The “People’s Mujahideen” or Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (MEK) went from being listed as a terrorist organization for years to moments later opening up an office in DC. I wonder what they had to do in order to get the official and public Western aplomb. Lets look at their 10-point future plan for clues. The MEK, believe it or not, now stand for a “market economy.” The MEK used to be a group that advocated for a “towhidi” classless society in which “the people” controlled the means of production and a MEK-led Iran meant a radical redistribution of wealth in one of the most stratified countries in the world, Iran. Additionally, take a look at this point: “a foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, international and regional peace and cooperation.” They might as well recognize Israel now. I mean, they’ve been working hand-in-hand with Zionism to topple Iran’s government. What’s funny is that some of the pre-revolution MEK fighters were trained by Arafat’s Fatah armed group when it was based in Lebanon in the 70s. They hated the Shah, amongst other reasons, for his support of Israel. At this point it’s safe to say that MEK will sell all its founding principles in order to gain American and Israeli support to topple the government. Oh how the Rajavis, the longstanding rulers of the MEK, have betrayed the MEK’s origins.
The Hill: The Iranian opposition group MEK is opening an office in Washington after the State Department dropped it from its terrorist list last fall.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella group of five Iranian opposition groups, announced Tuesday that it is opening a DC office as part of “the Iranian resistance’s expanding efforts inside and outside Iran.” The Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) is the largest organizational member in the council, according to Near East Policy Research, a pro-MEK group that distributed an invitation to the council’s open house reception on Thursday.
The State Department closed the council’s Washington office in 2002, calling it a front group for the MEK. Since then, the group has earned the good graces of U.S. conservatives by drawing international attention to Iran’s clandestine uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton removed the MEK from its terrorist list last September after an intense lobbying campaign that included millions of dollars paid to prominent lawmakers and former government officials. The group has been accused of killing Iranian civilians and targeting U.S. business and diplomatic interests during the time of the Shah but has since renounced violence.
The council, which labels itself as Iran’s Parliament-in-exile, was founded in Tehran in 1981 and is based in Paris.  It says its aim is to replace Iran’s theocracy with a “democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic.â€
“The opening of the office is consistent with the Iranian resistance’s expanding efforts inside and outside Iran, aimed at bringing democratic change to Iran and the timing could not be better with the failure of the nuclear talks and the upcoming Presidential elections in Iran,†the group said. “It [is] of course, more than just opening an office. It sends the strong political message to Tehran that the real Iranian opposition is back in business. And is just across from the White House.â€
The council will hold an open house reception hosted by its U.S. representative, Soona Samsami, on Thursday.
Speakers include former Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and a host of former State Department officials of both parties, including U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton as well as John Sano, the CIA’s former deputy director for Clandestine Services.
According to the council, its Ten-Point Plan for the Future of Iran:
- emphasizes on ballot box as the only criterion for legitimacy;
- a pluralist system;
- respect for all individual freedoms;
- separation of religion and state;
- complete gender equality, including women’s right to choose their clothing, freedom in marriage, divorce, education and employment;
- rule of law and justice;
- commitment to Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- a market economy;
- a foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, international and regional peace and cooperation; and
- a non-nuclear Iran, free of weapons of mass destruction.
