Speech of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi President-elect of the National council of Iranian Resistance

Dear sisters and brothers,

I salute you all.

On the 25th day of Ramadan, I ask God Almighty to bless your prayers and fasting and those of all of our sisters and brothers in the region, in France and across the globe.

Be it that owing to the message this month brings, reflecting the resolve, capability, unity and solidarity of mankind, the lives of all Muslims and people in this region be filled with freedom, peace and fraternity.

From Ramadan and its spirit of salvation, we understand the heralding of freedom.

Let us hope for the day when an Eid of freedom would arrive.

Let us hope that the era of despotism, reactionary mindset and manipulation of religion in Iran would come to an end, and mercy and emancipation be bestowed upon the people of this region.

So, let us salute all those who have arisen to wage battle to bring that day closer and who sacrifice their lives with the conviction that dictatorship and fundamentalism must go.

Let us rise and pay homage to the proud martyrs of Iran and the nations of Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Iraq by applauding them for one minute.

The Arab Spring, which began two-and-a-half year ago, led to the overthrow of four dictatorial regimes, opening a new chapter in the history of the Middle East and North Africa, creating a brilliant prospect for the nations of this region.

The oppressed rose up in the entire region, especially in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Libya and Yemen, with the slogan of freedom and the overthrow of the ruling regimes, replacing light and hope with darkness and deadlock.

From Day One, however, the fundamentalists who had not paid any price for the struggle and were being directly or indirectly inspired by the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, attempted to derail the Arab Spring.

Since the start of the Arab Spring, the Iranian Resistance, relying on the bitter experience of Khomeini’s usurping of the 1979 revolution in Iran, called repeatedly for vigilance vis-à-vis the threat posed by fundamentalist factions.

Subsequent developments in these nascent revolutions, particularly in the course of drafting the constitution and holding of elections, displayed the destructive role of reactionary forces.

The velayat-e faqih regime, which acts as the guide and the backbone of reactionary forces, engaged in a variety of provocations to turn the newly liberated countries to the fertile ground for its terrorism.

Nevertheless, the powerful movements in the region, which had arisen for freedom, refused to be marginalized.

The brilliant battles of the nation of Syria, which has stood alone against three murderous dictatorships in Iran, Syria and Iraq and the Hezb ol-Sheitan, and the several-month long uprisings in six Iraqi provinces, which have now spread to the southern states, have cornered the reactionary and despotic front led by the clerical regime in Iran. These uprisings are an admirable testimony to such perseverance.

Until their overthrow, the mullahs will not abandon their meddling, provocation and warmongering throughout the region, from Afghanistan to Bahrain, to Saudi Arabia, to Lebanon and to Palestine.

The second uprising of the people and especially the youth of Egypt against the restoration of dictatorship and the spread of religious backwardness bespeaks of their vigilance to prevent a repeat of the Khomeini experience in Iran.

Nevertheless, In order to guarantee the victory of people’s uprisings and prevent its diversion, one must be committed to human rights values and stop bloodshed and massacre.

Dear friends,

Democracy in the region is the greatest threat to the velayat-e faqih regime in Iran.

The regime is trying to destroy every aspect of the democratic process in the region. Some mistakenly believe that the Iranian regime seeks to impose the domination of Shiites over Sunnis. In reality, however, the regime intends to expand its sphere of influence and hegemony in the region in order to preserve its own fragile grip on power in Tehran. To this end, the mullahs employ a variety of inhumane and deceptive tactics.

In Iraq, the regime enflames sectarian violence. In Palestine, it tries to sow the seeds of discord among Palestinians.

In Egypt and Tunisia, where a basis for sectarian war is absent, they empower fundamentalist currents to take the democratic processes hostage.

And in Afghanistan, they back tendencies which, despite harboring vast religious and political differences with the regime in Iran, share a common fundamentalist mindset and belief in theocratic rule.

For the mullahs ruling Iran, neither the blood of the Shiites, nor the Sunnis, nor any other human being, for that matter, has any sanctity.

In Iran, they massacre the Shiites and suppress, assassinate and hang the Sunnis. In Iraq, they victimize both the Shiites and the Sunnis, and in Syria, they murder the Sunnis.

Everyone remembers the terrorist bombing of the Shrines of the 10th and the 11th Shiite Imams in Samarra in Iraq on 2006, as well as the coordinated attacks on 200 Sunni mosques. This is one of the crimes, planned by the Iranian regime in order to dominate Iraq.

It was this regime which bombed the Shrine of the 8th Shiite Imam in Mashad, northeast Iran, in 1994, murdered Christian priests and falsely attributed these crimes to the People’s Mojahedin.

And in 1987, it caused the massacre of pilgrims in Mecca, and blamed Saudi officials for it. Years later, in the midst of the mullahs’ internal feuding it was revealed that all these crimes had been planned and carried out by the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Everyone recalls that before the mullahs came to power in Iran, the Shiites and the Sunnis in Iraq were living side by side in peace and understanding. Many tribes were a mixture of Shiites and Sunnis. And there were many families, where the husband and wife were of different denominations, one being Shiite and the other Sunni.

The same peaceful life also existed in Lebanon. And in our country Iran, the followers of both denominations treat each other amicably and with respect.

It is the mullahs who demolish Sunni mosques, prevent the building of Sunni mosques in Tehran and elsewhere, have turned the Shiite mosques to centers of suppression and espionage, and have imposed dual privation on our Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Baluchi sisters and brothers.

Islam is advocated by a Prophet who called upon the people to live in peace with followers of other beliefs and religions: “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you'” (al-Imran, 64).

It taught the believers to view any difference of opinion among themselves as a blessing. It replaced barbaric prejudices with the spirit of tolerance and forgiveness. He said, “I have not come to curse. I have been chosen to bring mercy.”

While in Medina, he decreed that the followers of all religions must be free in carrying out their religious rites.

Indeed, Islam is a religion which teaches everyone not to differentiate between the Prophets of God.

Say, [O believers], “We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.” (al-Baqara, 136).

Indeed, if one considers the genuine message of the Prophet of Islam as one’s yardstick, it is pious action that is seen as fundamental, regardless of which religion it is associated with.

“Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] – those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness – will have their reward with their Lord” (al-Baqara, 62).

Now let us review some of the teachings of the Prophet of Islam; teachings which are diametrically opposed to the ruthlessness of the theocracy ruling Iran.

The Prophet is quoted as saying that “Of every two friends who love each other, the one closer to God is the one who loves the other more.”

Compare this with Khomeini’s fatwa to massacre 30,000 political prisoners which we are commemorating its 25th anniversary, and compare it with Khamenei’s daily decrees to execute people in Iran and to the massacre of the people of Iraq and Syria.

If Islam and being a Muslim is at stake, why do the reactionaries in the mold of Khomeini not listen to Prophet Muhammed, who said, “He who loves and is angered and forgives because of God, has attained supreme faith.”

And, if one speaks of the Shiite faith, one must consider the deeds of the first leader of Shiites, Imam Ali, who avoided cutting the stipends of his biggest domestic enemies, the Khawarej, before they waged a war against him. This is while Imam Ali knew that they are plotting against him.

And, Imam Sadeq practiced a high degree of peaceful co-existence with holders of different beliefs and faiths. He even regularly talked and debated with atheists.

So, it must be asked of the mullahs ruling Iran: Who has said that Islam equals human rights violations and tyranny under the banner religion?

Who has said that Islam is tantamount to imposing hunger on millions of Iranians in order to instead add to the stockpile of missiles and making nuclear bomb?

To those who say that Islam means inequality and violation of women rights I must say: No, this is not Islam. Islam is the word of the Prophet who said: “The most favored deed in His eyes is to bring happiness to a Muslim or to relieve his pain, or to help him financially and to feed him.”

The Prophet’s promise and words still rejuvenate hearts and minds after 14 centuries, where he says, “As God as my witness, you will not be saved unless you manage to love each other.”

Distinguished Guests,

The turbulent circumstances of the past three years and the great events that have taken place one after another, testify to the fact that the entire region is transitioning towards a new era.

Fundamentalism and tyranny under the banner of religion, which has been defeated socially and culturally as a result of the struggles and the blood and toil of the Iranian people and their Mojahed pioneers, is now facing resistance in other countries of the region thanks to the arisen people of those countries.

In such circumstances, providing an appropriate and worthy political, cultural and religious alternative to the religious dictatorship in Iran has become more of an imperative than ever before; A genuine solution which is able to completely push aside the model of fundamentalism and show the true image of Islam as a religion of freedom, justice, tolerance and equality. This is the interpretation of Islam that the PMOI believes in, and it is built on Islam’s truths.

This is a model that advocates popular sovereignty and gender equality; it seeks separation of church and state and it calls for tolerance with respect to the followers of other religions; it defends human rights and seeks social prosperity and the advancement of knowledge and technology.

The Leader of the Iranian Resistance, Massoud Rajavi, has said: “The distinguishing feature of the Islam that we believe in is that it is democratic. This is an Islam that recognizes the rights of other religions, beliefs and schools of thought. It was not us who created this religion. It sprung out of a common depth with its framework being the declarations of Moses, Jesus and Muhammed, and which we clearly come across in the Quran. The Quran says there is no compulsion in religion, which implies that there are no commonalities between the outlook of Islam and compulsory beliefs. And it is at this point that it restores this humane message, dignity and worth within human beings.”

Indeed, Islam professes building a bond among hearts. Its message is one of solidarity and brotherhood.

On this basis, in this critical time that the velayat-e faqih regime has engulfed the region in blood and terror, I call on all Muslims to come together in a united front against this regime and the terrorism and fundamentalism that it instigates.

This regime is the enemy of all Muslims.

This regime is the enemy of all Arab and Islamic countries. And, it is truly the most formidable enemy of God and the people.

The followers of all religions, from Islam to Christianity and Judaism, and the followers of all faiths, from Shiites to Sunnis, the scholars and senior clerics of the Islamic world, political figures, tribal leaders, and leaders of political parties from all tendencies belong to this front, since this is a struggle against the enemy of the existence and being of all Muslims and all the people of the region.

Once again I would like to bring the following facts to the attention of all our sisters and brothers in all countries:

First, be vigilant when it comes to the deceptions and plots of the Iranian regime;

Second, do not allow the mullahs ruling Iran to use sectarian religious divisions to pit one side against another;

They seek to exploit Islam to expand fundamentalism and terrorism to the entire region in an attempt to preserve their own rotten regime in Tehran; It is absolutely necessary to make a clear demarcation with the Velayat-e Faqih and theocracy.

And, third, the unity and solidarity of all of you against the velayat-e faqih regime is the most significant factor for neutralizing and eliminating the regime’s plots.

This is the key for emancipation of the region from crisis and bloodshed and there is no doubt that this objective will be realized by our brothers and sisters in the whole region, especially by risen youth and women.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

On the occasion of the Month of Ramadan, I deem it necessary to praise the brave and freedom loving women and men of the PMOI in Camp Ashraf and Liberty whose resistance and perseverance is the source of inspiration for struggle for freedom and human values. They represent true Islam by their conducts. I therefore, would like to invite you and all Muslims across the world and especially the Arab and Islamic countries of the region to rise up in their support.

They have risen up to liberate the enchained people of Iran from the clutches of religious fascism and to establish freedom and popular sovereignty.

Over the past year, the mullahs have conducted three criminal missile attacks against Liberty. As a result of these attacks, ten members of the Mojahedin, including two of our sisters, have been martyred.

Liberty prison is unsafe by any measure, and the three thousand residents there are vulnerable to missile and mortar attacks at any moment.

The Iraqi government is preventing attempts by the Mojahedin to provide for their minimum protection requirements. They want to impose more attacks on the residents in accordance with orders from the Iranian regime.

This is while the project of speedy transfer of the Mojahedin to third countries, under the pretext of which residents of Ashraf were transferred to Liberty prison, is nothing but a mirage.

Since 2011 to now, only 4 percent have been transferred to outside Iraq and there are no prospects to transfer all or a significant portion of them.

Therefore, we have repeatedly warned that in these specific circumstances, holding this defenseless and refugee population in a killing field is tantamount to committing a crime. Therefore I emphasize again that the solution is to immediately return them to Ashraf where they would be safer.

The most important reality in the political scene of today’s Iran is that the velayat-e faqih regime is in an unstable and unreliable position and it is surrounded by the crises of overthrow.

The regime’s new president, who will officially start tomorrow, is facing this impasse.

Both he and the entire regime are facing a thick wall that has left them with nowhere to escape to; an impenetrable wall which is symbolic of the nature of the velayat-e faqih regime.

This is a fundamentalist religious regime with a rigid structure, and the slightest retreat from its foundations would result in the crumbling of its entire edifice.

But the other thick wall is made from the deadly crises surrounding the regime, at the heart of which is the enormous potential for social uprisings and protests. Consequently, whichever direction the regime chooses these walls are bound to come down on its head.

At the same time, the social discontent, the economic collapse, the crippling sanctions, the deadlock of the nuclear program and the descent of the regime into the war in Syria and the situation in Iraq have left no room to continue with the status quo.

Since day one, we have identified six fundamental criteria for the regime’s new president, which are as follows:

Freedom of speech, human rights, release of political prisoners, freedom of political parties, ceasing the intransigent policies in Syria and Iraq and abandoning the pursuit for a nuclear weapon.

Any real change will inevitably fulfill these criteria, which the mullahs are of course incredibly terrified of.

The fact that has been proven more than ever since the regime’s sham elections to today has been this faltering regime’s pressing need to instill fear and suppression.

The wave of unrelenting hangings across Iran, the resumption of hanging youth at intersections and public squares, and the continuation of the policy of killing and bloodletting in Iraq and Syria means that the mullahs are still on the same defeated path.

The solution to the Iranian issue and the path to obtaining peace, brotherhood and friendship in the entire region is the overthrow of the velayat-e faqih regime by the Iranian people and the Iranian Resistance.

That is a day that would truly be the Night of Qadr (the turning point) for our people and the people of the region. That day will certainly come.

Dear Friends,

Allow me to also congratulate you beforehand on the arrival of Eid Fitr, which is in a few days.

It is a day that celebrates the return to the true essence of humanity and a celebration of perseverance on the path of piety.

So, may those be rewarded who persevere and remain steadfast in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Ashraf and Liberty, and other places where people have risen up for freedom.

Oh, God Almighty, bestow upon us and our people a government built on the basis of freedom and human dignity.

A government run by the people, which is the greatest right recognized for people in Islam.

Oh, God Almighty, bestow upon our land and other countries of the region freedom, peace, friendship and tolerance.

May God Almighty answer the prayers of the people of Iran for establishing freedom and popular sovereignty.

Thank you all