[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[Nasser Rashidi]

`Creeping Takeover' is Mullahs' Strategy in Iraq

April 23, 2004
Sun-Sentinel
Nasser Rashidi

For months Iran has focused on a "creeping takeover" strategy in Iraq. This strategy is based on two pillars: One is dispatching clerics to Iraq and positioning them on religious pulpits developing a network that takes over civil affairs and services such as humanitarian aid. The second is forming a broad range of covert armed cells to organize attacks against the coalition forces, attempt terrorist acts and take hostages.

The mullahs' tactic of using crises and presenting themselves as a party to solution has been a usual method since the inception of the Islamic Republic. Taking American diplomats hostage in Iran in the 1970s and in Lebanon in the 1980s are similar instances of this policy. This time, Tehran has two grand objectives: the ambition longed by Khomeini of expanding the "Islamic" empire into Iraq and potentially influencing U.S. elections henceforth.

In the wake of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the Iranian regime has furthered its long-held malicious intentions by taking advantage of the enthusiasm of Iranian pilgrims to visit the Shia holy city of Karbala. Among these "pilgrims" are herds of secret agents and Revolutionary Guards, who gradually are infiltrating Iraqi mosques and pulpits to use the current circumstances in that country to impose their dark hegemony on the people. The footprints are clearly recognized in southern cities, particularly Basra.

Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the most powerful cleric after the mullahs' leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a former president, on April 16 said that the U.S. occupation of Iraq was both "an opportunity and a threat, for this wounded giant … if it is taught a lesson, neither the United States nor any other superpower would ever think of engaging in military adventures by occupying other nations."

The mullahs in Iran are cleverly manipulating the religious sentiments of Iraqi people much the same way as they did in Iran in 1979. Influence on the emotions of the masses (by abusing these sentiments) and economic power are two determining factors in giving direction toward forming fundamentalist organizations. We have already experienced this in Iran. In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini took advantage of the political vacuum created by the shah's suppression of democratic revolutionary forces. Khomeini, despite his claim that he was "a religious scholar and would have nothing to do with politics," gradually hijacked the political and military powers to establish a government that is now "the leading state sponsor of terrorism."

In my March 31 interview with the Voice of America Farsi program I pointed out the threat from Iran and said: "In post-Saddam Hussein's Iraq, a power vacuum -- though in a different form than that of 1979 Iran -- exists. Mullahs in Tehran are supplying money and their version of `Islam' to fill this vacuum. When this power grab is realized, then the mullahs now creeping into mosques will come out and seize the political levers and the instability will prevail."

This is particularly significant in a U.S. election year. The leaders of the Islamic Republic regime have another goal and that is to influence the U.S. elections. They believe that the United States is extremely vulnerable during the election year, and they can receive concessions from Americans.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, in his April 14 interview with Agence France Presse, declared: "In a meeting with the foreign ministry delegation who arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, a U.S. coalition official informed them that their mediation was unwelcome. `In fact, we believe that the issue with Sadr and his militia should be resolved by Iraqis, not Iranians.'" Later, on April 15, Kharrazi said to reporters: "How can we mediate between the occupiers and the people of Iraq?"

The Iranian regime is neither a solution nor a means for achieving a solution to peace and stability in Iraq -- or in the region, for that matter. For the last 25 years, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, we have witnessed the hostage-taking and terrorist actions of this regime. There is no doubt that the theocratic-dictatorship would have achieved the highest "award" for "principal state sponsoring terrorism."

This fact is simple: As long as the regime in Tehran is not changed, nobody in Iraq -- as the Persian saying goes -- "will drink a soothing water."

Nasser Rashidi is executive director of the National Coalition of Pro-Democracy Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based group promoting human rights and socio-economic justice in Iran.

[Hugh de Mann]

Bush's Europe tour hit by protests

June 18, 2001 Posted: 12:15 PM EDT (1615 GMT)
[...]
An estimated 7,000 Iranian exiles supporting the Iraqi-based People's Mujahideen armed opposition movement rallied peacefully against alleged human rights abuses in Iran.

"They are appealing that the leaders would not shake hands with the murderers of the Iranian people," protest leader Nasser Rashidi told Reuters.
[...]

[Hugh de Mann]

http://www.ncpda.com/administration.html

Mr. Shahab Sariri
Vice Chairman and Director of Public Relations

http://www.sepideh-org.com/propaganda/gjest_boka.htm

From : shahab sariri <shahab312@yahoo.com>

Tue, 8 Apr 2003 09:19:25 -0700 (PDT)

You are such a loser whoever is running this wack website. It makes you burn that Mojahedin are the only people who will ever be able to free Iran. Its o.k besooz. You probably also thought that Mojahedin would be attacked by the U.S. during this war in Iraq too. Didn't happen though did it. Besooz mozdoor!

http://www.iran-e-azad.org/020614/English.html

Global Statement on Iran

[...]
We believe that fundamentalism and terrorism will continue to threaten the world so long as the mullahs remain in power in Iran. We therefore urge the European Union:

- To remove the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran from its list of terrorist organizations;
[...]
We believe that support for the democratic goals of the National Council of Resistance of Iran coalition will contribute to respect for human rights in Iran and promote peace and tranquillity in the region.

http://www.iran-e-azad.org/020614/list.html

Current list of Signature for
Global Statement on Iran

List, wiht 669 Signatures, is up to date as of April 17, 2003
Number - Last Name, First Name - Country - Title/Occupation
[...]
453 - Sariri, Shahab - USA - Student / Real Estate Agent