after the 2018 foiled plot, NCRI rallies could themselves be targets of attacks.

There is a “current and real risk” of such an attack, said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez as he informed the July 1 rally’s sponsors of the ban.

But in the letter seen by AFP, he also warned: “The rally could be the scene of tension between supporters of MEK and other Iranian opposition activists who have been engaged in a struggle for influence since the beginning of the protest movement in Iran.”

The Iranian government has been particularly riled in recent weeks by activities claimed by the MEK, which have included hacking into the computer system of Raisi’s administration.

But Tehran has meanwhile reacted with glee to the increased pressure against the MEK.

“Because of their terrorist nature, the MEK will always be a threat to the security of their hosts,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

Stuart WILLIAMS – AP

June 28, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

7 Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) Struggle Strategies to Overthrow Islamic Republic of Iran

Albanian police raided a camp housing thousands of members of Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group opposed to the Iranian government. The MEK is known as an Iranian rebel supported by the United States (US) and continues to fight against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. MEK has been carrying out its struggle abroad, from Iraq to Albania. They have no space in Iran itself. It became the organization was not able to develop rapidly.
However, the MEK continues to struggle and intensify various strategies to overthrow Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Here are 7 MEK struggles against Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

1. Revolutionary Leaning

MEK Khalq began as a revolutionary left-wing group that opposed the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last shah who was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution that gave birth to the current establishment in Iran. They were initially allied with other revolutionaries but fell out with the country’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, father of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The MEK begins an armed rebellion against its fledgling government that includes high-profile bombings and assassinations.

2. Ally with Saddam Hussein

MEK finally had to leave Iran and ally with Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq. MEK members launched armed attacks on Iranian soil during the eight year Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The Iranian government considers them a terrorist group and claims they are responsible for the deaths of around 17,000 Iranians.

3. Moving to Albania

MEK members were for years based in a camp in Iraq, but eventually had to secure a deal to move to Albania in the mid-2010s after Iraqi officials grew increasingly hostile to them. Many media outlets have reported that the MEK operates like a cult, imposing severe restrictions on its members and subjecting them to physical and mental abuse. Lacking legitimacy and support among Iranians, the group has also claimed hacking or penetration of state-linked institutions in Iran.

4. Hostile to Albania

Dozens of Albanian police raided the Ashraf-3 camp near Manze, a small hill town about 30 km (18.6 miles) west of the Albanian capital, Tirana.
Police said the raid complied with a court order, issued following an investigation by SPAK, or the Special Anti-Corruption Structure, into what it said were political activities not sanctioned by the MEK that contravened a 2014 agreement that allowed members to reside in Albania. Albania’s Interior Ministry supported the raid, and National Police Chief Muhamet Rrumbullaku said he was angry and offended that MEK members had tried to block police officers from confiscating electronic devices and their leaders had not cooperated.
MEK said one of its members, identified as 65-year-old Ali Mostashari, died and more than 100 camp residents were injured by pepper spray. Police said the man’s death had nothing to do with police action and officers were careful not to use force.

5. Iran Conducts Special Lobbying

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, welcomed the news saying that the MEK will always be a danger to the security of the host country due to its “terrorist nature”. “This is why the Iraqi government is expelling them and other governments are refusing to accept them. We hope that the Albanian government makes amends for hosting this terrorist cult,” he said.

6. Representation of the US

Interestingly, the US government responded by distancing itself from the MEK, a group that has been vigorously supported by a number of senior US officials for years, including former Vice President Mike Pence.
Washington says it has been assured by Albania that the raids were carried out in accordance with the law and has serious concerns about the MEK, including over allegations of abuses made against its own members. Most recently, the US has also said it does not regard the MEK as a proper democratic opposition movement that represents the Iranian people.
The US government is also no longer providing support, training, or funding to the group. The US and European Union delisted the MEK as a “terrorist” organization more than a decade ago after the group vowed to renounce its violent practices. Iran last year blacklisted dozens of US officials for their support of the MEK.

7. Operating in France

Since the Albanian raids come one day after France blocked the MEK from holding its 1 July 2023 rally in Paris. Meanwhile the National Council of Resistance to Iran, the MEK’s umbrella group, accused France of bowing to “pressure” from the Iranian government.

By Andika H Mustaqim – SINDOnews.com – Translated from Indonesian

June 25, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

Where are the Mujahedin al-Khalq Children?

Within Iran and among Iranians, the Mujahedin al-Khalq (MEK) is perhaps the only group less popular than the regime itself. The group’s argument that the Iranian regime’s opposition to them affirms their popularity is nonsense. By the MEK’s logic, Iranian regime opposition would affirm the popularity of both Saddam Hussein and the Islamic State.

There are five main reasons for MEK’s unpopularity:

First, there is history. The MEK was alongside Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini an important force in the Islamic Revolution, an event most Iranians today see as a historic mistake.

Second, there is terrorism. Prior to the Islamic Revolution, the group targeted Americans, killing several military officers and businessmen. After the MEK lost out to Khomeini in a post-Revolutionary power-struggle, they turned their terrorism toward regime officials, often killing innocent bystanders in bombings.

Third, there is treason. In 1980, Iraq attacked not the Iranian regime, but the entirety of the country. Ordinary Iranians, the majority of whom were ambivalent if not hostile to Khamenei, fought for their country. Saddam Hussein’s war aims, after all, went beyond regime change to seizure and annexation of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzistan province. At the height of the crisis, the MEK made common cause with Saddam.

Fourth, there is ideology. Iranians want democracy. The MEK may speak about democracy, but its commitment is superficial. Rather, the group’s ideology centers upon a bizarre mixture of Marxism and Islamism. Many Iranians want Western-style freedoms; the MEK, in contrast, continues to sing anti-American anthems.

Fifth, is the group’s behavior. It acts like a cult. Maryam Rajavi, the group’s paramount leader following the disappearance of her husband Massoud two decades ago, was herself victim of a forced divorce and re-marriage in 1985.

MKO Terrorist Group Hires Top US Lobbying Firm BGR

Indeed, while too many American politicians are willing to take money from the MEK and its front-groups, no matter how murky its origins, the group’s cult-like behavior should raise alarm bells in Washington, London, and Brussels.

The basis of any cult is to isolate its followers from competing narratives, arguments, and reality. First at Camp Ashraf in Iraq and then at its reincarnation in Albania, the MEK imposed strict isolation upon its members. Even in the United States and Canada, MEK members live in strict social isolation from the outside world. They read only ME-crafted publications and refuse to coordinate in any meaningful way with the broader Iranian diaspora.

After the US invasion ended Saddam’s rule, investigators interviewed camp residents. What they found astounded. The MEK would regularly separate children from their parents and force children into group homes. Brainwashed, the group would then recruit the children and impress them into its military operations. A German High Court found that, prior to the 2003 Iraq War, the MEK siphoned off social welfare benefits its group homes and foster parents claimed on behalf of MEK children. When MEK children approach adulthood, the MEK arranges marriages.

They can get away with it because social isolation extends to the young. In both Albania and the United States, it appears that no MEK members’ children attend public or private schools not run by the organization, nor can MEK members’ children even play with non-MEK neighbors. Essentially, there is little difference between an MEK child growing up at the group’s camp in Albania, and a North Korean child growing up in Kim Jong-un’s bubble.

In response to such reports, the MEK and its representatives often cast aspersions and allege grand plots. Previously, I followed footnotes in MEK rebuttals to find they were mostly fictional or irrelevant to the arguments at hand. Human Rights Watch did similarly.

High five-figure honoraria for a five-minute testament to Maryam Rajavi may seem harmless enough. Western officials may believe no harm can come of their endorsement, as Rajavi is irrelevant anyway to Iran today. The reality, however, is harm is great. Not only does such amplification of the MEK allow the Iranian regime to rally people around the nationalist flag, but it also throws obstacles in the way of the Iranian opposition’s evolution toward a common front.

Every American politician should realize that money is not free: It literally takes food out of the mouths of children.

By Michael Rubin – AEIdeas

April 17, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

MEK, no friend of democracy in Iran: Canadian academics

Paid hefty fees by the Mujahedin-e Khalq, lobbyists of the group have been actively working to advocate its cause as “a democratic alternative” to the Islamic Republic. The cult-like MEK with a long background of violence and terror is supported by a number of politicians in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Canada.

For Canada, the MEK has been particularly close to figures in the Conservative Party, including former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and others in his cabinet. This coalition has helped position Canada and others like Israel and Saudi Arabia in their proxy wars against the Iranian government.

According to the Hill Times, Academics and analysts say Canadian politicians backing democracy in Iran should stop attending events organized by a controversial group that Canada once listed as a terrorist organization that is neither “legitimate nor democratic.”

The Associate professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs told the Hill Times that the MEK are “no friend of democracy in Iran and Canadian politicians should avoid attending MeK events.”

Thomas Juneau also twitted: “Cluelessness: NOT the case for Harper; I know for a fact he knows the MeK is a thuggish, corrupt, undemocratic cult with no support in Iran.”
This is not a new warning by Canadian academics. In August 2019, Stephanie Carvin who worked as a national security analyst with the government of Canada at the time the MEK was a listed terrorist entity, told Canada’s National Observer that the fact that current and former Canadian politicians attend MEK events is deeply problematic.
Politicians attending MEK events “help create the illusion of legitimacy,” said Carvin, who is an assistant professor of international relations at Carleton University. “It also creates the perception of influence.”

Female soldiers of the National Liberation Army of Iran stand in formation at a training camp east of Baghdad, Iraq. Women make up nearly half of the NLA, the armed wing of the MEK.
Photo: Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images

The MEK’s lack of public support inside Iran and its terrorist, cult-like background has so far been covered and investigated by many journalists, scholars and think tanks. The Amercian RAND Institute, for example described the MEK in 2009 as holding “many of the typical characteristics of a cult.” Such characteristics, it wrote, include “authoritarian control, confiscation of assets, sexual control (including mandatory divorce and celibacy), emotional isolation, forced labor, sleep deprivation, physical abuse, and limited exit options.”

The recent investigative reports published by The Intercept, British broadcaster Channel 4 and Al Jazeera English have depicted MEK “troll farms” where members create thousands of inauthentic accounts on a daily basis and promote hashtags and tweets, targeting anyone that favours diplomacy with Iran. Human Rights Watch has reported that MEK leaders force people to issue false confessions.
In 2006, the National Post published an extensive report about a Canadian family that got wrapped up in the group. And in 2003, Neda Hassani, a 26-year-old Carleton University student, became a martyr for the MEK when she set herself on fire in front of the French embassy in London to protest the arrest of its leader by police in France.

April 13, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

What Does the FBI Say About the Mujahedin-e-Khalq?

The Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) claims to be Iran’s largest opposition group, even as studies and polls show it has minuscule support. The group embraces a virulently anti-American ideology, operates as a cult, and has notoriously opaque finances. The tax forms of MEK shell organizations show that the supposedly grassroots groups paying honorarium to officials and donations to politicians do not have the resources on their own to do so.

While the organization killed several American military officers and businessmen in Iran in the run-up to the Islamic Revolution, the State Department delisted the MEK as a terrorist organization in 2012. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s move had less to do with any honest assessment of MEK terrorism and more with diplomatic sleight of hand necessary both to sidestep allegations that the United States was protecting a terror organization and to enable the group’s relocation from an Iraq-based camp to one on Albania. That, in contrast to other Iranian Americans, MEK members who are naturalized American citizens cannot receive security clearances or placement in sensitive positions in the United States civil service reflects the true assessment of the FBI and broader US government.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enters the Rayburn House Office Building to testify before a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on ‘Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges’ in Washington, DC, USA, on 01 March 2011. The men in yellow shirts are members of the Iranian-American community calling for the State Department to ‘remove the terrorist designation of the principle Iranian opposition movement, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).’ EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Here, a 2004 FBI document adds clarity to the breadth of US government concerns about the group. Pages 2-4 chronicle a list of MEK terror, directed toward both Americans and, after the MEK’s allies in the Islamic Republic pushed them aside, against Iran. With regard to current terror, the FBI reported:

Los Angeles investigation has determined that the MEK is currently actively involved in planning and executing acts of terrorism. The planning takes place at MEK bases in Iraq and at the Auver Sur Oise location in Paris, France. Los Angeles has consensually recorded numerous telephone calls in which MEK leaders at this French location discuss specific acts of terrorism to include bombings. Joint investigation with the French DST and the German Cologne Police Department has revealed similar findings from French and German wire taps.

It is astounding, given the evidence that the MEK has planned if not continues to plan terror at Rajavi’s residence at Auver Sur Oise, that so many American politicians willingly share a stage and launder such behavior for a paycheck. It is a barometer of corruption and should disqualify from further public policy roles.

The FBI continues to describe the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the MEK’s political branch:

This highly litigious organization has an office in Washington D.C. and commingles it’s [sic] headquarters at the MEK’s Washington D.C. cell location in Falls Church, Virginia. This organization routinely lobbies unwitting members of Congress under the pretext of human rights issues in Iran.

Staffers are doing their members a disservice if they arrange appointments without understanding MEK’s background or tactics.

The MEK also has a tendency to act as late conspiracy theorist and perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche’s organization once did. Consider this note about the arrest of Suson Azdanloo, the sister of “president-elect” Maryam Rajavi: “Arrested in December 2001 in Cologne Germany in a joint FBI/Cologne Police Department operation. Involved in a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits.” That the MEK today parries criticism by citing LaRouche conspiracies to slander journalists, academics, and analysts is likewise telling.

The FBI documents continue to list suggested questions to ask MEK members who are or are not US citizens; the organization’s financial agents; leaders; and defectors. The entire list is worth reading.

It truly is astounding that with so much known about the MEK, so many American and European officials continue to trade their own credibility for cash. Among Iranians, the MEK is politically irrelevant. Within the United States, it should be a pariah. It is time to end the MEK’s scam once and for all.

By Michael Rubin – AEIdeas

March 29, 2023 0 comments

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