++ The MEK’s reaction to Iran’s presidential election has elicited comments from many and various quarters. The common theme, however, is ‘You don’t know what “election” means and your benefactors, whether Saddam or Saudi Arabia, don’t know what a ballot box is either’. When Maryam Rajavi sent a ‘special’ message to heads of Arab countries gathering with Trump in Riadh, commentators said ‘as if they hadn’t suffered enough humiliation and degradation by having to attend the gathering, the last thing they needed was a message from you’. In an article for Iran Interlink, Saber from Tabriz wrote to express how cringe-worthy her message is. He concludes ‘no wonder that in a world where, as they say in Farsi, they have tied up the stone and set the dog free, Iran has every right to defend itself’. Fanous has written an analysis of the situation of the Saudis as the new benefactors of MEK (as they have been for three decades, nothing new there, and as the Saudis are benefactors for Daesh). Neither the Saudis nor the MEK will do as they are told, or asked to do – they always bite the hand that feeds them. Zarif is right, Trump has been there to milk the cow, the problem with these kind of cows is that they kick you in the face as well.
In English:
++ An article by Behnam Gharagozli, Jon Roozenbeek and Adrià Salvador Palau in The New Arab (Rouhani’s landslide quells risk of escalation, despite Trump’s hostility – High voter turnout was key to Rouhani’s victory), asserts that “The high turnout also serves to consolidate the Islamic Republic against dissident exile groups. The Iranian general public has overwhelmingly ignored calls for regime change and a boycott of the presidential elections such as the Reza Pahlavi (son of the last Shah of Iran), and Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), also known as the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI).
“Having backed Saddam Hussein against Iran during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, their support for human rights violations and their cultish activity has cost MEK enormous legitimacy and popularity both in Iran and in the expat community.”
++ Nejat Society held a meeting in Sistan & Baluchestan to discuss the cultic features of the MEK as well as its background of terrorism and treason. Ebrahim Khodabandeh and Ms. Mirbagheri, two former members of the MEK cult, addressed the audience. Comparing the MEK and Daesh, Khodabandeh said the group’s natures are alike. He identified ”exploiting Islam, the use of violence and using Turkey as a transit route” as similarities between the two terrorist cults.
++ Nejat Society reported that Raoof Faramarrzi had, after 29 years, managed to escape the MEK in Albania and has since repatriated to Iran where he is now happily reunited with his family. The Faramarzi family was in contact with Nejat Society and did their utmost to free their beloved son. In Albania, they were finally able to make contact with Faramarz and ensured him of their everlasting love towards him. The Faramarzi family efforts paid off and he liberated himself from the physical and mental barriers of the cult.
May 26, 2017