Marxist Mojahedin
Marxist Mojahedin were a faction within the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) that emerged in 1975, after members associated with it declared that they no longer self-identify as Muslims but rather only believe in Marxism–Leninism. They subsequently started an intragroup conflict with other MEK members who refused to join it (on the grounds that they still believed in Islam) and tried to purge the group in order to make it purely Marxist.
By 1979, the faction was considered defunct as its members formed different political organizations, including Peykar and Worker's Way. As a result, the rival Muslim faction was able to take over the MEK after the Iranian Revolution.
History[edit]
The members of the faction were neither raw recruits nor ideological simpletons, conversely many of the intellectuals surviving from of the early MEK days were among them.[1] Two members of the MEK's original Ideological Team were among senior members of Marxist Mojahedin.[1]
At the time the schism happened suddenly in October 1975, the MEK was operating with clandestine cell system in three branches wholly separated from each other, each headed by a Central Cadre (CC) member. The ideological shift in the organization was completely top-to-bottom and started by Taghi Shahram, one of the three CC members. He then persuaded another CC member Bahram Aram to leave Islam, and through him started converting the branch subordinated to him. The other CC member, Majid Sharif-Vaghefi, refused to join and led the opposing faction whose members remained Muslims.[2][3] This led to infighting within the organization and Sharif-Vaghefi and his second-in-command were murdered by the Marxist faction. The purge by the Marxists continued, however its scope is unknown.[3] The Marxist Mojahedin claimed that they have purged almost half of the members who refused to "correct" themselves.[4] The rival Muslim faction, maintained that only as much as 20% of the members sided with the Marxist faction.[2] Nonetheless, the Marxist Mojahedin failed to dominate the MEK and the Muslim faction survived, partly in the provinces, in Tehran bazaar and mainly among jailed members.[5]
Marxist Mojahedin retained the organization's name, before assuming the title Bakhsh-e Marksisti-Leninisti-ye Sazeman-e Mojahedin-e Khalq-e Iran (lit. The Marxist-Leninist Branch of the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran) in 1978.[6] Nevertheless, they modified the emblem from the beginning by dropping Islamic elements.[7] They called each other with the title rafiq (comrade) instead of baradar (brother), stopped performing prayers and dropped 'In the Name of God' from their pubications.[1][7]
The Muslim faction accused the Marxist faction of orchestrating a "coup d'état" in the MEK.[5] Iranian opposition were surprised by rise of this faction within the MEK.[8] Abolhassan Banisadr, who was exiled in France at the time, slammed the Marxist Mojahedin and labeled them as "fascists" in a tract named monafeqin az didgah-e ma (lit. our view of the hypocrites).[5] The Freedom Movement of Iran also denounced the faction and paid tribute to Muslim members who were murdered by the Marxists.[5] Left-wing organizations did not endorse the purge done by the Marxist faction. The Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas (which was on friendly terms with the MEK) was very concerned about the issue and Hamid Ashraf had strongly reacted against the assassination of Sharif-Vaghefi.[9] Conservative clerics issued a fatwa which prevented Muslims from associating the Marxists, declaring that they are najis.[5]
According to the information compiled by Ervand Abrahamian, the total number of Marxist Mojahedin guerillas who lost their lives was 30, of whom 16 were killed in action while 10 others were executed. One member committed suicide, one was tortured to death and the other two were missing. The members of the rival Muslim faction who lost their lives were 73, more than twice.[10]
Ideological tendencies[edit]
According to Maziar Behrooz, the Marxist Mojahedin were "staunchly Stalinist–Maoist from its inception" and their understanding of Marxism was "at best, infantile, superficial and shallow" in comparison to the Tudeh Party of Iran and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas.[4] Mao Zedong's essay On Contradiction served as a major influence on the faction.[7]
The faction first publicized its positions in late 1975 with a publication named Manifesto of Ideological Positions of Organization of Iranian People’s Mojahedin (Marxist-Leninist). It stated that "in honest efforts to resolve the most basic problems of the revolution, we arrived at the truth of Marxism-Leninism", adding that "In spite of all the innovations that our Organization introduced to religious thought and in spite of all the efforts it made to revive and revitalize its [i.e., Islam’s] historical content and upgrade its archaic principles and methods to the latest scientific contributions [to the study] of society".[3] The manifesto further explains the reason behind leaving Islam as:
Religion has no answer to the fundamental question 'why should one struggle against oppression?’ In fact, an individual can be highly devout and extremely observant of religious precepts, yet remain passive... If you examine carefully the Koran and the other Islamic texts, you will see that they are somewhat ambiguous on this issue and recommend resistance only in dire situations; i.e. when one has actually been physically expelled from one’s town or territory... Thus Islam leaves unanswered the question 'why should I struggle?’ Marxism, on the other hand, has no difficulties answering it; for struggle is the essence of dialectical materialism.[11]
Legacy[edit]
After 1979, the Marxist Mojahedin ceased to exist as a faction in the MEK and these groups are considered successors to it:
- Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class (sāzmān-e peykār dar rāh-e āzādī-e ṭabaqe-ye kārgar), simply known as 'Peykar'[12]
- United Campaign for Fulfillment of the Working Class Aspirations (etteḥād-e mobāraza dar rāh-e ārmān-e ṭabaqa-ye kārgar), simply known as 'Arman'[12]
- Group for the Combat for Emancipation of the Working Class (gorūh-e nabard barā-ye āzādī-e ṭabaqa-ye kārgar), simply known as 'Nabard'[12]
- Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran, also known as 'The Worker’s Way' (rāh-e kārgar)[12]
During the Iranian Revolution, the faction was reorganized and a new leadership adopted new policies and a new name, Peykar (lit. Struggle). However, some members refused to accept the changes and two other smaller splinter groups were formed, namely Arman (lit. Aspiration) and Nabard (lit. Combat).[12] Peykar had Maoist orientations and was joined by some other groups with such an ideology, while members of the Marxist Mojahedin who were less favorable to China formed another organization known as the Worker's Way.[1] The group Arman was later merged into the Organization of Working-class Freedom Fighters (simply known as Razmandegan).[12]
Membership[edit]
Notable members of the Marxist Mojahedin and their future political affiliations (if any) are:
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See also[edit]
Other articles of the topic Iran : IRIB TV5, Persian carpet(The Iranian Art Company )
Other articles of the topic Communism : Communist Party of Transcaucasia
Other articles of the topic Politics : Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Ewald Max Hoyer, Incumbent, Social Activist, Anan Foundation, Frank Blackburn
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- People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (est. 1965)
- Marxist faction (1975–1979)
- Organization of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class (est. c. 1979)
- Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran – The Worker’s Way (est. c. 1979)
- United Campaign for Fulfillment of the Working Class Aspirations (est. c. 1979)
- Group for the Combat for Emancipation of the Working Class (est. c. 1979)
- Muslim faction (1975–1979)
- People's Mohajerin Organization of Iran (est. 1975)
- People's Mojahedin Movement of Iran (est. c. 1976/77)
- National Movement of Mojahedin (1979) → People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran
- Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (est. 1979)
- Marxist faction (1975–1979)
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Abrahamian 1989, p. 146
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Behrooz 1999, p. 71
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Vahabzadeh 2010, pp. 166–168
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Behrooz 1999, pp. 72–73
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Abrahamian 1989, p. 164
- ↑ Abrahamian 1989, p. 145
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Abrahamian 1989, p. 163
- ↑ Vahabzadeh 2010, p. 167
- ↑ Vahabzadeh 2010, p. 169
- ↑ Abrahamian 1982, pp. 480–481
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Abrahamian 1989, p. 157
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Haqshenas 2011
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Abrahamian 1989, p. 131
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Abrahamian 1989, p. 132
- ↑ Moss 1978, p. 241
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Abrahamian 1989, p. 133
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Abrahamian 1989, p. 147
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Abrahamian 1989, p. 148
Sources[edit]
- Haqshenas, Torab (27 October 2011) [15 December 1992]. "COMMUNISM iii. In Persia after 1953". In Yarshater, Ehsan. Encyclopædia Iranica. Fasc. 1. VI. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 105–112. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- Abrahamian, Ervand (1982), Iran Between Two Revolutions, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-10134-5
- Abrahamian, Ervand (1989), Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin, I.B. Tauris, Yale University Press, ISBN 9781850430773
- Vahabzadeh, Peyman (2010), Guerrilla Odyssey: Modernization, Secularism, Democracy, and the Fadai Period of National Liberation In Iran, 1971–1979, Syracuse University Press, ISBN 9780815651475
- Behrooz, Maziar (1999), Rebels With A Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran, Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN 9781860643811
- Moss, Robert (1978), The Campaign to Destabilize Iran (101), Institute for the Study of Conflict, ISSN 0069-8792
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