Over 350 legislative and Policy Staff who work in the offices of the representatives that have co-sponsored this resolution so far have received the following email from IADC urging them to rescind their support, or introduce an amendment to remove the whereas statement that attempts to validate Maryam Rajavi and her cult.  Our monthly newsletter has been delivered to more 2000 Iranian American Democrats in California, urging them to call all representatives in California stating the Maryam Rajavi and her cult (POI/MEK/NCRI/OIAC) are not representative of Iranian people and ask them to not validate them through this resolution.

 

February 15, 2023

 

US House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

 

Dear Representative,

 

On behalf of the Iranian American Democrats of California (IADC), a statewide organization in the state of California which is home to the largest settlement of Iranian Americans, and the Iranian American constituents in your district, we are reaching out to you to make sure you are aware of the will of the Iranian people.  What has promoted this outreach is the introduction of the House Resolution 100 (H.Res.100) on February 7, 2023 to the United States House of Representatives which it appears to endorse the so-called People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), commonly known as Mojahedin-e-Khalgh (MEK), and its affiliates Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC),

California Society of Democracy in Iran (CSDI), or the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

PMOI/NCRI/OIAC and the current clerical rulers of Iran are two sides of the same coin1. They subscribe to the same radicalized version of political Islam that has nearly destroyed Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon and has been a source of instability in the Middle East.  PMOI/NCRI/OIAC has minimal support inside Iran or in diaspora2.  For too long we have seen elected and appointed members of the US government take part in the PMOI/NCRI/OIAC events and regard Maryam Rajavi as President Elect and an alternative to the current regime3.  We assure you that such a title is part of the scheme of self-promotion and absolutely not a reflection of the will of the people of Iran.  

The Iranian American community has taken note that such action indicated lack of support and respect for people of Iran’s desire for a free and fair referendum at which time, the people of Iran would chart their own path.  The H.Res.100 sets to legitimize this organization and its leader. However, such action is in direct contrast to the H.Con.Res.7 which you voted to approve.  We appreciate your support for the women and men of Iran who are participating in the current protests to defend their fundamental human rights; however, the framework that PMOI/NCRI/OIAC represent is in fact a different type of theocracy and does not support the fundamental human rights of the people of Iran.

We are writing to you on behalf of the Iranian Americans who support you, and ask that you prevent PMOI/NCRI/OIAC from hijacking the current Iran Freedom Movement that is aiming to replace the theocracy by the clerics with a secular democratic form of governance.  While most of the resolution is factual, we take a STRONG STAND against the inclusion of the following “whereas statement” and ask that you ADVOCATE FOR AMENDMENT to take this section out, and otherwise REFRAIN FROM SUPPORTING THIS RESOLUTION. 

…[Whereas, on June 30, 2018, tens of thousands of people gathered in Paris at the Free Iran gathering where they supported advocates for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran, and showed support for the opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan for the future of Iran, which calls for the universal right to vote, free elections, and a market economy, and advocates gender, religious, and ethnic equality, a foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, and a nonnuclear Iran;]

Please take a stand with the freedom loving people in Iran, and the security and national interests of the United States in the Middle East. A PMOI/NCRI/OIAC led Iran will be an instantiation of Islamofascism that many have ascribed to the current rulers of Iran, but in practice is the very definition of the governing model that PMOI/NCRI/OIAC would implement if they were to come to power in Iran. Please help us prevent this disastrous outcome, for Iran, for the United States, and for the world at large.  The honor of your response to this email is much appreciated.

Sincerely,

On behalf of IADC

 

1: For reference, PMOI originated in Iran as a terror group inspired by Ernesto Che Guevara (A.K.A. Comandante Che Guevara) in the 1960s with the explicit intent to instigate a revolution to overthrow the constitutional monarchy led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (“Shah”). In the process, PMOI, performed a significant number of assassinations, including of American diplomats and Iranian military and civilian officials. PMOI was a major supporter and collaborator of Ayatollah Khomeini and was directly responsible for the bloodshed following the former Shah’s overthrow, and specifically the senseless murder of a significant number of military officers under the banner of revolutionary courts.

 

PMOI had misled and recruited young men and women to join their militant army.  Post the installation of the Islamic Republic in Iran, many of the PMOI supporters were massacred by the regime. Subsequently, Masoud Rajavi and his wife, Maryam Rajavi, who led the PMOI, took refuge in Iraq. They set up a settlement called “Camp Ashraf” and assisted Saddam in its eight-year war against Iran, leading to loss of the lives of many Iranians.  PMOI recruited teenagers and young adults as soldiers with their cult-like regulations, then forced them into organizational marriages and divorces. Some female PMOI members were ordered to surgically remove their ovaries to prove their commitment to the organization. To this date, female militants are also forced to wear hijabs to comply with the organization’s Islamist ideology, so PMOI does not believe in freedom in many forms, including freedom of belief, speech, or appearance.

 

The people of Iran have not forgotten nor forgiven their betrayal.  It is presumed, but not verified, that Mr. Rajavi died in exile in 2003 and his wife Maryam Rajavi, proclaimed herself as the leader of the organization.  After the Iraq war, they were able to secure a new “Camp Ashraf” in Albania and spent lots of money to attract attention to the organization. They spent money and lobbied heavily to remove PMOI from the list of terror organizations maintained by the US State Department.  They have had an active presence at the Capital since then. As recently as 2022, they lobbied with several representatives from both sides of the aisle, and convinced Rep. Young Kim to introduce H.Res.1397 and their latest effort is to entice public officials to assist PMOI/NCRI/OIAC with resolutions such as H.Res.100 that would imply American support for this organization. This is all intended to garner broader support and credibility for Mrs. Rajavi and PMOI/NCRI/OIAC to position themselves as the true alternative to the clerics, as Iran is going through a revolution following 44 years of brutal clerical rule in the country.  This revolution is globally recognized as a female led revolution, the first of its kind, and the death of Mahsa Zhina Amini in custody of the morality police was as a result of oppression of women and compulsory hijab enforced in Iran.  Note, among fundamental issues and similarities of PMOI and the regime, is the enforcement of mandatory hijab in Camp Ashraf.

 

2:  The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in IRAN (GAMAAN) produced the  IRANIANS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD POLITICAL SYSTEMS: A 2022 SURVEY REPORT

3: Mike Pompeo met with NCRI’s Maryam Rajavi in Ashraf 3, Albania in May 2022. Read more here.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi held meetings with members of U.S. Congress, including senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from both sides of the aisle. Read more here.