Speech at the Conference of the Arab-Islamic Committee in Defense of Ashraf

In the name of God the compassionate and merciful

Ramadan is the month of revelation of Quran to guide the people. It is sign of being guided and distinguishing (right from wrong). It is the month of the “night of destiny” when humankind determines his/her future. It is a month of piety and being liberated from all that fetters and alienates people. Apart from being the month of prayers, Ramadan for us, is a time when we rise to assume our responsibilities.

Ramadan has been destined so that human beings can change, strengthen their will and hence to shoulder more responsibilities.

God’s will is your ease and not hardship.

Therefore, as we are about to break our fast, we send our wholehearted prayers to those who have found the essence of Ramadan in struggling for freedom. We call on all Muslims to support those who have arisen in Iran and defend the Mojahedin in Ashraf.

Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. I wish to congratulate people of Iran and members and supporters of this movement and we salute the martyrs of the movement.

We especially congratulate Massoud Rajavi, the flag bearer of democratic Islam against reactionaries and those who misuse the religion for their own ends.

Dear sisters and brothers
Ladies and gentlemen,

To begin, I congratulate the founders and honorable members of the Arab and Islamic Committee in Defense of Ashraf, which has just been launched.

Defending the Mojahedin who are the victims of aggression and oppression by the worst enemies of Islam and Muslims is part of Ramadan prayers.

For the Iranian people, Ramadan this year is a bloody month. But, at the same time it is a month to rise for freedom, while those in Ashraf are sacrificing by their blood.

In the streets of Tehran and other cities as well as on rooftops, Ramadan is marked with the chants of death to the dictator and Allah-o-Akbar.

In Ashraf, Ramadan has come while the skulls of the Mujahedeen were fractured and we heard those in Ashraf appealing to Imam Hussein for help.

Ramadan in prisons of Iran is marked with resistance against the most barbaric tortures.

For our people, the days and months leading up to Ramadan, were a period of tears and bloodshed. Hundreds of young girls and boys were killed during the uprising and in the attacks against Ashraf.

However, this period has been full of blessings for our people and the Muslim world.

In fact, what happened was not only a popular uprising against a dictatorship; it caused a major schism at the top of the ruling elite. It also unmasked the inhuman nature of the mullahs’ regime before millions of people in Iran and in the Middle East.

Every one saw how the mullahs resorted to massive fraud instead of elections. They saw how they opened fire on young protesters, girls and boys in the streets.

In prisons, on the orders of the regime’s leaders, prisoners, women and men, were raped. Whatever the mullahs say are sheer lies.

Religious leaders, once the pillars of the regime, declared that the Supreme Leader has trampled upon justice, that he is not trustworthy and does not enjoy the support of the majority, and that therefore, his rule is illegitimate and tyrannical. Most of the clerics have turned their backs on this regime.

They rejected Khomeini’s claim that the regime’s survival was more important than Islam itself, allowing him to sanction any crime, rape and carnage.

Everyone realized that the regime which calls itself an Islamic Republic was in fact a regime based on lies, rape and murder. The evil power which consolidated a backward regime under the guise of Islam has lost its soul. And the demagoguery under the banner of Islam has lost its appeal.

Auvers-sur-Oise, September 5

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The other most important event of recent months is the display of absolute commitment and perseverance by the Mojahedin. This is a reflection of Prophet Mohammad’s traditions. They persevered against a siege that lasted seven years. They are inspired by faith and patience of Prophet Mohammad and his companions in the valley of Abu Talib.

During these seven years, residents of Ashraf were targeted by a massive barrage of conspiracies hatched by the Iranian regime. These pressures reached a peak when Ashraf was attacked by forces under the command of Prime Minister Al-Maliki. This assault was carried out on direct orders of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

This was an extremely violent attack in which the assailants hunted down the defenseless residents of Ashraf with their armored vehicles and loaders.

In these circumstances, the empty-handed and defenseless Mojahedin endured the blows of batons, axes and the bullets fired at them.

What a glorious resistance, where every member of the PMOI, women and men, stood up in defense one another. Their resistance was not just an act of heroism but a powerful display of their deep commitment to their goal, stemming from the true message of Islam.

They see Islam in being truthful and selfless, in commitment to freedom and spread of tolerance among people and followers of other religions.

As the holy Quran says, ” إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ”

Truly, the dearest to God among you is the most pious.

They see Islam in the struggle for equality between women and men.

The reason for the regime’s Supreme Leader’s animosity toward Ashraf residents is that they inspire the struggle of women and youth and those who have risen for freedom inside Iran.

From the onset of Khomeini’s rule three decades ago, the Mojahedin were the only Muslim movement to oppose the dictatorship under the guise of Islam. They did not vote for the constitution of the clerical regime.

In the last thirty years, by virtue of their belief in a democratic and tolerant Islam, they defeated the religious dictatorship culturally, politically and ideologically.

By relying on the holy Quran and the history of Islam, they have shown that Islam is compatible with democracy and pluralism.

They fought against the regime’s warmongering and export of terrorism under the cover of Islam.

Although Ashraf is located 70 km from the Iranian border, it is the number one concern of the Iranian regime’s leaders. For the mullahs, the suppression of the Mojahedin has top priority in their dealings with other countries as they view Ashraf being part of the current uprisings in Tehran.

Therefore, I call on my Muslim sisters and brothers, intellectuals, clergy, schools of theology and religious centers, human rights organizations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference and governments in the Middle East to support the uprising of the Iranian people and the perseverance of Ashraf. I would like to draw you attention to the following points:

1. The uprising of Iranian people for freedom has heralded a new era. The era of bringing great harm to Muslims under the cloak of religion is coming to an end. I urge all Muslims around the world to condemn the mullahs’ regime as the worst enemy of Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him).

2. For all Muslims countering the terrorism and criminal meddling of the regime in the region, particularly in Iraq, is an urgent task. Evicting the regime from Arab and Muslim countries cannot be accomplished through silence or giving concessions to the mullahs ruling Iran. All of us must firmly confront the mullahs.

3. I call on everyone to defend Ashraf. Doing so is not just helping the Iranian people, but also to help the campaign against the poisonous wave of fundamentalism that is directed from Tehran. Today, defending Ashraf is a pressing problem for the Muslim world. Ashraf’s defeat or victory will lead to victory or defeat of the clerical regime’s conspiracy against Muslims.

4. Today is the 40th day that the 36 residents of Ashraf have been taken hostage. These hostages and their supporters have been on hunger strike throughout this period in several countries. Their continued detention, especially after a court ordered their release, runs counter to all humanitarian, Islamic and legal principles. I urge you all to make every effort to secure their release.

5. There are 1,000 Mojahed women living in Ashraf. Islamic traditions underscore that their dignity and honor be safeguarded. The presence of the assailant forces in Ashraf, who have repeatedly threatened women with humiliation and disgrace, have placed these women in great danger. I call upon all Muslims, especially my sisters, to rise to defend the women of Ashraf.

Dear brothers and sisters, As we are approaching Iftar, we thank God Almighty that we are at the beginning of the end of the anti-Islamic regime in Iran.

And we thank God for the continuing popular uprisings in Iran.

Thank you God for the invincible morale and the strong resolve of protesters in Iran, and of heroes and heroines in Ashraf.

Thank you God for the unrelenting support and compassion by honorable citizens, representatives and intellectuals from across the world, from Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Lebanon to Europe and all other countries.

Thank you God for bestowing the Iranian people with the honor of resisting 30 years of hardship and suffering and for showing them the dawn of victory.

May God bless all Muslims and Iranians in the holy month of Ramadan.