Mujahedin’s Machiavellian approach towards the US administration today and the US administration of 1970s

Memoirs of Batoul Soltani –  Part Five

SFF: would you please explain the contradictory approach of MKO towards the US administration today and the US administration of 1970s and describe the way the group deals with the American forces in Iraq?

Batoul Soltani: when the US government was fighting with Saddam Hussein the MKO planned its strategy on sending Maryam Rajavi and a few hundreds of the group’s officials to Europe in order to guarantee the future of the organization in the West and the group could be directed by Maryam and her aides. Therefore when the war started, Maryam was residing in Europe and Masud Rajavi was apparently out of sight and the control of Camp Ashraf was granted to Mozhgan Parsaiee. In 2003, after the fall of Saddam, I remember the day the American forces surrounded the camp and they shot at the camp on some occasions.

When the American forces came, we were shocked to notice that the Organization called all the members and sent the women to the gates of the camp to welcome the American soldiers who were surprised wondering what was the MKO up to?

Suddenly the organization changed its strategy and sat at the negotiation table with the US officers. The US general who had come to seize Ashraf, ordered to cease-fire to the American tanks and helicopters, he called his high officials and then the warfare scene turned into the negotiation table. The MKO used its tricks to function the hegemony on the members. Then Mozhgan came happily and said:”we won”. The leadership council had told them that “the MKO’s rank and files are like Indians and they didn’t shoot a bullet when the Americans were bombing their camps.” 

We pretended to have enough control on our members and the Americans accepted saying that:”Ok, you deal with your own forces and we deal with you.”

Therefore the leadership council could maintain its control on the camp and then Masud sent a message saying “Ashraf is our strategic location.”

The forces considered the message as serious saying that if Ashraf resists the world will resist. Then they launched a new process to use Ashraf as an instrument that they claimed to be the centre and heart of MKO in order to gain more and more supports in Europe and also to maintain Ashraf as their headquarters. Since then they have spent large amounts of money to receive the Iraqi tribal leaders who had financial problems. I swear to God that some of them who came to Ashraf base were only promised a lunch in Ashraf; MKO abused them politically as much as they could.  

The situation in Iraq is not secure nowadays. There are financial problems; the youth are out of job, so the MKO has misused the opportunity recruiting the Iraqi youth, training them as its mercenary forces. The organization is exploiting the post war, critical situation of Iraqi Society. I remember they bought a gold necklace for a doctor to recruit her so as they can enter the Iraqi society and use their maximum exploitation from the Iraqi community. This was the status which was created after the fall of Saddam. Now the members who reside in Camp Ashraf are just like babies who are in their mothers’ womb and have no idea of the outside world to which they have no contact. They listen to no news except that of the Resistance TV or Freedom TV [MKO channels].

In order to respond the allegations on the lack of MKO members’ access to the news, the organization used a funny trick; they filtered some news of Aljazeera and CNN and recorded to show in MKO’s eating places. In fact, Ashraf residents listen to no news expect to those filtered by the group. It’s definitely forbidden to have a compact radio otherwise you would be interrogated in so many meetings. The members’ minds are blocked by a pretext: security. But they panic their own functions.

Now, imagine that these members find a possibility to open their eyes to the outside world. They find out that their Master who has always disgusted the Imperialism and even after the explosion of the Twin Towers on September 11^th cheered saying “this was the reactionary Islam, Now lets see what the revolutionary Islam will do?! You have a lot of potential inside you and you should release it” now is negotiating with the Americans. But for how long can they tell their lies to deceive people? 

I remember when a member had committed suicide, I heard myself that Masud Rajavi said: "in case of any attack against us, we will go towards Iranian borders.” The question is that: why didn’t we go towards the borders after the invasion of Americans when they attacked, bombed, shot at MKO bases including Jalula, Ashraf …? This means that MKO’s baseless strategy is based on deception which results in contradictions that caused a lot of defections after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The defections among women members were less than men due to the high level control on women. Once Masud Rajavi said “we have no female defector” so the control over women is very crucial and serious. Also, the public, health and organizational considerations on women are more serious to prevent their defection. I know all tricks they use still a lot of women succeeded to leave the group. They are either in the way to return to Iran or wandering in Iraq; and in Sahar Family Foundation we are looking for them to help them. A part of MKO forces count on European helps especially the French government. They are expending billions of dollars to European parliament members to remove the MKO from the list of terrorist organizations. They have good lobbies in European parliaments; however Maryam Rajavi’s base in Auvers-sur-Oise was raided on June 17, 2003 and she was arrested. Then, the self-immolations began. The bizarre point is that the members must set themselves on fire for the organization’s benefits. I remember how they were proud of the self-immolations. But how can they justify the fact that a person kills herself for Maryam Rajavi’s cause. When the Rajavis’ benefits are in danger, suicide is acceptable; the terror teams should chew cyanide pills in case of being arrested!

Translated by: Nejat Society