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One of the most common myths about cult leaders is that” they are infallible”. Leaders, particularly cult leaders do make mistakes like all humans do. Actually they are at risk of making more mistakes than ordinary people and their followers because they take more decisions than others do. However what makes difference between a good leader and a cult leader is that good leaders honestly admit their mistakes and view them as experiences to be learned from. Contrarily, cult leaders never let others criticize them; they are divinely infallible people who should be followed blindly. Anyone who dares to criticize them will face excessive response and abusive attitude by the side of the cult.

Although the Mujahedin Khalq Organization denies its cult-like substance and claims that labeling it as a “cult” is “the parroting of the repeated propaganda” by the Islamic Republic, its overreaction regarding the US government critics demonstrates the group’s hypersensitivity about its leadership.

Once more, the Los Angeles Times piece on the MKO caused the group to burst out words in an angry rush. It was just a week earlier that , despite the risks to the members’ lives in Iraq.”[1]

The LA Times piece asserts that the group’s “leadership seems reluctant to move the group members from Iraq.” The author quotes from Beth Jones acting assistant secretary of State for Near East Affair –who addressed a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee –that ”although US officials have worked hard to persuade the group’ leadership to cooperate in the departures very few have been allowed to move."[2]

On May 15th, 2013, just fourteen individuals were allowed to officially leave the group after ten years since the collapse of Saddam’s regime in 2003. During the decade, the Iraqi government has always called on the MKO expulsion from Iraqi territory. This is while the MKO propaganda arm (the NCR) claims that its representatives have actively worked writing letters to authorities of UN and US for the relocation of all members to the US or Europe! The group propaganda proudly says that it is running the line of “return to Ashraf” in all its websites; it does say that it is collecting –paid– signatories to run petitions for return to their former equipped base near Iranian border, Camp Ashraf. The MKO exaggeratedly boasts of the resolution its lobby could pass in the US congress to get the “bipartisan support of nearly 100 members” –who are actually well paid by the group—for the return to Ashraf. So which one to believe? The leadership alleged efforts for the relocation of members in the West or the large scale propaganda for getting back to Ashraf? Of course, the second one is more likely because at least you could see the proof on the group’s websites.

The group claims that return to Ashraf is "for better protection of the residents". It sounds that the MKO leaders have forgotten that the attack on Camp Ashraf in July 2009 and April 2011 resulted in much more casualties than the attack on Camp Liberty in February 2013. Anyway Camp Ashraf is not a safer place than Liberty." American and UN officials believe the group needs to leave Iraq as soon as possible because of hostility from several Iraqi groups and the limited patience of the Iraqi government, which is protecting it,” reported LA Times. [3]

The LA article accurately condemned the “group’s leadership in Paris” who controlled subordinates to cooperate with the UN screening required before resettlement can be arranged”.[4]In response, the MKO propaganda – characteristically – blames the Iranian intelligence for recruiting people claiming to be former members of the MKO. They base their claim on the discredited report of the Library of Congress for the Pentagon that was dismissed a few days after its publication. However, there are a lot more reports and articles on the cult–like nature of the MKO and human rights abuses committed by its leaders based on the testimonies of dozens of its former members. It sounds ridiculous that  in the view of the MKO propaganda  so many human rights institutions and journalists and even governmental bodies like RAND have been fooled by the agents recruited by the Islamic Republic to play the role of former members!

 The extreme anger by the MKO towards the US administration sounds to be kind of rejoinder to purify its leadership particularly in the eyes of the US Congressmen because it is one of rare occasions that an administration official tries to illuminate the US congressmen about the group danger. This move instigated the MKO lobbying campaign to take serious action for imposing more influence in the Congress. After opening their office in Washington DC, they officially registered to lobby the US government. The NCR has hired former New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Torricelli to represent it, the Hill reported on May24, 2013. “Speaking fees paid by MEK supporters to former government officials – including ex – Pennsylvanian Gov. Ed Rendell and Gen. Hugh Shelton, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – reportedly attracted the attention of federal investigators”, added the Hill.[5] Delisted from the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organization the MKO is recharged to pay Torricelli to register as a foreign agent. Why not? Torricelli and his friends have long risked their reputation for financial benefits and this time he is officially receiving money for advocacy for a formerly designated terrorist group. Speeches by high-profile Washington figures like Torricelli played heavily in the campaign to delist the MEK, according to the Hill piece. [6] The delisting of the MKO was more or less the result of such a lobbying by individuals like Torricelli who had received large amounts of money from the group. Utter Corruption! 

The MKO multimillion-dollar campaign that lavishly spends money to buy supporters doesn’t bear any US official question its leaders. The group’s propaganda machine is working awfully hard to whitewash its history and leaders, taking the gesture of a democratic peaceful alternative to the Islamic Republic.

The Goebbels–style propaganda of the NCRI for the Rajavis find them as “victims“and “innocents”. Practically the same as the MKO, the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels always predicted the victory of “Our Hitler”. This was what gave Hitler power for an era but his power in all media that tried to instill in the Germans the concept of their leader as a veritable god, ultimately ended in the collapse of Nazism. The MKO’s three-decade propaganda has definitely no better destiny.

By Mazda Parsi

References:

[1]Richter, Paul, US plans to move Iranian exile group out of Iraq hit snag, the Los Angeles Times, May24, 2013

[2]ibid

[3]ibid

[4]ibid

[5]Bogardus, Kevin, Wiped from terrorist list, Iranian group hires former senator as lobbyist, The hill’s Global Affairs, April12, 2012

[6]ibid