Will there be a “CHANGE” in Iran?
Iranian’s grand gathering in Paris, Maryam Rajavi: The time has come for the government of the people by the people and for the people!
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As protests still continue in Iranian cities, following massive fraud in the presidential election, it seems that the protestors are now demanding more than just the annulment of the election result but rather a change in the whole system of the current regime.
Many Iranian political groups who have been waiting for an uprising of the people against the regime to help change Iran’s current political leadership, are now beginning a count-down to the fall of the religious regime in Iran.
The Mujahedin e Khalq e Iran or People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI) organized their annual gathering on Saturday June 20 in Villepinte Paris, to celebrate the 28th anniversary of creation of the National Resistance Council of Iran (NRCI). Thousands of Iranians from across the globe came to Paris, to show their support to the residents of Ashraf city, the PMOI’s residential – military camp in Iraq.
Maryam Rajavi president-elect of the National Resistance Council of Iran and one of the PMOI’s founders gave a speech to the PMOI’s adherents and her supporters while being well-received by several European Parliamentarians invited to the gathering.
The main occasion of this gathering was the celebration of the 28th anniversary of the NRCI and the support for maintenance of Ashraf city, the post-election situation in Iran was highlighted by Mrs. Rajavi in her speech when she said: “it is the time for the people to have a government by the people and for the people.”
In this gathering, European Parliamentarians from the GB, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Spain and Canada all spoke on behalf of their parliaments supporting the decision of the European Parliament to remove PMOI from the terrorist list. They emphasized safety and security for the residents of Ashraf city (PMOI Camp in Iraq), based on international humanitarian and refugee conventions. The Parliamentarians highlighted POMI’s real struggles against Islamic fundamentalism in Iran. They all called for the USA to support this decision of the European Parliament and PMOI from their terrorist list.
On April 24, 2009 The European Parliament signed a resolution considering all security of the lives of residences of Ashraf city, the POMI’s camp in Iraq based on the international humanitarian and refugee conventions.
Mujahedin e Khalq (People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran)
Mujahedin e Khalq is a well known Iran group, that had military bases in Iraq and political offices in Europe, famous for their resistance against the Iranian strict religious regime, is now entering into the stage with a maneuver of its supporters in Europe through a grand gathering in Paris, since lately the restrictions on this political – military group is being released by the European parliament.
Founded in the mid-1960s as a political group by university students, the Mujahedeen first fought against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlawi, the pro-America King of Iran until the collapse of the monarchy and beginning of the Islamic Republic. They were not granted a role in the post-monarchy Islamic Republic government, because their religious views differed from the conservatives of the Religious Monarchy of Ayatullahs.
This group added a military branch to their political structure after moving from Iran. They were welcomed by Sadam Hussain in Iraq in the early 1980s. With the support of Saddam, they created an army of thousands of religious believers. They announced war against all interests of the Iranian regime until the collapse of that regime, and have launched many attacks against IRI officials and interests over the past 20 years. During the eight years war of Iraq against Iran, 1981-89 they played a major role supporting Saddam against Iran.
After the collapse of the Saddam Regime in 2003, the Mujahedeen e Khalq was peacefully disarmed by the American forces in Iraq and their residential military camp (Ashraf city) was secured by the Americans until August 2008.
PMOI and the USA
Since the Mujahedeen are not yet off the U.S. terrorist list and the American Forces handed the security operations to the Iraqi forces, Iraqi officials have warned they will close the PMOI Camp (Ashraf city) and expel the residents to Iran or elsewhere, when they have established relations with the IRI regime.
PMOI leaders struggle to convince the world that Ashraf city is not a terrorist camp but a city of resistance against the IRI regime. Their struggles have been successful in Europe to some extent, but because they are strong Shiite believers with a tendency towards leftist ideology, they are still recognized as a terrorist group by the USA.
Contemporary Iran and the Iranians
Protests in Iran and around the world show that millions of Iranians around want to see fundamental changes in the system of the ruling regime in Iran, and the latest presidential election that was reported to be tainted by mass fraud has opened a new page in Iran’s contemporary history. Protests indicate the good possibility of a new revolution that could end in the creation of a true Islamic Democratic Republic to replace what the Iranian people now call a “religious monarchy.”
Forum posts
20 April 2010, 14:36, by Zencali
It is sad for me and my Iranian American son to see the confusion in Iran’s international and government policies at this time. I was there when perhaps the parents of the current protestors were against the Shah and wanted him overthrown. I was introduced to the man they planned to put in his place by Monsef at the Tehran Hilton. I had already witnessed the extreme bigotry and prejudice exercised against Iranians (especially Moslems) by the Executive offices of several other big corporations I had worked for. I had seen the child laborers in bare feet wrapped in newspapers carrying huge piles of bricks up dangerous ladders in winter snow right in front of our Executive offices. I was the only one that noticed. When I started to learn farsi and said good morning in farsi to the President of Northrop Page, he shouted "don’t speak raghead in here.", etc. About 1978 I had left Iran for an overland trip to India and passed through Afghanistan. We tourists were given the message to leave the country because they were going to oust the present government out of Afghanistan. Yes!!!! We were told this in advance of it happening. All inall is was 5 different countries the day before the "war" or "revolution" started. I came back from India to take my job with Grumman Aircraft in Isfahan.
My hotel in Isfahan was attacked by some kind of military people who locked me in my room for 3 days and harrassed me. I finally was let out and took an airplane to Tehran where I stayed in a hotel full of mercenary soldiers from all over world who were coming in to be paid to do certain killings, etc. It was there in Tehran that the Shah’s main Architect, Monsef, introduced me to the I think his name was something Bazargani. Sorry my memory is fading now at 63 years old. later I was to write my Bachelor’s thesis on "How the Islamic Ullamah took control of the Iranian Government". I read literally every book ever published in English about Iran. Conclusion: the Islamic Ullamah won becuase of their connection to helping the common poor people throughout Iranian history. For example, in the bread riots, etc. I had a new attitude towards Islam. I am proud to say I have a degree in "Islamic social Revolution". I may be the only person who can say this as my major was a "self-defined" major where I was allowed to draw on life experiences and several majors to write a "master’s thesis" while an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz.
Anywhere in America now I defend Islam and tribal peoples of your area. Yet now there is new confusion. Now we are to want to overthrow this only Islamic Government in world and have an (I am theorizing now) American style democracy. Well goody for you nuts. Walk a mile in my democratic american shoes!!!!!!!!!!! Every day I have to fend off moslem haters and people who don’t even know there are two countries: one called Iraq, another called Iran. People so ignorant that they believe the Christian Bible gives Isreal to the jews and that makes it okay to wipe out the Palestenians. My Bahai Iranian sister-in-law married a Moslem here in America. They go back and forth to Iran with no problems. I heard the head of the Jewish Iranian community say they were not bothered in Iran by harrassment or prejudice. Likewise neither are Christians. Finally Iran has taken on its own personality that is based on the common man and it is my belief that this is more like democracy than rich american affiliated polliticians forcing democracy christian style down Iranian throats. Let us see what the next Iranian revolution brings???? Another surprise that is not like the result planned for??? Are the American troops in Afghanistan there to help Afghanis or there to have a new pre 1979 Iran where Americans can brag about having tea boys, maids, prostitutes, gardeners, and all sorts of extremely cheap labor to make Americans into petit Kings and Queens. we will see. As for me as I told my son. I like that guy whose name starts with an A cause he has the guts to stand for what he believes in. I also believe he represents the poor common Iranian better than others could.