Source: Global Politician
The Islamic fundamentalism espoused from Tehran is the biggest threat that faces our nation today. Iran has become a nation of horror stories. I have heard of young children tortured as their mothers are forced to watch. I have also seen vivid images of this brutality on videos. These videos have included public hangings. Such crimes are carried out on the Iranian people on a daily basis.
A large percentage of those executed or tortured face such crimes simply because they have demanded basic human rights and democracy, something that I believe we in the UK at times take for granted. In fact, the largest group to have suffered for these most basic of demands has been the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), an organisation which has had over 120,000 of its members and sympathisers killed.
We have seen in recent times the great threat that is posed by the Iranian regime, through their support for international terrorism, which is leading to the deaths of a considerable number of British troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This coupled with Iran’s desire to acquire a nuclear weapon, leaves the international community needing a solution. Furthermore, not only the international community, but we here in the UK require a solution to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism facing us. The terrorist attacks of 7/7 were an indication of the great threat that this phenomenon now poses to all British citizens.
The heart of Islamic fundamentalism most definitely beats in Tehran where the theocratic rulers of the Iranian nation have used the phenomenon to spread death and destruction at home and abroad through the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Qods Corps. It is therefore extremely significant that we deal with Islamic fundamentalism at its root, which is the Iranian regime.
The solution lies with two groups, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the PMOI, which is a member group of the NCRI. The NCRI is lead by Mrs Maryam Rajavi. The significance of a lady leading the struggle against the theocratic rulers of Iran should not be underplayed. Mrs Rajavi’s democratic view of Islam offers a real solution to the crises surrounding the Iranian regime and the Middle East.
However, unfortunately the British Government has taken a shameful stance against the PMOI, who as a member group of the NCRI have played a significant role in attempting to spread the word of democratic Islam and offering a solution to the long suffering people of Iran. The PMOI in 2001 was listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw. This act of appeasement has restrained an organisation dedicated to democracy and has in fact allowed the Iranian regime to continue its spreading of Islamic fundamentalism and the death and destruction that it causes.
I and my colleagues within Parliament felt so strongly about these issues that we took the British Government to Court and the case was heard in July 2007. In November 2007 we were victorious. The Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) ruled in our favour, indicating in its forceful judgment that the Secretary of State’s decision not to remove the PMOI from its list was ‘perverse’, ‘flawed’ and ‘must be set aside’. The UK Government asked for leave of appeal, which was rejected by POAC.
This was a major victory in the struggle against Islamic fundamentalism and also lay a major stepping stone for achieving a democratic Iran. This judgment came on the back of a judgment made by the European Court of First Instance (CFI) in December 2006 in which the CFI found in favour of the PMOI and ruled the EU’s listing of the organisation annulled.
The PMOI must be immediately de-listed from both the EU and UK terror lists. However, this is not all. We must support Mrs Rajavi’s third option for Iran. Mrs Rajavi and the NCRI can bring about democratic change for Iran without the need for a further war in the region, an option which should not be contemplated. Democratic change through Mrs Rajavi and the NCRI will not only free Iran from its dictatorial rulers, but will put an end to the regime which most supports terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism throughout the world. This is an option, which I feel all of us should support.
David Amess is a member of UK Parliament for Southend West.