From: hossein@nu.Berkeley.EDU (Karbalie Hossein)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Re: Truth and MKO
Date: 7 Oct 92 04:34:26 GMT
Reply-To: hossein@nu.Berkeley.EDU (Karbalie Hossein)

In article <saied.718394276@cwis>, saied@cwis.unomaha.edu (Saied*) writes:
|> hossein@nu.Berkeley.EDU (Karbalie Hossein) writes:
|> >Doostane Aziz,
|> >	I would like to know how many of the MKO's supporters 
|> >feel that they are Muslims first and Iranian's second.
|> 
|> You are mixing nationality with ideaology. Although there are
|> an exteremly small number of non-iranians in (or affiliated)
|> with the Mojahedin, the rest are Iranians. That is also true
|> for the their supporters.
|> 
|> Now the idealogy. The Mojahedin believe firmly in Islam.
|> However, they do not impose their ideaology on others. They
|> also cooperate closely with groups or personalities who are
|> non-Muslims (and who are in fact non-believers). The majority
|> of the Mojahedin supporters are Muslims (or at least believe
|> in the legitimacy of Islam.) I am one of them. But believing
|> in Islam is not a prerequisite. There are MANY Mojahedin
|> supporters who do not believe in Islam.
|> 
|> Thus "firstness" or "secondness" becomes meaningless. However,
|> let me address the question another way. To measure one's
|> love of his/her country is to see how much that person is
|> willing to fight for the *people* of that country. As an
|> organization, the Mojahedin have been involved in THE most
|> intensive fight and have given THE highest price for the
|> people of Iran. They did it during the Shah era and they
|> are doing it now under the brutal clerical dictatorship of
|> the illegitimate Khomeini regime. In my opinion, Mojahedins'
|> progressive ideaology has played a major role in their
|> commitment to fight for human rights, democratic values,
|> people's rights, minorities rights, etc.
|> 
|> 
|> > Also I
|> >wanted to know MKO's position on the Iran-Iraq war. I am sure
|> >there has been a discussion of this sort in SCI, however, I 
|> >would like to see an answer. 
|> 
|> I personally have answered this many times. Here is one more
|> time. Iraq's invasion of Iran was unacceptable. The 
|> Mojahedin fought it and they gave many martyrs. The _Mojahed_
|> publications of early 1360's are still there and one can
|> see what the Mojahedin said and did when Iraqis invaded Iran.
|> (Mr. Massoud Rajavi did not even conceal Mojahedin's fights
|> against Iraqis when he first met with Iraqi president in 1986.)
|> 
|> But once Iraqis were driven out of Iran, the Mojahedin no
|> longer considered the continuation of war patriotic and in
|> fact started a relentness campaign for peace. There is a huge
|> volume of documents including numerous articles in  _Mojahed_
|> publications, _Showra_, _Iran Liberation_, and even early
|> issues of the _NLA Journal_ that are proofs of the Mojahedin's
|> non-stop campaign for peace. The Mojahedin called for peace when
|> they were in France, they did it when they moved to Iran-Iraq
|> borders in 1986, they did while forming the NLA, and they STILL
|> call for peace. That is fighting for what is good for the people.
|> (I recommend you reading an excellent article posted to s.c.i.
|> by Mr. Rafsanjani recently for more discussion on the issue of
|> regional wars.  I subscribe to Hossein's viewpoints which are
|> mostly those of the Mojahedin.)
|> 
|> >	My second thought deals with the MKO's leadership. Do
|> >you (MKO's Supporters) feel that the leadership of MKO has remained
|> >true to the ideals of the organization?
|> 
|> Of course.
|> 
|> > Would you like to see a
|> >change in the leadership?
|> 
|> The Leadership has been changing as the Mojahedin have a very
|> dynamic organization. The current Leadership which includes
|> Mrs. Mariam Rajavi as the Secretary General represents the most
|> evolutionary (and of course revolutionary) stage of the
|> Mojahedin's leadership since the organization's birth in mid 60's.
|> 
|> > Where should we (Iranians looking for truth)
|> >go to express our opinion about Iran's political climate? Does MKO
|> >accept harsh criticism of itself and its past actions? Does it have
|> >enough breathing room for others to co-exist within the organization?
|> 
|> Look at the structure of the National Council of the Resistance.
|> The fact that the NCR is THE most diverse, THE largest, and THE
|> lenghtiest political coalition in Iran's history is indicative of
|> the Mojahedin's (and specially its Leadership) readiness to talorate
|> and respect others' opinion and to co-exist and work with others. 
|> Furthermore, the NLA, thought largely populated by the Mojahedin
|> and their supporters, includes communists, Iranian Christians,
|> non-believers and even some Baha'is. That very much reflects
|> where the Mojahedin stand.
|> 
|> P.S. All of the above represents my own opinion.


How interesting. I seriously doubt that MKO's founders will agree with
you on many of the points that you have brought up. For one if the 
idealogy of the MKO is Islam how can they be on the same side as 
communists and Baha'is? Therefore, we can conclude that they are not a
Muslim organization which is in direct confilict to the foundation of
the MKO. MKO's original charter called for an end to the tyranny of 
the Pahlavi regime and establishment of an Islamic Republic. If the 
leadership of the MKO was true to the original charter of the organization
they would have worked within the frame work of Islamic Republic and
not try to deroot it. Finally, I would like to say that MKO's current
leadership is neither Iranian nor Muslim. They are not a national force
as they support the Iraqi regime and they are not Muslims as they side
with communism and etc. I think that MKO needs to redefine its charter and
break away from the old organization. I also hope that MKO changes its name
as it no longer deserves to call itself Mojahedeen Khalge.

--Kal Hossein
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian