Comments on: The Continuing Story of Camp Ashraf http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/the-continuing-story-of-camp-ashraf/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ali http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/the-continuing-story-of-camp-ashraf/#comment-52668 Ali Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:38:58 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=9989#comment-52668 Andres, You are misinformed about the main Iranian resistance PMOI. As you correctly stated over 1000 resident of Ashraf have residency or citizenship of western countries. But, they decided to stay in Ashraf to pursue a larger cause i.e. bringing democracy in Iran. Their situation has been monitored by Amnesty international, Red cross, US forces as well as Iraqi regime. There is no single person in Ashraf staying against their will. This is ridiculous claim. PMOI are Muslim with no element of Marxism. However, they advocate secular government. PMOI members went to Iraq for Nobel cause i.e. regime change and nothing will stop them. US bombing in 2003 didn't stop them, unfounded terrorist tag limited their activities, but it didn't stop them. It is time for the anti-war movement to start looking at facts and not recycling Iranian regime propaganda against PMOI. It is time to be in the right side of history. Thanks Ron for writing this article to open eyes of progressive movement. Andres,

You are misinformed about the main Iranian resistance PMOI. As you correctly stated over 1000 resident of Ashraf have residency or citizenship of western countries. But, they decided to stay in Ashraf to pursue a larger cause i.e. bringing democracy in Iran.

Their situation has been monitored by Amnesty international, Red cross, US forces as well as Iraqi regime. There is no single person in Ashraf staying against their will. This is ridiculous claim.

PMOI are Muslim with no element of Marxism. However, they advocate secular government.

PMOI members went to Iraq for Nobel cause i.e. regime change and nothing will stop them. US bombing in 2003 didn’t stop them, unfounded terrorist tag limited their activities, but it didn’t stop them.

It is time for the anti-war movement to start looking at facts and not recycling Iranian regime propaganda against PMOI. It is time to be in the right side of history.

Thanks Ron for writing this article to open eyes of progressive movement.

]]> By: Andres Kargar http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/the-continuing-story-of-camp-ashraf/#comment-52590 Andres Kargar Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:31:07 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=9989#comment-52590 While I agree that the Iraqi attack on Mujahedin was a violation of the human rights of the residents of the camp, I should also state a few other facts that are missing from this article. Firstly, the decision of the leadership of the Mujahedin to remain in Iraq was made in order to continue their activities to destabilize the Islamic Republic regime in Iran. Today, the political orientation of the Mujahedin Organization is no longer what it used to be when they employed a mix of religion and Marxism to struggle against the dictatorial regime of the Shah. They have remained in Iraq to serve the interests of Israel and the United States. Prior to that, they were serving as the propaganda tool of Iraq's Saddam Hussein against Iran. That was the mistake that eroded any degree of support they might have enjoyed among Iranians. Many of the residents of camp Ashraf are there against their will. There are many teams of husbands and wives in that camp who have been kept totally separated from one another, since men and women there live in totally separate quarters. Eager to disband the threat of Mujahedin, the Iranian regime has offered asylum to those members who desert their posts and turn themselves in. Some who have managed to get away have sought and been granted asylum in Iran. And finally, many (but perhaps not the majority) of those in Camp Ashraf are also citizens of the United States or one of the European countries. If they wanted to and were allowed, they could be repatriated to those countries. While I agree that the Iraqi attack on Mujahedin was a violation of the human rights of the residents of the camp, I should also state a few other facts that are missing from this article.

Firstly, the decision of the leadership of the Mujahedin to remain in Iraq was made in order to continue their activities to destabilize the Islamic Republic regime in Iran.

Today, the political orientation of the Mujahedin Organization is no longer what it used to be when they employed a mix of religion and Marxism to struggle against the dictatorial regime of the Shah. They have remained in Iraq to serve the interests of Israel and the United States. Prior to that, they were serving as the propaganda tool of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein against Iran. That was the mistake that eroded any degree of support they might have enjoyed among Iranians.

Many of the residents of camp Ashraf are there against their will. There are many teams of husbands and wives in that camp who have been kept totally separated from one another, since men and women there live in totally separate quarters.

Eager to disband the threat of Mujahedin, the Iranian regime has offered asylum to those members who desert their posts and turn themselves in. Some who have managed to get away have sought and been granted asylum in Iran.

And finally, many (but perhaps not the majority) of those in Camp Ashraf are also citizens of the United States or one of the European countries. If they wanted to and were allowed, they could be repatriated to those countries.

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