The MEK Is Not Pro-Western or Committee to Democracy; It Operates as a Cult and Fosters Anti-Americanism

When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took power, he denied having any interest in personal power. Rather, he described himself as a figurehead for a coalition of Islamist and leftist groups opposed to the Iranian monarchy. “Personal desire, age, and my health do not allow me to personally have a role in running the country after the fall of the current system,” he told The Associated Press on November 7, 1978. He lied. As soon as Khomeini returned to Iran, he set upon purging his former allies.

Among the first to go was the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group which fused Khomeini’s Islamism with Marxist beliefs. They were also among the most anti-Western groups, training with the Palestine Liberation Organization, bombing American companies in Iran and assassinating American businessmen and military officers.

The MEK hated the shah, but they turned their guns and bombs on Khomeini, his regime, and ordinary Iranians after he betrayed them. They opposed Khomeini not because they objected to his ideology but because they wanted power.

In the United States and Europe, the MEK engages in a psychological operation to suggest they are pro-Western or committed to democracy. That is nonsense. They operate as a cult, isolate their members, and foster anti-Americanism. They have become North Korea, only with more food and slicker public relations. Many of the MEK’s claims of infiltrating Iran or running operations inside the country are demonstrably untrue. Former officials who support them do so not because of ideological fealty, but rather because of lucrative honoraria.

Michael Rubin, AEI