NCRI – Among dignitaries addressing the rally in Brussels on November 7 in support of the Iranian Resistance was Belgian Senator Erika Thijs. The following is her message to the crowd:
I am very happy to be able to address your huge rally today. I know that millions of Iranians are able to see us today live. I would also like to express my regards to the Iranian Mojahedin in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. I know that this demonstration is also in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Ashraf.
As a member of the Women Committee in the Senate as well as the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have been very much concerned about the situation of human rights in Iran and especially women, who are constantly repressed and humiliated by the fundamentalist regime in Tehran.
The most urgent issue that has aroused concern across the world is Islamic fundamentalism emanating from Iran. It is now spreading to other Muslim countries, regional countries and especially Iraq, seriously threatening peace, democracy, and the achievements of humanity and the equality movement.
The plight of girls and women in Iran, where even 16-year-old girls are hanged by the mullahs, cannot be ignored.
The danger of Islamic fundamentalism is not unique to Iran and the Middle East. Fundamentalism is now spreading in Europe.
The Iranian Mojahedin is the main anti fundamentalist movement opposing the mullahs in Iran. Women have a high and leading role in the People’s Mojahedin. The Iranian Resistance as whole is also led by a woman. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, that I know personally, is a hope for many women and men and young people in Iran. The Iranian people deserve to have Maryam as their president and not this criminal Ahmadinejad.
The recent events after the election of Ahmadinejad show that EU’s soft policy with Iran has failed. There are now no so called moderates to be seen in the regime. The regime is keen to get a nuclear bomb and has cancelled all its agreements with Europe regarding the nuclear issue.
Maryam Rajavi has said that appeasement and external war are not solutions. She has proposed a third option, which is to support the Iranian people and their resistance to achieve democracy. Therefore the first step is for our Foreign Ministers to remove the name of the People’s Mojahedin from its blacklist. This should be done very quickly.
We in Belgium are working to have the Mojahedin removed from this list. Last year 41 senators, which is a majority, signed a statement which expressed support for the People’s Mojahedin.
