Democratic and Tolerant Islam Against Fundamentalism, Religious Dictatorship

The solution to the crisis is expulsion of the mullahs’ regime from throughout the region and its overthrow in Iran

On Friday, July 3, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, asserted that world Muslims, Shia or Sunni, have a common enemy in the fundamentalists ruling Iran. She emphasized: “An end is conceivable to the bloodletting and the fire set ablaze by extremists under the name of Islam. To do so, you should have full-fledged solidarity with the Iranian Resistance and people and to stand up to the Iranian regime and its accomplices such as Bashar Assad and the forces in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria who follow and carry out the policies of the velayat-e faqih.”

Mrs. Rajavi was the key speaker to the conference “Democratic and Tolerant Islam against Fundamentalist, Religious Dictatorship” in Paris that was held at the invitation and support of the French Muslims Committee in Defense of Ashrafis’ Rights on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

Attendees at the Paris Conference
Attendees at the Paris Conference

The President-elect of the Iranian Resistance added: “So long as this regime is in power, the people of Iran and other nations in the Middle East will not experience freedom and democracy. A regime that continues to persist on acquiring the nuclear bomb, despite opposition of the Iranian people and the international community, is a global threat.”

While stressing the separation of religion and state, as a Muslim woman and on behalf of a generation that’s been defending the genuine Islam of the Prophet Mohammad for five decades against fundamentalism and religious dictatorship, Mrs. Rajavi declared:

  1. We reject compulsory religion and any compulsion in religion. Despotism and tyranny under the name of Islam, the medieval Sharia laws, and the excommunication of opponents, whether Shiite or Sunni, are against Islam and the emancipating Tradition of the Prophet Mohammad.
  2. In our view, the essence of Islam is freedom, freedom from all forms of coercion, oppression and exploitation.
  3. We follow the true Islam, the tolerant and democratic Islam;an Islam defends popular sovereignty; an Islam defends women’s equality.
  4. We reject religious discrimination and defend the rights of followers of all faiths and religions.
  5. Our Islam believes in brotherhood of all religions. Sectarian wars and sowing discord among Shiites and Sunnis are the sinister products of the fundamentalist Velayat-e Faqih regime aimed at prolonging its anti-Islamic and anti-human rule.

Hundreds of political dignitaries and parliamentarians from various countries expressed their supports for this conference by sending their video or written messages.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President elect of the Iranian Resistance
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, Presidentelect of the Iranian Resistance

Participants in the conference, as well as many other prominent Arabic and Islamic figures, in a joint statement, supported the Arabic coalition against Yemen’s occupation by the Iranian regime’s proxies and called for an expansion of this coalition in order to support the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian opposition to topple Bashar Assad. They stressed that “the Iranian regime has to implement all UN Security Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program and should address all outstanding IAEA questions and allow intrusive inspections of all of its declared or undeclared military and non-military sites.”

This statement goes on to add:

“Members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Camp Liberty, true Muslims that have devoted their lives to fight against the Iranian regime, are great assets to the Islamic World and humanity in confronting fundamentalism and extremism under the veneer of Islam. They are the dearest guests of the Arab community and their protection is the duty of all noble Muslims and Arabs.

“We strongly denounce the flouting of vows made to them by the United States and the United Nations, the violation of their rights, the tyrannical siege imposed on them by the Government of Iraq, and the dispatch of Iranian regime’s Intelligence Ministry agents under the mask of their families to psychologically torture them.

“We further declare that the United States and the United Nations should provide for and ensure their protection; otherwise, they should return part of their personal weapons to them in order to defend themselves against the militias affiliated with the Iranian regime. And Camp Liberty should be recognized as a refugee camp and its siege, in particular its medical blockade, must be completely lifted and annulled.”

This statement is supportive of the Iranian Resistance and its President Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, as well as her plans and programs for the future Iran, and it emphasizes: “Recognition of this resistance and its struggle to overthrow the Iranian regime is not only the will of the Iranian people, but the need of the region for peace and tranquility and an imperative step to defeat the ominous phenomenon of fundamentalism.”

Shahriar Kia

Shahriar Kia is a member of the Iranian opposition (PMOI /MEK). He is a human rights activist and political analyst on Iran and the Middle East.