Conference of “United Muslims against Abuse of Islam by extremists”
Maryam Rajavi: supporting the alternative to this regime, which is a cultural solution based on a democratic Islam is the only solution for extremism
In a conference on Sunday, November 30, titled “United Muslims against abuse of Islam by extremists”,. Maryam Rajavi, warned that “any sort of cooperation and rapprochement with the Iranian regime under the pretext of fighting ISIS will solely result in the spread of this cancer in the region with the Muslim nations as its principal victims.
In this conference, a number of French Muslim personalities also offered their speeches such as: Taoufik Sebti, secretary general of French Council of Muslims (CFCM); Khalil Merroun, rector of Evry Mosque and president of French Muslims Committee in Defense of Ashrafis; Cheikh Dhaou Meskine, director of Réussite School; Hamida Maïga, president of Muslims Federation and director of Cergy Mosque; Hikmet Turk, president of French-Turk Cultural Center; Saïd El Mouadoine, director of Pontoise Mosque; Sadek Abrous, Vice-president of Muslims Regional Council of Ile-de-France region and Ayatollah Jalal Ganjé’i, chairman of NCRI Committee on Freedom of Religion.
Maryam Rajavi said:
Allow me to salute you all and express my appreciation for the initiative of the “French Muslim Committee in Defense of Ashrafis” and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). By forming this committee, Sheikh Khalil Meroun, Sheikh Dhaou Meskine and Mr. Taoufigh Sebti, who are all worthy leaders of the Muslim community in France, have taken a significant step towards supporting the genuine followers of Islam as well as towards confronting the forces that are exploiting the name of Islam and are its true enemies.
The timing of the formation of this committee coincides with key developments in the Islamic World and particularly in the Middle East. These developments have had profound international repercussions.
The horrific crimes committed by ISIS and militias tied to the Iranian regime in Iraq and Syria in the name of Islam have made it imperative to raise awareness in this regard and adopt a principled policy against the violence and terrorism inspired by fundamentalism, which in our view has its roots, primary cause, and sources of persistence and intensification in the velayat-e faqih regime in Iran.
On this issue, allow me to remind you of several fundamental points:
First, the crisis caused by ISIS has been borne out of circumstances created by the Iranian regime and its puppet dictatorships through murder, suppression, and sectarianism in Iraq and Syria.
For their part, western governments, due to their misguided policies and particularly their appeasement of the Iranian regime, which is the leading force of fundamentalism and terrorism, bear some responsibility in the emergence of this crisis.
I mean the silence in the face of brutal human rights violations in Iran as well as their silence in the face of crimes committed by the regime’s puppet government against Ashrafis, and silence in the face of the suppression and marginalization of Sunnis in Iraq. …
Second, the military campaign can only succeed against ISIS and similar elements when their breeding ground has been eliminated throughout the region. What breathes life into this phenomenon is the Iranian regime’s occupation and domination. Therefore, defeating ISIS will only be possible through the eviction of the clerical regime from all these countries.
I must also emphasize that today the battle lines have been drawn in the entire region not between Shiites and Sunnis, not even between Muslims and non-Muslims, and not between the people of the Middle East and the West. The chief confrontation is between the clerical regime and its allies on the one hand, including the Syrian dictatorship and regime-affiliated militias in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other violent extremist forces, and on the other hand all of the region’s peoples.
For this reason, I must warn here that any kind of cooperation or complicity with the Iranian regime under the guise of fighting ISIS will only lead to the spread of this cancer throughout the region and other Islamic countries. And, the main victims will be the Muslim people.
This danger requires further firmness and opposition vis-a-vis the Iranian regime.
The other point that I would like to stress is the unmasking of the extremism that is masquerading as Islam.
The reality is that Islam is not represented through ISIS or its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, or the clerical regime in Iran, or through the beheading of journalists by ISIS or the crucifixion of Sunnis by the Iranian regime’s agents in Iraq. Islam is not about splashing acid on women‘s faces in Iran. The so-called “caliphate” that was announced several months ago under the banner of Islam has existed in another form in my country, in Iran, for over thirty years.
Islam is the pure religious of Muhammad. It represents unity and compassion, justice and equality. Islam is the religious of freedom, tolerance and forgiveness. It is about consultation and deliberation in decision making. This is the sum total of the question. There is no place in it for quarrels among the followers of various faiths, like Shiites or Sunnis. The main confrontation is between two opposing and divergent readings of Islam.
What we need to explain to the world is that there are two opposite interpretations of Islam facing each other.
On the one side are those who promote brutality, hatred, murder, intolerance, compulsion, and crime. On the other side are those who see Islam as the religion of liberation and compassion.
In our view, Islam is the religion of freedom, free will and free choice. And, belief in Islam will never spread through the use of force or compulsion.
According to the Holy Koran, the distinctive feature of human beings is their freedom. Therefore, human beings, regardless of their heritage or history, are born free and equal to one another.
Depriving human beings of freedom and equality, under whatever pretext, betrays the very essence of creation and contradicts genuine Islam. Misogynistic rules run counter to the values cherished by Islam.
No human being shall be deprived of their personal liberty, life, security or dignity. No one shall face punishment unless through a just trial consistent with international norms. We underscore our respect for international treaties, particularly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We respect separation of religion and state.
We consider the followers of various religions – Christians, Jews, or the various Islamic branches – and others equal on the basis of their rights and freedoms. Everyone has a right to either follow or refuse to accept any faith or belief she/he chooses based on her/his knowledge or understanding.
Khomeini’s jurisprudence and the mullahs’ Sharia, which has become official law of the land in Iran, including their inhumane punishments, merely represent the understanding of those who seek to serve the interests of tyrannical systems.
It was with this jurisprudence and Sharia that two months ago mullahs agents committed acid attacks on Iranian women’s faces and few days ago they stabbed female student in the street. Form the day Rouhani came to office thousand people were executed.
We reject this Sharia of mullahs.
As Massoud Rajavi the leader of the Iranian Resistance says:” Religion means justice. It is about drawing a border between ourselves and the oppressors. This is what mullahs of Khomeini do not have because they are themselves the symbols of oppression and injustice”.
These rulings run counter to the true message of Prophet Muhammad, who in the words of the Koran and Ali bin Abi Talib, is based on rationality, logic, and religious theory that persistently evolves and is adapted to the changing times by Muslims themselves.
We beleive in the dynamism and vitality of Koran
Islam paves the way for the progress of human society and the advancement of relations among human beings.
And, finally, resistance and standing up to the clerical regime in Iran and any tyrannical order that rejects social commitments and engages in all-out destruction, is an essential and well-known right identified in Islam. The alternative and antithesis to the Iranian regime and the fundamentalism inspired by it is a movement that believes in a tolerant and democratic Islam, as represented by the MEK that its pioneers are at camp Liberty.
They have paid the price of freedom by defending the genuine aspect of Islam and this is why the Iranian regime want to destroy them by any price with massacre and an inhuman siege particularly medical siege.
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Allow me to conclude by stressing the following points.
Today’s world needs a unified coalition of democratic Muslims opposed to reactionary ideology and extremism.
It is natural for the personalities and intellectual tendencies comprising this coalition to see disagreements among themselves on some issues. But the important thing is to reach agreement on two fundamental points:
First, rejection of the extremism masquerading as Islam as well as its political and ideological foundation, which is the religious tyranny ruling Iran;
And, second, supporting the alternative to this regime, which is a cultural solution and alternative based on a democratic Islam that is represented by MEK members at camp Liberty and that is why one must defend them and the inhuman siege especially medical siege must be removed.
I believe that this coalition is endowed with a vast potential and power, because it offers an answer to an imperative need in the world, and because it echoes the voice of a vast majority of Muslims and true believers of Islam.
You have seen that French society, elected representatives of the French people, its Parliament, and the French government, have all confronted the sinister phenomenon of extremism masquerading as Islam. And, they are searching for a solution in all places. Our meeting and our accord can be promising in this regard. We must collectively identify the appropriate means for the realization of our objectives.
Your committee represents an important step towards the formation of such a coalition, and it can certainly have an impact on Muslim communities, public opinion, the media, and parliaments, and it can steer the government towards adopting the correct policy.
I wish you all the best, and I will be delighted to exchange ideas in this regard.
Thank you.
